A PROCLAMATION.
Whereas by an act of Congress entitled "An act to enforce the provisions
of the fourteenth amendment to the Constitution of the United States,
and for other purposes," approved the 20th day of April, A.D. 1871,
power is given to the President of the United States, when in his
judgment the public safety shall require it, to suspend the privileges
of the writ of _habeas corpus_ in any State or part of a State whenever
combinations and conspiracies exist in such State or part of a State for
the purpose of depriving any portion or class of the people of such
State of the rights, privileges, immunities, and protection named in the
Constitution of the United States and secured by the act of Congress
aforesaid; and whenever such combinations and conspiracies do so
obstruct and hinder the execution of the laws of any such State and of
the United States as to deprive the people aforesaid of the rights,
privileges, immunities, and protection aforesaid, and do oppose and
obstruct the laws of the United States and their due execution, and
impede and obstruct the due course of justice under the same; and
whenever such combinations shall be organized and armed and so numerous
and powerful as to be able by violence either to overthrow or to set at
defiance the constituted authorities of said State and of the United
States within such State; and whenever by reason of said causes the
conviction of such offenders and the preservation of the public peace
shall become in such State or part of a State impracticable; and
Whereas such unlawful combinations and conspiracies for the purposes
aforesaid are declared by the act of Congress aforesaid to be rebellion
against the Government of the United States; and
Whereas by said act of Congress it is provided that before the President
shall suspend the privileges of the writ of _habeas corpus_ he shall
first have made proclamation commanding such insurgents to disperse; and
Whereas on the 3d day of the present month of November the President
of the United States did issue his proclamation, reciting therein,
among other things, that such combinations and conspiracies did then
exist in the county of Union, in the State of South Carolina, and
commanding thereby all persons composing such unlawful combinations and
conspiracies to disperse and retire peaceably to their homes within five
days from the date thereof, and to deliver either to the marshal of
the United States for the district of South Carolina, or to any of his
deputies, or to any military officer of the United States within said
county, all arms, ammunition, uniforms, disguises, and other means and
implements used, kept, possessed, or controlled by them for carrying out
the unlawful purposes for which the said combinations and conspiracies
are organized; and
Whereas the insurgents engaged in such unlawful combinations and
conspiracies within the county aforesaid have not dispersed and retired
peaceably to their respective homes, and have not delivered to the
marshal of the United States, or to any of his deputies, or to any
military officer of the United States within said county, all arms,
ammunition, uniforms, disguises, and other means and implements used,
kept, possessed, or controlled by them for carrying out the unlawful
purposes for which the combinations and conspiracies are organized, as
commanded by said proclamation, but do still persist in the unlawful
combinations and conspiracies aforesaid:
Now, therefore, I, Ulysses S.
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