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ing, and in the House 138 to 51, 3 not voting. Sections 1 and 2 of the act were repealed by an act of April 5, 1869, and the remainder by an act of March 3, 1887. REFERENCES. - Text in U.S. Statutes at Large, XIV., 430-432. For the proceedings see the House and Senate Journals, 39th Cong., 2d Sess., and the Cong. Globe. See also Senate Exec. Doc. 9, 40th Cong., Special Sess.

An Act regulating the Tenure of certain Civil Offices.

Be it enacted . That every person holding any civil office to which he has been appointed by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, and every person who shall hereafter be appointed to any such office, and shall become duly qualified to act therein, is, and shall be entitled to hold such office until a successor shall have been in like manner appointed and duly qualified, except as herein otherwise provided: Provided, That the Secretaries of State, of the Treasury, of War, of the Navy, and of the Interior, the Postmaster-General, and the Attorney-General, shall hold their offices respectively for and during the term of the President by whom they may have been appointed and for one month thereafter, subject to removal by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.

SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That when any officer appointed as aforesaid, excepting judges of the United States courts, shall, during a recess of the Senate, be shown, by evidence satisfactory to the President, to be guilty of misconduct. in office, or crime, or for any reason shall become incapable or legally disqualified to perform its duties, in such case, and in no other, the President may suspend such officer and designate some suitable person to perform temporarily the duties of such office until the next meeting of the Senate, and until the case shall be acted upon by the Senate . . . ; and in such case it shall be the duty of the President, within twenty days after the first day of such next meeting of the Senate, to report to the Senate such suspension, with the evidence and reasons for his action in the case, and the name of the person so designated to perform the duties of such office. And if the Senate shall concur in such suspension and advise and consent to the removal of such officer, they shall so certify to the President, who may thereupon remove such officer, and, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, appoint another person to such

office. But if the Senate shall refuse to concur in such suspension, such officer so suspended shall forthwith resume the functions of his office, and the powers of the person so performing its duties in his stead shall cease, and the official salary and emoluments of such officer shall, during such suspension, belong to the person so performing the duties thereof, and not to the officer so suspended. . . .

SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That the President shall have power to fill all vacancies which may happen during the recess of the Senate, by reason of death or resignation, by granting commissions which shall expire at the end of their next session thereafter. And if no appointment, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall be made to such office so vacant or temporarily filled as aforesaid during such next session of the Senate, such office shall remain in abeyance, without any salary, fees, or emoluments attached thereto, until the same shall be filled by appointment thereto, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate; and during such time all the powers and duties belonging to such office shall be exercised by such other officer as may by law exercise such powers and duties in case of a vacancy in such office.

SEC. 4. And be it further enacted, That nothing in this act contained shall be construed to extend the term of any office the duration of which is limited by law.

SEC. 5. And be it further enacted, That if any person shall, contrary to the provisions of this act, accept any appointment to or employment in any office, or shall hold or exercise or attempt to hold or exercise, any such office or employment, he shall be deemed, and is hereby declared to be, guilty of a high misdemeanor, and, upon trial and conviction thereof, he shall be punished therefor by a fine not exceeding ten thousand dollars, or by imprisonment not exceeding five years, or both said punishments, in the discretion of the court.

SEC. 6. And be it further enacted, That every removal, appointment, or employment, made, had, or exercised, contrary to the provisions of this act, and the making, signing, sealing, countersigning, or issuing of any commission or letter of authority for or in respect to any such appointment or employment, shall be deemed, and are hereby declared to be, high misdemeanors,

and, upon trial and conviction thereof, every person guilty thereof shall be punished by a fine not exceeding ten thousand dollars, or by imprisonment not exceeding five years, or both said punishments, in the discretion of the court..

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No. 151. Command of the Army

March 2, 1867

SECTION 2 of the army appropriation act of March 2, 1867, virtually deprived the President, in certain cases, of the command of the army. The constitutionality of the provision was debated at some length, but an amendment offered in the Senate February 26, by Reverdy Johnson of Maryland, to strike out the section was lost by a vote of 8 to 28, and other motions to the same effect failed of support. Sections 5 and 6 were added to the bill by the Senate. President Johnson approved the bill in order not to defeat the appropriations, but he entered his protest against the army provision. The section relating to the militia was repealed by acts of January 14 and March 3, 1869.

REFERENCES. - Text in U.S. Statutes at Large, XIV., 486, 487. For the proceedings see the House and Senate Journals, 39th Cong., 2d Sess., and the Cong. Globe. The important discussion was in the Senate.

An Act making appropriations for the support of the army for the year ending... [June 30, 1868] . . and for other purposes.

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SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That the headquarters of the General of the army of the United States shall be at the city of Washington, and all orders and instructions relating to military operations issued by the President or Secretary of War shall be issued through the General of the army, and, in case of his inability, through the next in rank. The General. of the army shall not be removed, suspended, or relieved from command, or assigned to duty elsewhere than at said headquarters, except at his own request, without the previous approval of the Senate; and any orders or instructions relating to military operations issued contrary to the requirements of this section shall be null and void; and any officer who shall issue orders or instructions contrary to the provisions of this section shall be

deemed guilty of a misdemeanor in office; and any officer of the army who shall transmit, convey, or obey any orders or instructions so issued contrary to the provisions of this section, knowing that such orders were so issued, shall be liable to imprisonment for not less than two nor more than twenty years, upon conviction thereof in any court of competent jurisdiction.

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By a resolution of March 7, 1867, the House Committee on the Judiciary were instructed "to report a bill declaring who shall call conventions for the reorganization of the rebel States, and providing for the registration of voters within said rebel States, and all elections for members of said conventions, or for the adoption or rejection of constitutions formed by said conventions, or for the choice of public officers, State and municipal, until the constitutions of said States shall have been approved by Congress, shall be by ballot." A bill in accordance with the resolution was reported March 11, and passed the same day, the vote being 117 to 27, 16 not voting. The Senate Committee on the Judiciary reported a substitute, which, with further amendments, passed that body on the 16th by a vote of 38 to 2. To the bill as thus amended the House added further amendments, the principal of which required the approval by a majority of the registered voters of the constitution submitted for ratification. The bill received its final form from a conference committee. March 23 President Johnson vetoed the bill, but it was passed over the veto the same day, in the House by a vote of 114 to 25, 25 not voting, and in the Senate by a vote of 40 to 7.

REFERENCES. - Text in U.S. Statutes at Large, XV., 2-4. For the proceedings see the House and Senate Journals, 40th Cong., 1st Sess., and the Cong. Globe. The texts of the numerous amendments submitted are in the Globe.

An Act supplementary to an Act entitled "An Act to provide for the more efficient Government of the Rebel States," passed . [March 2, 1867]. and to facilitate Restoration.

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That before.

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Be it enacted the commanding general in each district defined by

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of March 2, 1867] . . ., shall cause a registration to be made of the male citizens of the United States, twenty-one years of age

and upwards, resident in each county or parish in the State or States included in his district, which registration shall include. only those persons who are qualified to vote for delegates by the act aforesaid, and who shall have taken and subscribed the following oath or affirmation: "I, do solemnly swear (or affirm), in the presence of Almighty God, that I am a citizen of the State of; that I have resided in said State for months next preceding this day, and now reside in the county of

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or the parish of —, in said State (as the case may be); that I am twenty-one years old; that I have not been disfranchised for participation in any rebellion or civil war against the United States, or for felony committed against the laws of any State or of the United States; that I have never been a member of any State legislature, nor held any executive or judicial office in any State, and afterwards engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof; that I have never taken an oath as a member of Congress of the United States, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, and afterwards engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof; that I will faithfully support the Constitution and obey the laws of the United States, and will, to the best of my ability, encourage others so to do, so help me God."

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SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That after the completion of the registration hereby provided for in any State, at such time and places therein as the commanding general shall appoint and direct, of which at least thirty days' public notice shall be given, an election shall be held of delegates to a convention for the purpose of establishing a constitution and civil government for such State loyal to the Union, said convention in each State, except Virginia, to consist of the same number of members as the most numerous branch of the State legislature of such State

[in 1860]. . ., to be apportioned among the several districts, counties, or parishes of such State by the commanding general, giving to each representation in the ratio of voters registered as aforesaid as nearly as may be. The convention in Virginia shall consist of the same number of members as represented

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