A Proclamation

BY TM PRESIDENT Oï THE UNITED BTATES OF AMEIUOA. Whereas, The Congress of the United States at ts last sossion cuacted a law entitlod an act for enrolling and calling out the national force and tbr other purposes, whioh was approved on the tliird day of Marchlast; and Whereas, It is reeitcd in said act that thcre now exists in the United States an insurrcction and rebellion against the authoritv thercof, and it is, under the conatitutiou of the Uniied States, the duty of the governmont to suppress insurrection oud rcbelhon, to guaranteo to eaeh State a republican form of goverumoDt, and to preserve the public tr'anquility ; and lS'hereas, For these high purposes, a military force is indispensable, to raiso and support which, all persons ought wülingly to co u tribute; and Whereas, No service can be moro praiseworthy and honorable than that which is rendered for the inaintaiuance of the eonstitution and the Union ; and Whereas, For the reasons thus recited, it was enacted by the said statute that all able-bodied males, citizens of the United States, and persons of foreign birtii, who shall have ieolared on oath their intention to becomo citizens under and in pursuauce of the laws thereof, between.tho agea of twenty and forty-üve years, with certain cxceptious nol neocssarv to be herein uientioned, are dcclared to eonstitute the nutional force, and shall bo liable to perform military duty in the service of the United States when ulied out by the Prcüdent lor that purpose. - And llltereas, It is claimed in behalf of persons of foteign birth, within the ages specified in said act, who have hcrotofore declared, on oath, their inteutioLs to become eitizens under and in pursuance of tho laws of the United States, and who have not exercised the right of tsuffrage, or auy other political franchise, under the laws of the United States: or of aily of tho States thereof, are not absolufely excluded by their aforesaid declaration of intentions from reuouncing their purposo to become citizens, and that on tho contrary such persons, under treaties or the law of natiorts, retaiu a right to renounce that purpose and to forego the privilege of citizenship and residence within the United States, under the obligations inposed by the aforesaid aet of Congres.s; Now, therefore, To avoid all misappreheusions concerning the liability of persons concerned, to perform the service required by such euactment, and to give it full eifeot, I do hereby order and proclaim, that no plea of alienage will be received or allowed to exempt from the obligations imposed by tho aforesaid act of Congross, any person of foreign birth, who shall havo declared, on oath, his in tention to become a citizen of the United States, under the laws thereof, and who shall be found within tho United States at any time during the continuanco of the present insurrection and rebellion, at or after the expiration of the period óf sixty-five days from tho dato of this proclamation ; nor shall any such plea of alienoge bo allowed in favor of any such persons who have so as aforesaid declared his intention to become citizens of the United States, and shall have exercised at any time tho right of suftVage, or any other politieal franchise within the United States, under the laws of any of the several States. (Signed) ABRAHAM LINCOLN. By the President. Wm. H. Skward, Secretary of State. Washington, May 8, 1863.