4

therein shall b« reduced in the proportion which the number
of such male citizens shall bear to the whole nnmber of male
citizens twenty-one years of age in such State.

Sec. 3. No person shall be a Senator or Representative in
Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold
any office, civil or military, under the United States, or un-
der Any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a
member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or
as a member of any State Legislature, or an Executive or Ju-
dicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the
United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebel-
lion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies
thereof. But Congress may, by a vote of two-thirds of each
House, remove such disability.

Sec. 4. The validity of the public debt of the United States,
authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of
pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection
or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the Uni-
ted States nor any State shall assume to pay any debt or ob-
ligation in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United
States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave;
but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held ille-
gal and void.

Sec. 5. The Congress shall have power to enforce by ap-
propriate legislation, the provisions of this article.

CIRCULAR.

DEPARTMENT OF STATE,

Washington, June 6, 1866.
To his Excellency, the Governor of the State of Maryland,

Annapolis Maryland.

SIR : I have the honor to transmit an attested copy of a
resolution of Congress, proposing to the Legislatures of the
several States, a fourteenth article to the Constitution of the
United States. The decisions of the several Legislatures
upon the subject are required by law to be communicated to
this Department. An acknowledgement of the receipt of this
communication is requested by

Your Excellency's most obedient servant,

WILLIAM H. SEWARD.