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m CONSTITUTION. BY W. A. HEMPHILL & CO. I W ATERY, Editor. TEEMS OF SUBSCRIPTION: W F.EEUT CONSTITUTION. per a iiz months. DAII.T CONSTITUTION, per Annum •ixmonths.... MS 1 How much has been lo3t to us by & want of Democratic nerve and unity will never b* realized. The conservative Republicans were strong against the extreme Bullock measures, but the glDgerllness of the De mocracy In uniting with them against a common enemy, and the resolute cracking of the party lash, drove many unwillingly to an affiliation with the Bullock faction- lats. And we know of prominent men who watched the contest cautiously, waiting to jump on the vinning side. The turning point of victory was the election of Speak- A defeat there would huge been a No same entered on the subscription book ontiTthe moner it paid. tejjr AltVKitTInEMENTS Inserted at one dol lar per square of tea lines, or space to that amount. r i the arrU nixt *fty rents for each subsequent in- , ,, _ ^ 1 i « ^wCdr rtto!t " ,thora<,Terluement !»nishlDB blow to the Governors action. We have not the space now to show the dif ference. There has been this difference between tbe Bullock and the anti-Bullock men. The former have been as compact as a Macedo nian phalanx; the latter have been loosely ATLANTA. GEORGIA, FEBRUARY 8. The Governor’s Message. Tbe whole paper with all Its lengthy quotations!* simply an logenious piece of voplii-tical special pleading to prove that; organized, irregularly managed, and ruin : the State Government is provisional, in | ously divided and vaccinating. A few men order to ten in General Terry and Gover nor Bullock the sweeping and despotic powers that belong to a Provisional tyran ny. “ Only this, and nothing more.' It seems strange that the Executive of a great State should seek to unhinge its sov ereignty. But In these c-vil* days, when personal ambition is the substitute for patriotism, and tbe interests of faction par amount to the weal of the country, wc need be surprised at nothing of this character. The Message contains about as much ot General Terry as Governor Bullock. It is a sort of a double-barrelled gun, that fires two loads in the same direction. We had intended to have criticised the scheme of this paper, but the argument of nd. i.cstcr, in our evening edition, for his clients who were expelled by Gen. Terry, covers the ground very well. We shall, therefore, merely make some general comments upon it. It will be difficult for any impartial man to rUe from its perusal without suspecting something not altogether right in tbe con nection between General Terry and Gov ernor Bullock. In this whole matter wc have dealt carefully with the authorities, appreciating tl.u responsibilities of a per plexing and extraordinary trust of power, and knowing how insensibly and honestly men can lie biased, by constant association with one side. The argumentative appeal by General Terry to General Grant for tbe tremendous powers of District Commander, quoted in the Message, connected with the use of th.'-c powers when granted,solely in Gov ernor Bollock's interest is a signiflcantcir- cuoMtance. It seems like a concerted plot, ra< li_pail working with the precision of a drill ty. Is found In the assertion that the present government of Georgia is “ provisional ” Guly, and that all the reconstruction acts of Congress are still unexecuted and in full force in the State. If this assertion were true, General Terry might claim the pow ers which he has exercised with Eomeliltle show of lawful right. But such Is not the status of Georgia. Her present government Is not“ provisional.” The reconstruction acts, so far as they specify and define the powers of a district commander, are not of force. These laws have been fully admin istered and executed. They have accom plished the end for which they were enact ed, and have, therefore, lost their operative force. A brief examination of the ques tion, will demonstrate the soundness of this position. It is true, that bv the 6th section of the act of March 2d, 1867, it was declared, “ that until tbe people of said rebel States sha 1 be, by law, admitted to representation in the Congress of the United States, any civil governments -that may exist therein shall be deemed provisional only, and in all re spects, subject to the paramount authority of the United S'ates. at any time to abolish, modify, control, or snpersede*the same.” It is also true, that the act of July ID. 1867. de clared, that it was the true intentand mean ing of the act of March 2.1867. and the act supplementary thereto, that the govern ments then existing in said rebel States were not legal governments, and that there after, said governments, if continued, were to be continued, “ subject in all respects to the military commanders of the respective districts, and to the paramount authority of Congress.” The 2d section of this act vested in the district commanders the power to ‘‘sus pend, or remove from office, or from the performance of official duties, and the ex ercise of official powers, any officer or per son holding or exercising, or professing to hold or exercise any civil or military office, or duty in such district, under any power, election, appointment or authority derived from, or granted by, or claimed under any so-called State, or the government thereof,” etc., “ whenever, in the opinion of such commander, the proper administration of said act should require it.” The 4th section of the same act made it the commanders duty ** to remove from of fice, all persons who were disloyal to the government of the United States, or who used their official influence in any manner to hinder, delay, prevent, or obstruct the due and proper administration of said act, and the acts to which it was supplemen tary.” These are the vast powers which the re construction acts vested in a district com mander upon the subject of removals from office, and he had corresponding power ,, „ „ to fill vacancies by detailing soldiers for A short while will deter- P url>08e ’ or by appointin « other per * bave thwarted the party action; others have thrown cold water upon wbat was nec essary, and distracted concert and abated zeal. A divided house can not accomplish results. The press has bad no unity of pur pose or concert of plan, but each one has tired away in guerrilla fashion on his own honk, as often hitting friend as foe. IVe do not allude to these things acrimo niously. We know bow honest and inde pendent many of these have been, how proudly, conscientious, and sensitively Southern. We are simply retrospecting on the battle-field, knowing much that distant friend* wot not of. conversant with strate gics and movements that a little help would have made successful, or even a judicious silence.. The result of it is that Governor Bullock is victor. lie has gotten eligible Democrats out and ineligible Radicals in! he has a Speaker who has obeyed every behest; he has a working majority in both branches. Now begins the third act The fight is transferred to Congress for a while. The chances are against us. The Governor wants a new deal for Senators and State Honse of ficers. A powerful party in Congresses working against him. Many, well posted, predict his failure. We can make no proph ecy ; wo can only say that the chances arc in his favor, mine. The rumor is, but we don’t vouch for it that Grant and Congress are split widely on'our affairs. Wo Miller Was Elected. We exposod yesterday the wanton mis representation of figures by Governor Bul lock in his Message in regard to tho olec- ! tion of Dr. Miller. His creatures try to Gov Tii,.r Bullock rehashes the thrice j bolstor up his figures, but the effort only .st:de and completely refuted slanders about di , the more th(J lari and indefen . di.-orders and political lawlessness of the rebel clement in Georgia. Tho truth is that Radicalism has become so accustomed to the vile aspersion, it wearily iterates it from habit, as well as malice. It is pitiful that the Executive of a great State should thus traduce his people. The «.» >) older of Georgia is to-day, and has •■•■eii lor the past twelve months, an excep tional thing in the whole county. The re cord., of no State in the Union will show e-tic quiet. The Governor would douhth-s- have quoted the case of Adkins in thiir mess age to prove our turbulence, hut he was shamed nut of it by the scath ing comment evoked by his uso of it in his proclamation issued before ho went to Washington. Another noticeable feature of this mes sage is the fieri inacity with which this func tionary, who has sought to uproot the re storation to the Union of the State accom plished by the reconstruction acts ot Con gress. has identified himself with Congress, This livery is cast over all of his acts. And hostility to his “personal schemes” is bold ly charged as enmity to Congress and the Government. There is one clause in the message, how ever, which we especially commend. ••The wrongs which have been done, the lawless outrages which have been commit ted in many parts of the State, are tbe acts ot but a few irresponsible persons.” Thisison the rccord.and wo trust that our Congressional reconstructors may mark it well. And wc hope they will particularly observe it in connection with some previ ous statements id the message, in both Governor Bullock's and General Terry’s parts, where sundry disparaging accounts sible character of the false statement, quote: On the second ballot, which was tho final one, the whole number of votes polled was 211—necessary to a choice, 106. Tbo ballot stood as follows: II. Y. M. Miller, 120; Foster Blodgett, 72; J. L. Seward, 13; A. T. Akcrman, 6. Webster defines a majority to bo that number “more than half;” consequently Mr. Miller’s majority is the difference be tween one-half of the votes cast, to wit: 100, and the number of votes received by him, to wit: 120. making his majority 14; or, to make the case plainer, had 15 of the 2D claimed as majority for Miller by the Constitution cast their votes for John Smith, Mr. Miller would have but 105 votes, and would have failed of an election. The sophistry of this explanation is shown in the unfairness of taking tho 25 alleged illegal votes from Dr. Miller’s ma jority and yet counting them in the aggre gate of the votes cast; in counting them for one purpose and not for another; in estima ting them in deciding the number of votes necessary to an election, but discarding them as a part of any candidate’s vote. If the 25 ballots aro excluded from Mil ler's votes, they must be excluded from the whole number polled, viz: 211. This wouid reduce the aggregate to 186; half of this is 93; so that 94 would bo necessary to a choice instead of 10G, the half of 211. Miller’s vote was 120. Of'the alleged in- eligiblcs only 23 voted for him. Taking 23 from 120 and we have 97 as his legal vote, whereas only 94 were necessary to an elec tion, under their own plan. Thus, according to his own mouth-piece, are given of Georgia turbulence. It D true Governor Bullock is convicted of willful the Governor contradicts himself, and ac- misrepresentation; and tho misreprcsenta- knowleilges the utter untrutlifulness of the tion is deliberately bolstered up by an ille- charge of desperate lawlessnes that re-! gal manipulation of the figures, quiretl the subversion of the civil tribunals | Miller was undoubtedly elected. But to correct, and that called for a rchabilita- j t h cro is another view of this subject Gov. tion of a Ku-Klux Government; but wc; u u ii oc lc seeks to usurp the prerogatives of trust that the \> arwick’s of Congress, the j xjnited States Senate by deciding upon State makcis. will thi,,k none the less of j e , ig jbility of its elected members, truth because it knock* over a previous . ^ MnIer ^ nQt th(J Sen . I ate and not Governor Bullock is tho tribu te shall have more to say of this, mes- j m| ^ decide tho question . This is another i of these bold illegal grasps of unauthorized sage. IDEA TIic Third Act in the State Drama, power that the Governor has attempted Tl.e rnralu fell ^ the second act in j from tho beginning of this movement, to the great s^rio-comte drama of Georgia re- : advance tho personal ends of himself and reconstruction, when the Legislature ad- j his small hut desperate faction here, journed. The first act ended with the pas- a t sage of tbe Georgia bill. The third act now | THE “ ^kpDDJASI^ opens. *««, «« ■» .-I...; The battle over the Georgia bill, it is incut against Governor Bollock’s nee lie.-s to more than ailnde t.t. Governor ) and General Terry’s Message. Bullock won it easily. The necessities ol f y/ r . Editor: I had the honor of being one tbo 13th Amendment, at that time, forbade j of t)le counsel recently engaged in delend- t'ongresa the risk of submitting the qnes- j ing certain members of the General As- tion to the Legislature, without tl.e negroes j ^'^Vere ine“£ibte‘to se^te in Sid in. while the Governor convinced that body * Men ,bfy under the reconstruction acts of that there was no hope of getting them in. Congress, and as it is my pluck never to though lie did not want the chance given, for fear the negroes would have been re seated, and re-rcconstrnction prevented. The sc. ond act is fresh in the minds ail. It* scenes have been melodramatic in the highest degree. Tbe Varieties never had a performance more bizarre and versatile. From the antics of Jocko, the monkey, up to the tragedy of attempted murder, through every phase of passion and show, ithe thing h i- progressed. The dramatis yersome tiave been numerous and different, ranging from the Emperor to the buffoon. Stilted tragedy and grinning farce, reso lute despotism and harlequin’s pranks have followed each other in quick, flashing se quence. The curtain has fallen, with tho Governor again the conqueror. This art opened with much to encourage the lovers of the country. Wofully have the enemies of faction mismanaged the game. Baffled often, where he expected an easy triumph, the Governor was driven In sheer desperation to the wildest lawless- abandon a client’s cause until all honora ble and legitimate means of serving him are exhausted. I desire, in behalf of those who have been expelled from their seats by Brevet Major General Terry, to present my humble views as to the political status of Georgia, and the powers rightfully be longing to the military commander of this District. I shall do this in good temper, without bitterness, without passion, and with a becoming re-pect and toleration for the feelings and opinions of others. I shall avoid all vituperatiomand endeavortoattri bute bad tnotivestonone who may chance to differ with me upon the questions in volved. 1 shall discuss the subject, as a question of right, and justice, and law, in which the expelled members and the peo ple ot Georgia have a deep and vital inter est. The discussion may result in no prac tical good. It may not undo the wrongs •nd usurpations ot the recent past, or ar rest their perpetration in the future. It will, at least, aid in making up a truthful history of the times, and serve to show that we are not oblivious or insensible to the wrongs that are piled upon oar heads with snch unsparing cruelty. An oppressed people can find some relief in exercising the poor privilege of remonstrance and protest against injustice and wrong—a privilege which every noble mind will Does General Terry, or the Commander in-Chief of the Army, or tbe Secretary of War, or the President of the United States, or any other officer or person throughout this broad land, pretend that these vast powers nowappertain to the military com mander of tho District of Georgia? Will any man, of any party, seriously insist that General Terry has the lawful right to re move any and every officer in this State, and detail a military officer or soldier to take his place and perform tbe functions of the office?. Can tne military commander, by virtue of any known law, remove tbe Governor, the Justices of the Supreme Court, the Judges of tbe Superior Court, the Attorney and Solicitors General, the members of the General Assembly, the Ordinaries, the Clerks, the Sheriffs, etc., if he should deem them “disloyal to the Gov ernment ot the United States?” If the romantic opinion should be con ceived by General Terry, that the “ proper administration” of the reconstruction acts required their removal from office, could be, by tbe exercise of a lawful power, dis place the Judges of Georgia, and beautify and adorn the Judiciary ot the State by detailing some soldier, or appointing some stranger to administer the laws? If he should be impressed with the conviction that the present members of the General Assembly were “using their official influ ence to binder, delay, prevent or obstruct the due execution of the reconstruction laws,” could he disperse the Legislature, and march a battalion of United States sol diers into the Capitol who, at his com mand. would ratily constitutional amend ment, declare the assent of the State to tbe fundamental conditions ot restoration, and make laws to suit him anil his party ? Can a military commander play all these fan tastic tricks in Georgia? It is no answer to my questions to say that General Terry will not do so. and that lie has too much good sense and sound judgment to enact such ridiculous performances. It is not a question as to what he will uo in the exer cise of his good sense and sound judgment, but it is a question of power. Has he these powers according to law ? If the Government of Georgia is “pro visional only,” nnd if the reconstruction laws are still in force, and General Terry may “exercise within this State the pow ers of a commander of a military district, as provided by the act ot March 2. 1767. and the acts supplementary thereto.” he can do all that I have said, and much more that I have not enumerated. Before the State was reconstructed, and before the recon struction laws were executed, tho powers before alluded to did belong to the district commander, and were freely exercised, even to the extent of removing the Gover nor, the State Treasurer, the Comptroller General, the Secretary of State, Judges of the Superior Court, and many other offi cers of tbe commonwealth. Do these pow ers appertain to the commander now? If they do, let it be known by what order they were given. Let the grave question, in ail its magnititude and force, be looked full in the face. General Terry has assumed to determine that certain Senators and Representatives of the Georgia Legislature are ineligible to the seats they occupied, and ho has expelled them from their places. More than this, be has followed up that proceeding with an official approval of an recommendation, that others be seated in the places of the expelled members, without any sort of in quiry into the eligibility of the substitutes, so far as the public are informed. One of these substitutes is the Postmaster of At lanta, Georgia, and occupies a place in the Senate, and performs the functions and du ties of a Senator, in direct violation of that provision ot the Constitution of Georgia, which declares that" no person holding a military commission, or other appointment or office, having any emolument or com pensation annexed thereto, un 'erthis State or the United States, or either of them, ex cept Justices of the Peace and officers of the militia,” etc., “shall have a seat in eith er House.” Another one of these substi tutes. who occupies the place of an expel led member of the House, is tbe clerk of the said Postmaster at Atlanta. Let it be remembered iu this connection, that Congress has approved the Constitu tion of Georgia. Now, if General Terry can lawfully do this, then, indeed, the government of this State is exceedingly provisional, and the people have gone through an immense farce in the matter of registering voters, electing delegates, holding Conventions, framing and ratifying a Constitution, elect ing officers, and inaugurating a State Gov ernment. I repeat, with emphasis, that the present government of Georgia is not provisional, and the fact that General Terry, and Gov ernor Bullock, and President Conley, and Speaker McWhorter call it so, does not change the fact. Nay more: if every offi cer in the State should, as a matter of fancy or otherwise, prefix the word provisional to his official designation, it would not change the nature or cnaracter of the gov ernment. In former times, governments were invested with something like sacred ness. and could not be made or unmade, al- 11C ■ s has' I respectfully deny that tbepresent gov- ... nf eminent of Georgia is a “Provisional y . ' Government, or that General Terry has any stitntlon of State Government that was republican, and the first section of the act solemnly declared, that when her Legisla ture should duly ratify Article 14tli of the Constitution of the United States, and de- Clare the assent of the State to certain fun damental conditions specified in the act, the State should be admitted to representa tion. Poor, friendless, humiliated Georgia again pressed the cup of augmented bitter ness to her lips, and on the 21st of July, 1863, complied with the very letter, with every requirement of tbe act, upon the doing of which the first section of the act took effect and she was. by law. admitted to representation in Congress as a State in the Union. The act declared, in express terms, that the first section should take effect as to Georgia, when she ratified Article 14, and assented to the conditions imposed. From and after that time the prefix “provisional” was dropped by Congress and by every officer of the State, and of the United States, and was never resumed un til it became necessary to subserve other ends besides reconstruction. The law by which Georgia was admitted stands this day upon the statute book, un repealed and unaltered. Though her Sen a tors and Representatives have no place in the hails of Congress, yet they are. by solemn, unrepealed law, most nnquestion- ably entitled to their seats. Though the State has neither voice nor vote in the Na tional Legislature, she has nevertheless been, by law, admitted to representation in Congress as a State in tbe Union. Though the Secretary of the Senate, and the Clerk of the House will not place the names of her duly elected Senators and Representa tives npon the roll of members, yet such refusal does not repeal or change the law. The persistent refusal of Congress to allow the Senators and Representatives from Georgia, to be sworn, and to rake their places as members, does not in any manner abrogate tbe law by which she was admit ted to representation. The stolid indiffer ence with which Congress has. up to this time, disregarded its solemn pledge of ad mission and failed to mete out to us the benefits of the law, does not wipe out one line or letter of its provisions from the statute book. There it stands, with its un- mistakeabie words and its solemn sanc tions, declaring that Georgia shall be ad mitted to representation in Congress as a State in the Union. The legal proposition that this State has been by law admitted to renresentation in Congress, is abundantly and unanswerably shown by the fact that no additional legis lation is necessary to effect ttiat object. Senators and Representatives from Georgia could now be qualified and take their seats with no more ceremony than would be re quired in the case of Senators and Repre sentatives from Massachusetts, Ohio, or any other State of the Union. To simply administer the oath of office is all that is necessary in either case, the law admitting Georgia having been enacted and complied with long ago. Thus. I think it is conslusively shown, that from and after the 21st. of July. 1S68. the Government ef Georgia ceased to be provisional, and assumed the form of a permanent Government.; that the recon struction acts were fully administered and executed, and that the powers of the mili tary commander, under said acts, ceased to exist in the State. I come now to a very brief discussion of tbe objects and purposes of the act of the 22d of December, 18G9. entitled “An Act to promote the Reconstruction of the State of Georgia,” and the circumstances that led to its passage. By this act. Con gress intended to correct the wrong done to the colored members of the General As- sembly.'by their expulsion from the seats to which they were elected, and If such expulsion had not occurred, our Senators and Representatives long ago would have bepn in their places. This act does not revive the reconstruc tion laws, nor revoke the registration of voters, nor withdraw the approval of the Constitution of the State by Congress. It, does not- in express terms, or by reasonable implication, set aside anything that Geor gia had done, except the act expelling the colored members from the Legislature, and seating others in their stead. The act no where declares or hints at a revival of mil itary authority in the State, hut as I shall presently show, the provisions of the bill clearly indicate the contrary. My’humble view of rids act saves Con gress from the imputation of riding over the Constitution of the United States, and of disregarding the vested rights of per sons elected to the Legislature in accor dance with law. The first section of the 14tli article of the Constitution provides, that no State shall “deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of its laws,” and in the, judgment of Con gress, this provision of the Constitution' was violated by the expulsion of the color ed members from the places to which they had been elected, and to which they were ineligible, in the General Assembly of the State. The 6th section of article 14. declares, that Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of said article, ami in the exercise of this power, they deemed it appropriate legisla tion to pass tlie ae.t of December 22. 1809. in order to restore the colored men to their seats and thus secure to them the equal pro tection of the laws of the State, which the Legislature had denied them when they were expelled. Hence the act required the Governor, (not the •• Provisional ” Govern or.) to summon the persons elected to the General Assemlfiy as apoears by the pro clamation of General Meade to appear at Atlanta on a day stated, and those persons, and those alone, were to constitute the Gen eral Assembly, if they could take the oaths prescribed in the act. It they swore falsely the act provided the remedy, and designa ted the forum in which the remedy was to be obtained. The idea that ail the offices in the State were to he vacated, and new elections had. is not so much as hinted at in the act. No one thought of Gen. Terry possing upon the eligibility of members, and filling the places of those expelled by him with others not summoned, or desig nated in tlie act. TBE FAIREST ALWAYS TBE BAREST. Thus ft Is all aver t*-o earth— That which we call the fairest. And prize for Its surpassing worth. Is always the rarest. Iron is heaped in monntaln piles. And gluts the laggard forges; . - But gold flakes gleam In dim defiles And lonely gorges. The snowy marble flecks the land With heaped and rounded ledges, Bnt diamonds hide beneath the sand Their starry edges. God gives no value unto men Unmatched by need bf labor; And co't of worth has ever been The closest neighbor. And golden all the mountains; Were alt the rivers fed with wine By tireless fountains. Life wonld be ravishe' of its zest. And shorn of its ambition. And sink Into the dreamless rest Of inanition. To Subscribers. Your paper will certainly be discontin ued at the expiration of your subscription, unless you renew beforehand, If. you want to keep up with the acts of the Legislature, the Supreme Court decis ions, and the news of tho day, renew your subscriptions at once. ty Vanderbilt has gobbled a railroad Iu Vermont. The Negro Exodus from Southside Virginia. • Persons arriving here by the Danville Railroad on Saturday report having as a fellow-passenger a colored man who seem ed to be employed to encourage negro emi gration southward. At every station he addressed the crowd of negroes assepib led to meet the train, setting forth the glories of the sunny South, and representing it to be a land of milk and honey, corn-bread and molasses, little work and big pay—this “land where the good darkies go.” Ho succeeded in arousing no little enthusiasm among his auditors, even though his speeches had to be short. Giving notice that ho would be along the same route and speak again on Thursday, he will doubt less have more to hear him on that day. The Southside farmers fear a direful re sult unless this tide of emigration can bo stemmed. Though less has been said about it in the papers for the last week or two, tho exodus continues, and the number of emi grants daily increases. From Pittsylvania county wc are informed that there aro semi-weekly shipments, and the colonies average perhaps two hundred persons, a large portion of whom are able-bodied, la boring men or hearty women. Mecklen burg, Charlotte, Halifax, Franklin, Prince Edward and Lunenburg, have all been more or less depleted, and somo farmers re port that all their hands havo deserted. The worst of it is, that a furor has taken pos session of the blacks, and emigration is be coming almost as popular as “ leaving the old place ” was just after the war.—From the Richmond Dispatch. Mr. SPEER’S resolution was adopted, and the Senate took a recess until 4 o’clock p. M. Four O'clock p. m. Message received from the House an nouncing Us concurrence in the resolution to take a recess until Monday, 14th Inst. On motion, the Senate took a recess until that time. The House having failed to concur iu passing the joint resolution to appoint a committee of investigation into Gov. Bul lock’s illegal and unlawful use of public funds, tho Senate resolution amounts to nothing. Mr. BRYANT said ho wanted the charges investigated, but first desired the offices all filled, [He seems to think-Bui lock will be replaced.] He voted" i •. BRYANT moved to adjourn. Mr. GEORGIA LEGISLATURE. » SENATE. Wednesday. Feb. 2,1870. Mr. CANDLER arose, after the reading I tion HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Wednesday, February 2. House met at 10, a. m., and was called to order by tbe Speaker. Prayer by Rev. M. Smith. Calling of the roll dispensed with. Jonrnalof Saturday read. Message from “ His Excellency, tlie Pro visional Governor,” was announced by B, Paul Lester. Mr. BRYANT arose to a point of order— there was unfinished business before the House—and it was a question whether his protest should bo entered npon tho Jour nal. Mr. BRYANT then moved to have the protest entered. Mr. FITZPATRICK objected. Motion put, and the Speaker announced it carried. Mr. FITZPATRICK said ho questioned if It was carried. The message was then read. [It is published In Senate report, and omitted here ] O’NEAL, of Lowndes, offered a resolu tion adopting the 14th Amendment, and proceeded to comment thereon. He said he was aware that many thought this amendment had already been adopted Many thought other wise. Mr. TWEEDY called the previous ques tion. Carried. Main question put. Carrie.'!. Division called for. No Democrat voted. Yeas 71, nays nothing. O’NEAL, of Lowndes, announced, with a slight blush, that he was paired off with some one, Mr. Turnipseed, he believed. Sir. MAULL paired off with Mr. Hark- ness, who had gone home on account of family sickness. Mr. SCOTT desired to know why Mr. Wilchar’s name was not called, as he was a member of the House? The SPEAKER said, his name would be entered at the proper time, when the offi cial information. The SPEAKER declared the "resolution carried. Mr. BRYANT made the point of order that a quorum of tho House had not voted for the resolution, and therefore it was not carried. Tho SPEAKER overruled him. Mr. BRYANT then rose to a personal explanation. He hart not voted for the amendment, and read the following rea son : It is well known that tho 14th Amend ment to the Constitution of the United States lias been ratified by both Houses of tlie General Assembly of this State. I be lieve we have already legally ratified the said amendment, and thcretore I now de cline to vote for its ratification. I also be lieve, that this House lias been illegally or ganized. and l therefore decline to vote for the ratification. J. E. Bryant. Of Richmond county. i O’NEAL, of Lowndes, offered another j resolution, adopting “fundamental condi- | tlons,” and resigned the floor to another Radical, who called tho previous ques- of tlie Message, but tlie CHAIR decided | Yeas and nays called for. that Mr. Dunning was entitled to the floor, | Tlie roll was being called, when, on re am! that resolutions were in order. i quest, the .resolution was again read, as So far from creating a Military District in Georgia, and placing a commander over it, with the powers specified in the act of March 2d. 1867. and its supplements, the 7th section of the act which I am dis cussing provides, that upon the application of the Governor of Georgia, not Provision al Governor, the President of the United States, shall employ such military or naval forces of the United States as may be necessary to enforce and execute the pro visions of that act. not the reconstruction acts that had already been enforced and executed and become inoperative, This 13 all that the military authorities were to have to do with the act. and yet tlie “ Provisional ” Governor and General Terry have taken charge of the Legisla- iature and ordered when it should meet, when it should take recess, who should he expelled, and who shnnld fill their places. And when, by these means, a majoritv is obtained that can be absolutely controlled, they are told to call themselves a provis ional Legislature, and to declare that it is the only legal one that has existed in the State since the war ended, and to make haste and ratify the 14th Amendment, declare again tne assent of Georgia to the fundamental conditions of the act of June 25. 186S. ratify the 15th Amendment, and then take a recess of twelve days, so as to give time for the man Ipulators of this illegally organized As sembly tb hie to Washington and beset* Congress to approve and ratify what they have done, to the utter ruin’of a State, which, if maltreated and harras.sed much longer, will not he worth admission into any Union. In behalf of my wronged clients, and in behalf ofthis State, everv inch of who=e Mr. DUNNING offered three resolu tions, one ratifying tlie 14th Amendment; one assenting to the act of Congress strik ing out the Relief clauses of the Constitu tion; one fatifying the 15th Amendment. The first resolution to ratify the 14th Amendment was read, when Mr. DUN NING moved its adoption, which motion was seconded. Mr. CANDLER arose, but tho .PRESI DENT stated that Mr. Duiining had not yielded the floor. The whole resolutions were then read. Mr. DUNNING supported his motion to adopt the resolution to ratify the 14th Amendment, in a few pertinent remarks. Mr. CANDLER offered as a substitute that the Governor’s Message, with the ex ception of the recommendation to ratify the 14th Amendment, be referred to a joint committee of three members from each branch of the General Assembly. Mr. CANDLER made one of his best ef forts in support of his motion. His re buke of the Governor’s charges against the people of Georgia, was withering and scathing. Tlie President stopped Mr. Candler from commenting on the Governor’s assertion that all legislative action since July, 1868, was illegal, and said that Mr. Candler must online himself to .the subject before the Senate. Mr. C ANDLER’S response to the remark of the President was crushing. He de monstrated from the acts of.Governor Bul lock that Georgia had a legal government. Mr. BROCK lavored the adoption of the resolution to ratify the 14th Amendment. Mr. NUNN ALLY asked Mr- Brock if we were not acting under tho 14th Amend ment? Mr. BROCK replied yes. Mr. NUNN ALLY asked Mr. Brock if the Senate were now to reject the aracudment would it render it less valid ? Mr. BROCK replied. “No.” Mr. WOOTTEN offered as a substitute a resolution that tlie Legislature of Georgia having ratified the 14th Amendment, it is unnecessary to vote on it again. Mr. SPEER called the previous ques tion, and the vote stood yeas 10, Nays 23. By consent, Mr. CANDLER withdrew his resolution, and the vote taken on Mr. Dunning’s resolution to ratify the 14th Amendment, with the following result: Yeas—Messrs. Bowers, Brock. Bradley, Benton, Campbell, Colman, Corbitt, Dickey, Harris, Higbee, Hungerford. Jones, Mc Whorter. Richardson, Sherman, Smith, 36th, Stringer, Wallaco, Dunning, Griffin. 6th. Griffin; 21st, Jordan, Traywick and Mr. President—25. Nays—Messrs. Nunnally, Smith, 7th, McArthur, Hicks, Burns (under protest.) Wellborn. Candler, Fain, Holcombe and Wootten—10. „ - During the calling of tbeyeasand nays, tlie Democrats declined to vote, but the President rteeided that they must vote. Mr. DUNNING’S resolution assenting to the act of Congress striking out the re lief clauses in the State Constitution, was put on its passage and adopted by, yeas 28, ” Mr/NUNNALLY' said he voted “nay,” because he was in favor of relief. Mr. Dunning’s resolution ratifying the 15tn Amendment was then taken up and rushed through, being adopted hy the fol- lowing vote: Yeas—Bowers, Bradley, Brock, Benton, Campbell, tolman, Corbitt, Dickey, Grif fin (6th), Griffin (21st), Harris, Higbee, Hungerford. Jones, Jordan, McWhorter, ness, ana couni not oe mnacor unmaue,»i- v -r -yr** rv ; r , teredor modified by a process so cheap, or * love, and in behalf of her people, an arrangement so convenient. (whose welfare and happiness I desire above [every earthly good, I appeal to Congress, ness. And to the credit of his wicked nerve be It said that be never faltered, ne j freely accord ha* heeded nothing in his way. He alike disregarded the possible hostUity , 0ovcrnment .or Congress, the restrictions of undoubted : IaW |„i power, or rightful authority, to bin- law, the firm opposition of conservatism, i der or interrupt any member of the Gen- and the influence of the good and the pa- ^Assembly from paruidpatin^ in ^e triotlc, steadily placing bis eye on success be has pursued it grimly. It Is true he has had General Terry to back him, bnt still it required firm grit on his part to keep on Several times bat he tottered to failure, and be knew It. Tlie consequences of his cwo illegal acts have nigh ruined his cause several times, but his plnck has never proceedings of the same, after such mem her has taken the oath required by the Con stitution of the State, and hai in addition thereto, taken, subscribed, and filed in the office of the Secretary of State, one of the oaths prescribed in the Act of Congres, ap proved December22.1869,entitled, an.act to promote the reconstruction of the state of Georgia.” General Terry has actually expelled Sen- falled him. He had gone too far return j fto™ and Representative fromtbelrplacea . . T .. _ 1 in the General Assembly, alter they nave Jjack. Like Macbeth, lie had waded in so, doly elected qualified and served for deep In wrong, that going back were as I nearly two years, and the only pretence for I put the case of my clients, and the in terests of our people upon the law. which can not be rightfully repealed or changed by prefixes or military orders. The recon struction acts placed Georgiaunder the ab solute control of a military government, and required certain things to be done, be fore swords snd bayonets should cease to flash and glisten in the faces of her people, and bitter as was the cup to many of her citizens, she drank its contents of worm wood and gall, until even the dregs were all taken. The law declared that the Government should be provisional only, and subject to the authority of tho Military Commander, and Congress. “ until the people shonld be by law, admitted to representation in the Congress of the United States.” The good old State, with burning feet walked through the fiery ordeal, and Con gress took her by the hand and said, thus far it is enough, and yon shall be delivered, and on the 25tb of Jane, 1863, an act was passed entitled “ An Act to admit tbe States of North Carolina. South Carolina, Louisiana. Georgia, Alabama, and Florida, to representation in Congress.” The preamble to this act declared, that Georgia had, in pursuance of the provisions some thought tlie resolution was upon the adoption of the 15tii Amendment. Some Dcmoi-rat3 voted no, tho rest did not vote.. The Democrats then withdrew their votes, and the Speaker announced that the vote stood Urns—yeas 71, nays 1, and that it was carried. , . , Mr. BRYANT rose.to a point of order. A majority of a quorum of the House had nat voted, and, therefore, the resolution was not enrried. _ . The SPEAKER admitted the correctness of Mr. Bryant’s position; but said he was in the hands of a greater than he; after he got out of this thraldom, lie would sustain Mr. Bryant’s position, but not now. O’NEAL, of Lowndes, proposed a reso lution adopting the 15th Amedment, and resigned tlie floor to Lane, ot Brooks, who called the previous question. On this resolution the yeas and nays were called* Mr. ANDERSON said ho considered himself gagged, and declined to vote. HALL, of Glynn, voted “ no,” and ex plained that he did so because Congress bad declared Georgia not a State in the Union, and not being a State, her action on this Amendment must be void. PARKS, of Gwinnett, said he wa3 in structed by his constituents, and voted y Mr. TUMLIN voted “ no,” and had read the follovving: ■ ■ . “A proposition to adopt tlie loth Amend ment meets with the uncompromising rep robation of the noble, true and brave peo ple whom I represent, and also with the feeling of their Representative, and I can but, in this as well as in all other hours of trial, remain true to them and true to the principles upon which they elected me. And though it may be passed over my head, I shall leave for them to behold,spread, upon tho journals of this House my deter mined protest against this crowmnjr act of Radicalism and treason against all good people of the South.” PRICE, of Lumpkin, explained that a vear a"0 he Beaded (not beheaded) those who favored the adoption, and therefore voted “yes.” Mr. Bryant declined to vote. I am in favor of the ratification of the 15th Amendment, but believing as I do that this House has not been legally organized, and that persons are permitted to partici pate in its proceedings who are not legally entitled to do so. I decline to vote. J. E- B BY ANT, Richmond county. The SPEAKER announced that the vote stood thus: Yeas 55; nays 29, and the reso lution was carried. Mr. TWEEDY, of Richmond, moved to transmit the action of the House to the Senate. Carried. _ Mr. SCOTT, of Floyd, offered a resolu tion requesting the Governor to order, within twenty days, an election to fill va cancies. caused by death or otherwiso, and moved to take up the resolution. The SPEAKER said ho did not believe this was consistent with his “orders” from above; but as he hsd been arbitrary here tofore, he would waive his privilege and put the question to the House. A message from the Governor (Provi sional) was here announced and read. It restored, under General Terry’s Order 13, Mr. Wilchar, of Taylor county, and Mr. A. T. Bennett, of Jackson county, to their scats in the House. _ . Mr. CALDWELL, of Troup, offered a resolution requesting Congress to relieve Richardson. Sherman, Smith (36th), Speer, .11 persons in the State of Georgia, from tftdions as pushing forward. i lawful «ireiseof snch startling authorl- of the Reconstruction Acts, fratqcd a Con- Aiv. W and to the President, to give ns a speed v de liverance from the tronb'es that have so long shut the door of prosperity against i. Geo. N. Lester. yg* Speaking of the finishing stroke put to “the infamous business of reconstruc tion,” in the admission of Virginia, the New York World says: Bnt the hour of triumph will be the turn ing point in the political tide, and the for tunes of the Republican party will begin to decline from the moment that the subjuga tion of the South .seems complete. Vault ing ambition will find that it has overleap ed itself and fallen on the other side. This device of universal negro suffrage will re turn to plague the inventors. Hon. A. N. Worthy has been sad denly summoned to the dying bedside of his aged and revered father. His duty calls him away at a time when his services are greatly needed to the State. We deep ly sympathize with him. His father was many years a Georgia Legislator.—Montg. Stringer, Wallace, Welch. Dunning Tray wick, and Mr. President—26. * Nays—Burns, Candler, Fain, Hicks, Hol comb, McArthur, Nunnally, Smith (7th), Wellborn and Wootten—10. PRESIDENT CONLEY asked permis- t Is. sion to vote on the adoption of the resoln-1 Yeas, 61; nays, 50 tion, bnt Mr. Burns objected. Permission was granted. A message was received from the House, announcing the ratification of the 14th and 15th Amendments, and the ratification of the expunging of the Relief Laws from the •Constitution by Congress. On motion of Mr. HARRIS, the action of the House was concurred in, by yeas 24, nays 10. Mr. HARRIS offered a resolution for the appointment of a joint committee of five from the Senate and seven from the Honse, to investigate the charges preferred against Gov. Bullock for the unlawful use of pub lic funds. Mr. CANDLER suggested that the Leg islature still being Illegal, and the Govern or provisional, such a resolution would be illegal. The resolution was adopted and tbe PRESIDENT apoointed Harris, Dnnning, Fain, Nunnally, and Brock as tbe commit tee. 1 their disabilties, and moved to take up e resolution. Yeas and nays called. WATKINS said hs the Democrats had 'eclined to vote on the adoption of the I5tb \ mendment, he wonld decline to vote oh l6uS t 01t llajfo* uu« Lost, as it required a three-fourth vote Mr. BETHUNE offered a resolution to ,point a committee to investigate the targes of Treasurer Angler against Gov. tllock. Lost on motion to take up resolution. MADDEN offered a resointion adjourn- <r the House until Monday, the 14th in int. WILLIAMS offered an amendment to spend the pay of members daring the terval. BETHUNE offered a resolntien reqnest- ■g General Terry to suspend tbe collec- on of debts contracted prior to Jane 1, 65, until tbe Legislature can act upon te question of relief from the same. Motion to take np this resointion lost. Message from tbe Senate announcing its oncnrrence with the House in the ratifi- atlon of the 15th Amendment and thefun- ;amental conditions. The Chaplain Committee reported that hey could secure the services of Rev. W. Message from the Senate asking concur rence in their adjournment to the 14th instant. Amendment offered and a desperate at tempt made by Mr. Bryant to bo beard, but tbe SPEAKER pot a motion of some one to concur in Senate adjournment to the 14th inst. This was carried. [Immense applause from the Radicals-! Meningitis.—As the recent occurrence of tOTCrat cases of meningitis fn our city, resn't- tng fatally, has created much inquiry as to the nature and symptoms of this disease, we have been at mnch paths to ascertain from physicians tho facts given below. In former times, when physioians and people were not so precise as now, in tho technical de stgnatlonof dt*ea*es. we ’earn that this would havo been called inflammation f the brain. In this disease, the coverings of the brain—called tho meninges, by the doctors—are irfl&med Bence, the name meningitis designates an In carnation of the coverings ot tbebrain Cerebri, tls is lnllam&tion of the proper snbs tancc of the brain. The termination “ lit*.” in medical no menclature, signifies inflamatlon. When the cov erings of the brain are alone affected, the disease is technically known as cerebral meningitis. When the coverings of tho sp-.ne alone are inllam. ed. spinal meningitis designates its Inca’I ty and nataro. When tho meninges of both the brain and spinal marrow are Inflamed, the disease is called cerebro-ipinal meningitis. Pnrlng lbe prevalence of an epidemic of this disease, cases representative of all tho above phases may be de veloped. Meningitis, whether prevailing as an epidemic or occurring sporadically. Is ea necessitate, a very fatal disease, because it interferes with tbe healthy action of tho nervocenters. which the merest tyro In medicine knows, preside over and govern the functions of the organism. Tho best authorities describe the dUeaso as be ing sometimes a simple inflammation, and some times of a tuberculous origin. Simple Menlng tin or that which is notprovoked by a deposition of tu- berolo. sometime prevails as an epidemic, ar.d the epidemic oanso, like that of cholera or any other scourge, is rendored more potent by accidental existing canscs, such as the prevalence of malaria, Imprudent exposure to vicissitudes ot temper ature, the sudden drying up of sores about the head. Imprudent use of stimulants, improper diet, (especially the eating of hearty suppors) over fatigne of body or mind, and, in short, any act or habit which tends to produce unnatural nervous excitement or depression. The fatality of the disesse. is duo to tho disor ganization of the membranes covering the brain, and tho extending of that disorganization to tho brain substance, in Cerebral Meningitis. In Spi nsl Meningitis, similar anatomical ebanges tafco place in tho coverings and proper substance or the spln.M column To attempt to describe these changes, in tho columns of adaily Journal, would ho an useless undertaking, as the description would be untnte Ulgtblc, except to the professional lan. It is in tbo outward manifestations of tho dis ease that tbe general ireadcr is most Interested. The discussion of the path 'tony and the responsi bility of tlie treatment should be left to tho intel ligent practitioner of medicifto- Tlio general reader will find ranch of interest in the following extraot from a recent work of .1. Uovris Smith on Dlseuea of Children; Pbejiokitort Stags —Meningitis is usually prccedsd by symptoms, which, if rightly inter preted, are of tho greatest value. In most cases of both the slmplo and tubercular forms, which I have seen, there was a prodromic period, varying from a few days to as many weeks. The symp toms of this stago are obsenre and are apt to be mistaken for those of other'and distinct affec tions. The child in whom meningitis is approaching loses his) accustomed vivacity and cheorfulness. He has a melancholy and snbdued appearance, being quiet for a few moments and then fretful without cause, lie can sometimes be amused by his playthings or companions for a brief period, when ho turns from them with evident displeas ure. Unexpected and loud noises and bright lights are evidently painful. IT old enough to do- scribo his sensations, ho complains of transient dizziness, and at other times of headacho. llis Ill-hnmor, IT his wishes are not immediately com plied with, are often scarcely endurable on the part of f i iends, wko aro ignorant of ti e cansc. There is great difference, howevsr, in different cases as regards these symptoms. Somo are in clined to be taciturn and qniet, while others are almost constantly fretting Tho appetite is ca pricious. Tho bowels regular or inclined to con stipation. Tbe pulse Is natural, or it his at times acceleration, especially in the latter part of the day, or towards the close of tbo premonitory stage. Tne duration of thla stage is very various: Upon an arerage, it is perhaps about two weeks, but it is often longer. Unless tho prodromic period is of short dura tion, the effect of imperfect nutrition is obvious before it doses. The flesh becomes soft and flabby, or there is actual emaciation, though generally slight. The patient loses his strength, becoming less able to stand or walk, and more easily fa tigued. Occasionally, and especially in tho sim ple form, premonitory symptoms are absent, or are slight and of short duration.” When the pre monitory stage has passed, and the inflammation fairly developed, other symptoms develop them selves, among which may bo enumerated tho fol lowing, viz: A disposition to lie quiet, with the byes shut, a wild expression of face whon aroused, eye-brows contracted, a melancholy look, if con sciousness is not lost, complaints of headache or pains in other paits of the body, tongue moist and covered with slight fur, appetito lost, or poor, seldom much thirst, more or less nausea and con stipation. As tho case proceeds, the vital powers begin to yield, the surface becomes more pallid, frequently there is a sudden disappearance of spots or par ticles npon the face, forehead or ears, the temper ature falls, the face and limbs at times feel quite cool, consciousness, in sovere cases, is lost at an early'period, “ sometimes consciousness remains, though partially obscured, to within twenty, four or thirty-six hours of death, lass of the senses constitutes an Interesting but melancholy feature of the disease.” The appearance of the eye is an important feature tor study in this disease. The pupils dilate and contract sluggishly, sometimes they aro of unequal diameter. " When convul sions ocenr, parallelism of tho eyes is lost, and when this is the ease,they have, for the most part, an upward direction. After effusion, the pupils are generally dilated. As death approaches, the eye becomes bleared and a puriform secretion collects at the inner angle of the eye.” The senso of hearing is generally early lost Touch continues longer. Patients will often eagerly take drinks, when they exhibit no other signs of consciousness. Vomiting and constipation are rarely absent In tho first stago. the pulse is generally accelerated. After three or four days, it becomes slower and more irregular. Tho re spiration, at first natural or aocelerated, beco-ves Irregular, intermittent, or accompanied by sighs. When convulsions set In, the prospect of a favor able issue is greatly diminished. The severity of these is very various. Tear* are seldom shed, and the dlmlniibed amount of urine passed, is indi cative of the general derangement of the func- lons of the organism. If the patient lingers tbedrousiness is often pro- fonnd, “ the vomiting coaset and sensation and consciousness entirely lost. From the above statements and extracts the general reader can form a pretty correct idea of the symptoms and external manifestations of the disease. Common sense will dictate the impor tance of attending to the symptoms of tho pre monitory stage, and of using remedial means to allay nervous iritahllity, keeping the bowels reg- ular, the mustard foot bath, lancing the gums of children, when they are swollen during dentition, blisters (small ones) behind the years In o?ses in which eruptions, or sores on or about ihe head have suddenly receded or dried np, are among the obvious remedies that suggest themselves to an intelligent parent who employa educated physi cians to advise him. Of the treatment, it is not deemed Judicious fnrther to enlarge, as It Is pre sumed that each case of a grave character will so command attention of Judicious parents as to in dace them to call upon the best medical skill in their reach. Meningitis roost generally attacks children, but adult* aro not exempt from It Daring the late war, iu certain localities, generally malarious, meningitis prevailed as an epidemic among the soldiers of ’he confederate army, and killed a * 4 Tl?e 1 Dumtfer < of raises that have recently occur- - “ V • - * - * i .ttUvan its A tl«Ut3 iS DOfc that It is Mr. WOOTTEN, from the committee, re- \ P. Harrison and R- W. Fuller, and recom ported rules for' the government of the mended them to the House. senate. Fifty copies ordered printed for the use of the Senate. Mr. HIGBEE moved that 500 copies of the Governor’s Message be printed, which motion prevailed. Mr. SPEER offered a resolution that tho General Assembly, when it does adjourn, take a recess until 10 o’clock, a. m, on the 14th inst.' Mr. CANDLER moved to amend hy In serting the Hth for the Utb, which dla not prevail, ' Committee on “Rules” recommended the adoption of the Rules of the preceding ses sion. Report adopted. Message from the Senate announcing the aDpointment of a committee of five in the Senate to Investigate the charges of Treasurer Angler against Provisional Gov ernor Bullock, and requesting tbe appoint ment of a committee of seven to co-oper ate with the-Senate Committee. Yeas and nays called on the motion to take up the message. Yeas 72, nays 44. Motion lost. red among infanta and children In Atlanta, is not tuffiofent^ large to Jollify the opi-— epidemic here. Very Natural. Law and order may bo interchangeable terms in Georgia, but it may be no harm to say that it was Intended to speak yesterday of General Terry’s recent order, and not “Gen. Terry’s recent law.”—N. Y. Times. The Times needn’t correct itself. The first phrase was right. There is no law in Georgia but Gen. Terry’s. IW California wines arc selling in New York sample-rooms at fifty cents a bottle, «to be drank on the premises.” OUR WASHINGTON Lr.lt'.'. Dawes Forces Radical Retrench ment-Radical Kxtravngaiu-c— Revels, the Negri* rienator—Tlio Virginia Congressmen—Memori al Against Negro Suffrage—15th Amendment—Other Items. Washington, Feb. 2,1370. Editor ^Constitution: Since Mr. Dawes exposed the extravagances of the adminis tration, a number ot bills have been pre pared, and several already Introduced in Congress, with a view to retrenchment. It is proposed to abolish the franking privi lege; to discontinue tho agricultural bu reau, and sell the property; to reduce the navy to the basis of 1862; to place the aruiy on a peace footing; to cutdown the print ing of public documents; to abolish mile age; to cut down the salaries jor mem bn a ot Congress; aud to relieve the eountri- of the expense of contested elections. That all of these proposed reiornis will Ims chi- ried out, is too much to expect. Alter nil, the saving they will effect is trifling c, tn- pared to the large amount of the people's money wastefully squandered in other wavs. Beginning at tlie White Honse- we find snch extravagances as arc indulged in by shoddyites, and persons of low origin, who have “struck ile.” Instead of the plain substantial furniture, which answered the purposes of our republican President*, we see French gilt and gaudy freseolng. which offends the eye of every peison of good taste. We Hud three or four Brevet Brig adier Generals acting as door-keepers, ush ers and clerks, with the position of A. D. C.. which enables them to draw the pay of their brevet rank, and entails upon the country an expense ten times greater than that of President Johnson's regime. In all the departments the expenses are greater and tho work leas than under the last ad ministration. if this is to he a republican government there must be sweeping reforms. Com mence with the army. The office of Gen eral is a war office—let it be abolislicd. Abolish, also, the rank of Lieutenant Gen eral; and if Sherman is to be the head of tho army, let him rank as a major General, nnd dispense with that rank below him. Do away with brevet, ranks, which only causa confusion. We have here nmv a brevet major general, who wears a major general's uniform, and who was breveted iccausc he got a splinter in his foot in climbing over a fence to rob a lien roo«t. He is only a lieutenant—let him wear a lieutenant's uniform. Let the President’s clerks and door-keeperg, be clerks and door keepers, on clerks and door-keepers p»y; and-not brevet brigadier general-son brig adier generals pay. While army blllrt-is are holding profitable civil positions, and are not necessary to theservice. let them l*o struck off the army list. Let the same sys tem Ira carried out with regard to tbe navy. Abolish the high and unnecessary rank* of Admiral and Vice Admiral, and lop off the useless members or the force, and those de tailed on civil service. By this mean*, not only would the efficiency of both the army and navy be greatly increased, but tbe sav ing would be enormous. Then cut down tbe clerical force of tbe departments to an active working force; do away with sine cures, and render it impossible for a man to draw pay for three or from offices, tlie rank ot which is performed by clerk* paid from the public treasury. If we arc to have economy, retrenchment, reform, this is the way it must be accomplished. We must strike at tlie root of tbe evil. The propo sitions now before Congress, or about to be brought before that body, merely lop off a few excrescent branches. BEVELS. Tlie Radicals arc having a “high old time.” and fairly reveling over Senator Revel*, the colored Senator from Mis-i-sip- pi. It is noticeable that tho “ Honorable Senator” did not put up at a hotel, nut be took himself to tbe residence of Downing, the colored caterer of this city. Last eve ning Downing gave an entertainment in honor of his distinguished guest. Tlie Re publican of this morning says: * Among those present were Senators Wilson, Harris. Hon. Win. D. Kelly, the en tire .Mississippi delegation. Congressional Register, J. F. Cook, Mayor Bowen, Corpo ration Attorney Cook, Mr. Webb, of .la- maica; l’rofessor Vaslion, Sella Martin, Charles H. Peters, F. G. Barbadoes. Alder man Carter A. Stewart. Henry Johnson, Rev. C. \V. Dennison. Dr. Snodgrass, Mr. I>. W. Bartlett, of tlie Independent, and others, in all about forty persuns. A very agreeable evening was passed In social converse. Late in the evening Ihe host served a magnificent supper in Ids own In imitable manner. “ During tlieevening the guests were en tertained witli vocal and instrumental mu sic. furnished by Prof. Boston and Mr. George Washington. Jr. It was exjracted that a serenade would Ira tendered Mr. Kcwis, but upon consultation with somo of the more prominent colored citizens, it was thought proper to defer it until a later day, when it is proposed by the citizens to tender the new Senator a grand oration, consisting of a torchlight procession and serenade.” 13 there a cornfield nigger in tlie Sontii who, after hearing these extract* read, will not lay down his hoe, and become a poli tician at once ? Think of it! •• Social con- verso” with white Senators, “ a magnificent supper,” and “ a grand ovation, consisting of a torchlight procession and serenade,” in prospective! Oh. lay down dc shnbel and da hoc, Hanzupde fiddle and de bow. There’s no more work for the cornfield nl*. lie’s gone where whtto men onght io go: Mr. Booker, Representative in Congress from tbe Fourth Virginia District, was ad mitted to Ids seat yesterday. The Virgin ia delegation is now complete in both Houses, except Mr. Segar, who claims to represent the State at large. But in the opinion of the committee and of prominent members of Congress, Mr. Segar is entirely out of the field, as it is not believed that the State had authority to elect a Rrpr*- sentative-at-largo. Tlie committee will so report, and will then be discharged from the consideration of the whole subject. A memorial against negro suffrage was presented in tho Senate yesterday. It de clares the inferiority of tho black to tho white race, recites tlie injuries which must result from attempting to piaco the negro on a footing of social and political equality with the white man. and concludes with extracts from tho writings and speeches of John Adams, Thomas Jefferson. Daniel Webster, Henry Clay, Stephen A. Douglas, and Abraham Lincoln, in support ol tho position taken. The memorial was present ed by Senator Sauisbury, of Delaware. A curious point has been raised in relation to the fifteenth amendment. To secure its adoption, it must be ratified by two-thlnJs of tne whole number of States. Now. cur tain Southern States have only been ad mitted into tlie Union on condition that they first ratified the fifteenth amendment. Were they States when they so ratified, and when they had no representation In Con gress? If they were not States, then their adoption of the amendment should go for naught. If they were States of the Union, why were they not represented in Con gress? Leaving out of the question tho fact that these States were coerced, this is a pretty nut for the Radicals to crack. Senator Pomcry proposes to abolish the sale of liquors in the District of Crlumhta, except for medicinal and other necessary purposes, through authorized agents. This is the “ Maine Law,” and it will be opposed with might and main. It is said that tbe Postmaster General is anxious that tho House bill abolishing the franking privilege should be ’.mended in tlie Senate so as to allow country newspa pers to circulate free in the counties where they are printed. The Kansas House of Representatives has adopted a joint resolution asking Congress to submit Julian’s sixteenth amendment to the Legislatures of the various States for ratification. The New Jersey House of Representa tives rejected the fifteenth amendment ves- terday afternoon. The Currency Bill, which pns*ed the Sen ate to-day, provides for tlie issue of fortv- five millions new bank notes, and gives the South and West sixtv-five millions more currency; twenty millions to be taken from tho New England banks. The President gave a diplomatic dirin«r this evening. Kelly & Leon’s Minstrels are at the Na tional Theater. Laura Keene and Company are at Walls’ Opera House. E. L. Davenport commences an engage ment here Monday. Argus. A Pittsburg man who signed a note with a shoemaker, bad to pav ft and-tako an old fiddle for security; he has an original way of refusing to sign notes any more. When a man applies to him to sign a note with him, he takes down thaC;old fiddle nnd plays. “Shoo, Fly. Don't' Codder me,” un til the interviewer departs. ggy Dispatches from Rome state that the Pope has refused to receive tbe address of 137 bishops protesting against the dogma of infallibility.