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' - V/ V ~ L j (■: §m ft, I Ssv ‘ -* * - ; —"j CLISBY & REID, Proprietors. The Family Journal. News—Politics—Literature—-Agriculture—Domestic Affairs. GEORGIA TELEGRAPH BUILD id ESTABLISHED 1826.} MACON, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1869. VOL. XLIII.—N0| Georgia Telegraph Building, Macon. BATES OF SUBSCRIPTION: Dailt Tklfobaph—for one year ......$10 00 Daily Tklfokaph—for fir months 5 00 For shorter periods One Dollar per month. Oiobgia Skmi-Wbkklt Tr.LF.GEArit—one year- 4 00 flSORGIA Snll-W«*1CLY TELEGRAPH—SIX m’thS 2 00 Mamxoth Weekly Telegraph—one year....™- 3 00 Mahmoih Weekly-Tkleobaph—six months— 1 SO W Payable always in Advance, “SO Book and Job Printing KemUy ezimted at rcasauMa prtcct. Remittances by mail with Postmaster's certificate at our risk. General Assembly ol Georgia. RETORTED SPECIALLY FOR THE MACON DAILY TELEGRAPH. PROCEEDINGS OF MONDAY. Atlanta, Ga., Feb. 15—Night Senate.—Tho Senate met as usual, and after the usual routine had been gone through the reading of bills a first time was proceeded with. Mr. Candler offered the following resolution: ADJOURNMENT. Resolved, That from this date the Senate meet at 9$, a. m., and adjourn at 11*. Tho resolution, after some discussion, was lost. Mr. Hinton offered the following: Resolved, That the General Assembly take a recess for fifteen days, to take effect on Mon day next. The resolution did not prevail. Mr. Bums offered the following resolution: Resolved, That a special committee of three be appointed to inquire into the report of the number of clerks in the Senate. On motion of Mr. Hnngerford, the resolution was laid on tho table, by a vote of yeas 18, nays 12. Mr. Bivins notified the Senate that be would move a reconsideration of the resolution to morrow. The following House bills were read a third time and passed: To change the time of holding the Superior Courts of the Middle District. To change the time of holding the summer term of the Superior Court of Cherokee Cir cuit. The greater portion of the day was spent in reading bills. HOUSE.’ Shumate moved a suspension of the Mr. rules for the purpose of taking up a resolution authorizing the loan or the State Tax of the county of Washington to that county. The rules were suspended and the resolution taken up. Mr. O'Neal moved to amend by adding Lowndes county to the resolution. The amendment was lost and tho previous question called on the resolution, when it was also lost CONFEDERATE DEAD. Mr. Scott offered a resolution to the effect that the sum of one dollar a day out of the per diem of members during the present session be app.-opriated for the purpose of burying the remains of the confederate dead in the State of Georgia. Mr. Scott accompanied his resolution by some very pathetio remarks, stating that they owed it to the memory of their honored dead, and to their own dignity as men to assist in paying this slight tribute to the brave departed, many of whom were'lying in various parts of the State, unsheltered and uncared for. Mr. Darnell objected to the resolution, and stated that none of his money should go to any such association. Mr. Sanssey did not think the proposition prac ticable. He did not see how any such resolu tion could bind'the members voting against ft, and it was, in his opinion, enough that tho at tention of members was called to the matter. He moved that the resolution be indefinitely postponed. The motion of Mr. Saussey prevailed. Mr. Hall, of Meriwether, offered a resolution to the effect that a committee consisting of the following gentlemen: Messrs. Flournoy, Phil lips and Bryant, be appointed to co-operate with alike committee from the Senate in bringing shout a speedy and satisfactory understanding between Mr. Jones, the late State Treasurer, and Mr. Angier, the present one. The resolu tion was adopted, and on motion transmitted to the Senate. Mr. Parks offered a resolution authorizing the Comptroller General of the State to receive five P« cent for all convention taxes collected by Him. The resolution was adopted. On motion of Mr. 'Williams the following from the Governor was taken up and read: Executive Detabtmeet, > Atlanta, Ga., February 12, 1869./ *' J tfo House of Jlepresentatices : Ike following joint resolution, adopted by J°ur honorable body on the 4th day, and con curred in by the Senate on the 8th day, of Feb- nu J. instant, has been presented to me for ap- next, that as a sequence to the non-execution of On a call for the yeas and nays by Mr. Bums laws which were specially enacted to prevent 8tood folIow3 . such a result, the Legislature has assumed to _. . _ . _ expel a large number of its members, all of Yeas—Adams, Bowers, Dickey, Fain, Hams, whom were known to be earnest and faithful ad- Hnngerford, Jones, Jordan, Merrill, McWhor- herents to, and supporters of, the Congressional ter, Nunnally, Richardson, Sherman, Smith, oy ***.«*.) w.®™. w**,w«*». the people, of an equal number of citizens, ail I8, of whom were known to be opponents of that i Nays — Adkins, Anderson, Brock, Bruton, policy. . Bums, Candler, Griffin, (7th,) Hicks, Hinton, There cannot be a doubt resting upon the Holcombe, McArthur, MeCutcheon, Moore, mind of any intelligent citizen as to the correct- _ ’ ’ ’ ’ ness of the presentment hero made, of the ob- “P eer » Winn Id. stacles which stand in the way of harmony: The motion to reconsider was lost, among ourselves, and of our recognition by j Mr. Hinton moved to reconsider the action of iX e vJ^a Stat6 Cntitled t0 repre9 ° ntati0n ; the Senate yesterday in relation to changing the The evil results which have visited our people, '■ between Talbot and Meriwether, growing out of our anomalous condition; tho j A motion to lay the motion of Mr. Hinton on absence of proper restraints to insure the due tho table did not prevaiL SaS3^^S3S^fi2iSh£; aro but the natural effects to be expected from I 016 motlon to reconsider, when they stood, the absence of properly organized civil govern- I yeas 14; nays 14. ment, and do not theiefore enter into the qnes- [ The President having the casting vote on the tions at issue. I*. . ,,,. . _ ° First, then, let us consider whether the law I * e Tote ’. recorded “» TOta m negative, and covering the organization of the Legislature bag j the motion to reconsider was lost, been complied with. For tho sake of reducing, A bill to amend the charter of the city of as much as possible, the nnmber of objections : Griffin, was passed and transmitted to the urged to the maimer of organization, we will not! House discuss the requirements of any Act of Congress proud: A RESOLUTION. .‘.'^btreas, It is believed that a judicial de- the question of the colored man's right office in Georgia, under the Constitution “J* °f force, would restore tho State to her position in the Union, and give qniet ~°?gkont the State; and, whereas, said ques- one which the Courts of the State can take cognizance of; and, whereas, we, i^&presentatives of the people of Georgia, drilling that any effort shonld be spared our pan to bring about a state of peace and . Ppntaa to the people, and a settlement of important qnestion; be it, therefore, rtJr*?* Ted Hy the Senate and Honse of Rep- Ass, wf™ of the State of Georgia in General 8* 9°uvened, That a case involving the men to hold office shall, as soon tithe P roper ^ y brought before the t of the State, be heard and de- 6 >«d Court, and we believe that the of the State will, as they have heretofore the fj 5 * 8 8°° d faith, abide the decision of tribunal of the State whenever so c/ji*®Hregr8k that I findtheresolutiontobe le^ja a character os to force upon me the un- anty of returning it to your honorable ^thoat my assent. J khctiSr wIdc b>“ believed, actuates both fit«Jgr~tive and Executive branches of onr *» ^ eminent, is so to shape our course that *tft. Harmony between the two. and * ——^ » recognition ^‘-ncan Union! 188 m P ort * on °f the ?f^afeT,fi? solQtion re torred to, does not, in «E!s recommen d itself as tending to VtSiS?* very desirable result^ ^ tench °b°n does not settle, nor does it •*ifcoe -- “P^ettber of the two leading points ender ni , 0 organization of the Legiala- JMbw. i 8 * &w » “ d its subeequent action in of^j^S 0 portion of its members on ao- »^hi r " okjoetion urged against branch is, that the original organ- rr*°a of M- 7 , ^ original onran- 2* the mta ° in accordance pt *» which* s P lnt of the laws of Con- provided for its existence; and, prior to that of June 25th, 1868. By that law, it is specifically enacted that “no person prohibited from holding office under the United States, or under any State, by section threo of the proposed amendment to tho Con stitution of the United States, known as Article XIV, shall be deemed eligible to any office in eith er of said State*." It will not be admitted that a resolution adopted by a majority of your hon orable body, to the effect that all sitting mem bers were eligible under the law, was of suffi- cent force to decide in the affirmative a qnes tion which it is alleged, would be, and is, nega tived by the facts in the case of many of your members. Can it be demonstrated that there are not now, and that there have not been since the or ganization of the General Assembly, many members participating in legislation, who took an official oath to support the Constitution of the United States, and afterwards gave aid or comfort to the enemies thereof ? If this cannot be done successfully, the leg islative branch is clearly liable to the charge of not having, in good faith, executed the law. So far as any action has been taken by Con gress touching the State of Georgia, this posi tion has been adhered to, and tho result is that action by the legislative branch upon the Con stitutional Amendment, and portions of the State Constitution necessary to our admission, is not yet recognized by Congress as valid. The Becond point of objections made is upon the expulsion of members, on account of “race” color”; members too, who favored the sys tem of Government that was established under the authority of Congress; and the seating in their places of citizens who were opposed to that system, and who had been defeated at the polls by a large majorities, thus, to that extent, practically subverting the government and si lencing the voice of the people. The views of the Executive as to the constitu tionality or propriety of that course were at the time of its adoption, communicated to_ your honorable body, and will not be repeated. * As before stated, these aro the more promi nent obstacles which block the way to harmony and peace. The qnestion which, as patriots and lovers of our country and our State, and advocates of their prosperity, we shonld unit edly and earnestly consider, is how shall those obstacles be overcome or removed? The resolution under consideration ignores the question of original organization, and pro poses action simply in tte direction of asking a judicial decision upon the eligibility of colored citizens to office, withont either pledging the body adopting the resolution to abide by such decision in regard to their own membership, or even indicating a disposition so to do. In fact, it may be urged with force, that a ju dicial decision cannot be made effective upon the question of eligibility to membership in tho General Assembly. The laws at present in force are ample, and under them any citizen, since the adoption of our present Constitution, could have had the question tested before the courts. In fact, such a case is now pending before the Superior Court of Chatham county, and “the same will be properly brought before the Su preme Court of the State, and be heard and de termined by raid Courts" withont the interven tion of a joint resolution of the General Assem bly, which, were it mandatory, might be con strued as being an improper interference by the legislative with the judicial branch of the Gov ernment. Tho querry naturally presents itself,why adopt a resolution which practically means nothing, and cannot effect anything? I am unwilling to believe that your honorable body, in adopting this resolution, intended to submit it to Congress as the deliberate and final action of the General Assembly toward the estab lishment of harmony among ourselves and with the National Government! Are well worded “ resolves,” which do not touch npon one of the vital points at issue, and which have no binding force as to the other, likely to satisfy a body of men, whose firmness, wisdom and patriotism conducted the country successfully through the great rebellion ? May we not expect that Congress will ask stronger guarantees for the “rights, privileges and immunities” of over five hundred thousand American citizens of the black race who are among us, than the fallible jndgment of three citizens of the white race ? After a careful examination of the whole sub ject, with the aid of tho light which has been shed npon it by the action of Congress and of your honorable body since the opening of your session, I feel constrained to renew the recom mendation then made. “It is therefore respectfully recommended that wo, ourselves, take the initiative in the consummation of the policy of Congress, and acting upon onr own sense of the obligation we owe to the authority from which we derive all we now have or may expect to enjoy, of civil self-government, undo what has been done.” “Restore the colored members to their seats, and exclude every person from participation in your Legislature who took an official oath to support the Government of the United States, and afterwards gave aid or comfort to its ene mies, until such person shall have been relieved by Congress of the disability thus incurred— bearing in mind that the only relief from such disability is found in the action of two-thirds of each house of Congress, and cannot be accom plished be the individual opinion of the person A bill regulating costs was taken up from the table and referred to the Judiciary Committee. House bills were next taken np and pnt on their first reading, after which Senate bills were taken up for first reading. Tho greater portion of the day was spent in reading bills. Mr. Speer offered a resolution, which be after wards withdrew, authorizing the Comptroller General to issue instructions to Tax Collectors of the State to conform to the Constitution, and not collect more than one dollar for poll tax. Mr. Barton, Chairman of the special com mittee to examine into tho State balances in the Georgia National Bank, presented a report from that body. A resolution was offered by Mr. Winn, to the effect that the State Treasurer be directed to enter the sum of 365.42 arising from the inter est on balances, to the credit of the school fund. The resolution was laid on the table for the The Senate then adjourned. House.—The House met as usual Mr. Scott gave notice that he would move a reconsideration of the action of the Honse on yes terday in relation to the appointing of a commit tee to settle existing difficulties between the late and present State Treasurer. Mr. Scott, on his motion to reconsider, said he made the motion because he thought the mat ter had undergone a very thorough investigation already. Tho matter had been investigated on several occasions, so far os the Honse conld do it, and he thought farther investigation unnec essary. Mr. Lee sustained the motion. He thought tho matter had been thoroughly settled. Mr. Jones' books bad been examined. Mr. Hall thought it due to tho country that the matter shonld be thoroughly investigated. He did not see what objection gentlemen could have to on investigation if it was all right. The Chair refused to take any action inas much as the resolution passed yesterday had been transmitted to the Senate. Mr. Williams, of Morgan, gave notice that he would move a reconsideration of the action of the House yesterday in relation to the bill pro hibiting any one contractor hiring more than twenty-five convicts. Mr. Williams asked a reconsideration because he thought the bill had not been properly un derstood by the members. (The confusion of sound was so great when the clerk was reading bills that it was almost impossible to hear him.) He thought such a course calculated to cripple the internal resources of tho State. If snch a law was adopted and every person en abled to hire convicts in this way, the conse quence wouljl be that the convicts would be hired out to ^irresponsible parties and no good conld come from it. The motion to reconsider prevailed. Mr. Williams, of Dooly, moved to reconsider the action of the Honse in relation to a bill laying off a new county from Decatur county. Mr. McCullough said this matter affected no body but the citizens of Decatur county. It would be of no earthly good to the State. The Committee on County and County Lines had considered the matter, and there was no objec tion offered to it before that Committee. On yesterday, when it was before the House, they found some interest taken in it by members from Thomas county, in order that they might have a^ understanding with the citizens of tho new county in regard to the location of the county-seat The motion to reconsider prevailed. Mr. Scott asked a suspension of the rules to take up a resolution, which prevailed. The resolution wasread, requestingthe Senate to return the resolution transmitted to it yes-^ terday, in relation to appointing a committee to bring about a settlement between tho late and present State Treasurers. ^Mr. Hall, of Meriwether, thought the matter ought to be thoroughly investigated, and that the resolution shonld not pass. Mr. Lee said he thought the Treasurer, Mr. Jones had done all he conld to give satisfac tion, and that all he (Mr. Hall) wanted was to have justice done. Mr. O’Neil thought there should bo a full in vestigation, and he conld not see what objec tion any gentleman could have to it He thought it was putting the matter in a very strange light to ask the Senate to send back the affected, that the aid or comfort was not cdun- j-ggointion, in order that the Honse may recede tarily afforded. The adoption and execution of this course by ourselves will, I am quite confident, secure for us full and complete recognition as a State in the Union. Rufus B. Bullock, Governor. The message was made the special^ order for to-morrow, after which, there not being a quo rum present, the Honse adjourned. PROCEEDINGS OF TUESDAY. Atlanta, Ga., February 1G. Senate.—The Senate met as usual Mr. Brock moved a reconsideration of the ac tion of the Senate yesterday in relation to re pealing section 3525 of twin’s Code. The motion was adopted and the resolution referred to the Judiciary Committee for per fection. Mr. Bums moved that a reconsideration of the action of the Senate, in relation to tabling a resolution appointing a special Committee of three, to examine clerks appointed by the Sec retary as to qualifications and appointments. | Mr. Bums spoke at some length in favor of j from its action on yesterday. He did not say Mr. Jones had not settled the affair fully, but he could not see any harm in having a full investi gation. Mr. Scott said that a bill had passed the House yesterday, authorizing and requiring the Governor to issue his warrant or warrants on the present State Treasurer, and requiring the State Treasurer to honor the warrants, and to settle with, and pass receipts to Mr. Jones, the late Treasurer, on the basis of the reports of the joint committee of the two Houses, adopted on the 14th day of September, 18G8. ‘With such legislation before them, he thought any such resolution as that passed yesterday inconsistent and unnecessary. On the resolution of Mr. Soott a division was called for, when the vote stood yeas 55, nays 37. The resolution was declared adopted and, on motion of Mr. Soott, was transmitted to the Se nate. Mr. O'Neil gave notice he would move to re- 1 oonsider the resolution to-morrow. The Committee on Military Affairs reported a his motion. , . Ur. Hnngerford opposed the mo 0Dj , tho uomuuiwe uu jiuuiaa^ aunuo tor isome observations moved to lay it on the feiU tQ appropriate ^ capital at MUledgerille for a Military Institute back, and recommend hat it do not pass. Bills were read a third time, after which the message of the Governor, which was made the special order of business for 11 a. m. to-day, was taken up. Mr. McCullough moved to suspend the read ing of the message, inasmuch as it had been read yesterday, and to take up the resolution. Mr. Price regretted that it was necessary to take up the resolution. He approached the discussion of the veto message with no misgiv ings. As a representative, he had the right to give his views on it. He was ncl ; ty .be driven from bis duty by tho misrepresentations of the press of the State. He hoped to be able to show that members of the press had misrepresented the object of the resolutions, and that those misrepresentations had been taken np on the floor of that Honse. The Governor had taken his view of the matter because he believed it would subserve his interests and those of the Republican party.' Mr. Price here read from the Governor’s message of the 24th of July last, and proceeded showing the difference between the opinion of the Governor now and then. If the House had decided on thl eligibility of its members, it had done notliing'more than every other Legislature had done. Our Constitution had been passed upon by Congress, and on our sworn oaths we interpreted that Constitution. The resolutions now before the Honse do not convey the inter pretation that they have reference to scats of ne groes in this House, and he that insists they do, does so at the risk of hazarding his reputation for intelligence. That portion of the people headed by the Governor are unwilling to trust this qnestion to the Supreme Court of Georgia, because it is too dread a question to be left to the fallible judgment of three men. Can that party which has declared, from Chicago down, that it was in favor of peace, can that party be asked to come up now and declare tHrat we are not in tho Union? He asserted that the Governor was going out of his duty when he went to Wash ington and declared that we were not recon structed. He did not believe that if the Gov ernor had not gone there and arraigned them by memorial, that the present state of things would exist to-day. Wo cast back upon him the im putations cast npon us. We are, in order to show that we aro acting on principle, and on principle only, willing to let the qnestion go before the Supreme Court. They are unwilling that we shonld be beard before Congress, and this is the reason why the Governor has vetoed the resolutions. Then wo are compelled, if we are to be heard at all, to resort to this means, and this veto is nothing more than an effort to prevent us from going before the country. That is the only object we have in view and we have a right to sustain the reputation that we are not actuated by prejudice. Mr. Shumate rose to a point of order. The gentleman’s time was exhausted air! bo thought that every body understood ti,’* natter. He moved to prolong his time five minutes. Mr. Price. It shows a weakneis of their posi tion when they resorted to force rather than to principle to prevent us from going before the only tribunal that was competent to settle the question. Ho wished to correct a resolution as unjust as it was false published this morning in the Atlan ta Intelligencer. Mr. Price then read the following from the above paper. “We published last evening the veto message of the governor of the joint resolutions (attempt ing) to refer the elegibility of negroes to seats in the Legislature, to the Supreme Court." The speaker proceeded: If the Supreme Court were to decide that color was not a disqualification, it would not af fect the General Assembly. Wo aro dealing with facts. There is a qnestion between ns and Congress, and we ought to be heard. Our repre sentatives in Congress are not allowed to be heard, and this is our only resourco. He thought it the only mode of settling the question. He was willing to risk even a Republican Supremo Court on the qnestion, and whatever might be its decision, he was willing to abide by it, and he who was not, was not in favor of good order and good government He had spoken warmly npon the matter, because he thought the occa sion demanded it. He was not making war upon the Governor. He had simply tried to lift the veil from his actions, to show that he was unwilling to let the matter go to the only tribunal competent to decido it. Mr. O’Neal took the floor. Mr. Anderson would like to know the state of the business now before the House. Mr. O’Neil—You’d like to know if I have a right to speak. Mr. Anderson—I want to know if there is any resolution before the House. Mr. O’Neil—I’d like to know if there is not as much before the House now, as there was when the last gentleman was speaking. The Chair stated that the resolutions and the Governor’s Message were before the House. Mr. O’Neil denounced the idea that the ques tion of negro eligibility had any reference to their membership in that House. The gentle man who had just spoken knew well that the law on such matters, outside of the House, was as full as could be made. Had the gentleman just come to the conclusion that he would abide the decision of the Supreme Court. It seemed so. Now, if the resolution had no reference to negroes sitting in tho House, it was superfluous. It was nothing, and he knew nothing like it, ex cept tho half cent paper published in this city called the Atlanta New Era, and that paper would be a fit substitute for it so long as it amounted to nothing.' > Mr. Price wanted to know if the gentleman went with the Governor in his attempt to let Congress resea t the negro without referring it to the Supreme Court A member moved to postpone indefinitely. Mr. Price rose to a point of order. He did not think the veto message could be indefinitely postponed. Mr. Shumate moved to make it the special order for the first Monday in March. Mr Tomlin moved to amend by makingit the special order for Monday next The amendment did not prevail The motion of Mr. Shumate was then taken np and adopted. Mr. Grimes moved to suspend the rules for the purpose of taking np a reconsidered bill re pealing so much of ft bill levying a tax to ool- lect insolvent cost as relating to Muscogee and Richmond counties. Mr. Bryant trusted the bill would not be ta ken up to-day, as General Bethune, who was personally interested in the bill, was not in the House. Mr. O’Neil did not reply. Mr. Price—“Are you in favor of a Military Governor?” Mr. O’Neil—“No.” Mr. Price—“What are you talking about then?” (Laughter.) Mr. O’Neil—“ I introduced a bill to meet this matter; why did you not accept that bill? 'Why did you not show your faith by your works? don’t think the Superior Court can take action on this matter.” Mr. Price—“Do I understand yon to say that your bill was an unconstitutional one ?” Mr. O’Neil—“Ido.” Mr. Grimes said that Gen. Bcthnne was not interested in the bilL Mr. Bryant wished to know if the gentleman insinuated that he was mistaking the matter. Mr. Grimes—I say this, that if you say Gen. Bethune is “personally” interested in the bill, you are mistaken. Mr. Bryant said that he did not mean to say Gen. Bethune was personally interested, whatLe wanted to say was that that gentleman felt an interest in the bill Mr. Scott rose to a point of order. He did not think that what General Bethune thought of the bill was before the House. He was of the opin ion that, as General Bethune was absent on pri vate business, the matter should not be delayed on his account. Besides, he understood that gentlemen could not be so very deeply interested since from the places named. After some further discussion, Mr. Grimes moved the previous question. Mr. Smith, of Macon, moved to amend by adding Macon county. Mr. Grimes accepted the amendment, and the bill was passed as amended. A bill repealing sections 145G, 1457, 1458, 1459, 1460 and 1461 of Irwin’s Code so far as they related to Houston, Morgan, Monroe, and Macon counties, was taken np as unfinished business from yesterday and passed. A bill changing the line between the counties of Taylor and Macon was taken np and passed. A bill incorporating a company to remove the obstructions from Gum Swamp, Pulaski county, and authorizing the same, was passed. A bill was read authorizing a change of time in holding the Superior Court, in Clinch, Pierce, Appling, Wayne, and Ware counties, with amendments by Mr. Grimes, and Mr. Hall, of Glynn, the former inserting Muscogee, and the latter to authorize the holding of Superior Courts in Glynn two weeks. The bill as amended has passed and the Honse adjourned to three o’clock for the reading of bills. Virginia—Eloqncnt Extract. The following beautiful tribute to old Virginia was delivered by Senator McCreary, of Ken tucky, in the Senate of the United States, a short time ago, and it extorted praise from the most unfriendly sources. It finds a response in the hearts of all feeling men, and no Virginian can read it withont the liveliest emotions of gratitude to the eloquent author: Of the situation of the Southern people, I know little from actual observation. Since the war I have been no farther than Gordonsville, in Virginia. Manassas, which has risen from the ashes, reminds us of the opening scene in the civil strife. I passed Cedar Mountain, or Slaughter’s Mountain, as the people of the coun try call it, in whose shades Jackson marshaled try call it, Ins forces, and from whose summit swept the charge that never failed of victory. I crossed the Rapidon, where Grant and Lee, the great masters of military science, for seven long months confronted each other from opposite banks. Dicthes and earthworks may be seen on all sides, bnt where are the farms, the orchards and the gardens, the corn, the froit, and the flowers? These rich valleys like western prai ries, spread ont before Fyon, bnt no fence ob structs the view and no sound breaks the solemn silence that reigns around. There remain, however, soms evidences of a banished civilization. Now and then a single chimney, like, a monumental column, points yon to the past. It bears no lettered scroll, but still it speaks of happiness and home. Its warmth has been a comfort to age, and spark ling eyes and ruddy faces have reflected its light. But the scene is changed. The thunder cloud of war drew near, until its angry flashes gave fearful warning of approaching doom. The mother kneels at the family altar, invokes the blessings of Elijah’s God, and goes forth with her children, a fugitive in the land. Every thing that will bum is given to the flames, and the chimney stands as a landmark, a starting point for the surveyor in his works of re-estab lishing metes and boundary lines. I know not how others may feel, bnt as for my single self I confess to a weakness for the old Commonwealth of Virginia. If she has sinned in the sight of heaven, heaven and earth have witnessed the terrible retribution. When we speak of Virginia, the long past rises before ns, and we are associated with the heroes, the statesmen and the philosophers of other days. The sword of her Washington hangs in the Patent Office, and there, too, is his camp and his camp furniture, even down to his pewter plate, held as the sacred memorials of a patri otism which endured all things for his country’s sake. Jefferson and the Declaration, and Madi son and the Constitution, the eloquence of Henry, tho learning of Marshall, all protest against the divorce which severs the bonds of union and degrades Virginia from her position of equality in the family of States. Dismembered and divided, spurned and insult ed. suffering and bleeding, the frail and totter ing remnant of her former self, if we cannot alleviate, let us do nothing to increase the ca lamities which overwhelm her already. Neither the vicissitudes through which she has passed, nor the furnace of affliction through which she walks at present, haye ever been able to extort from her one word of complaint or reproach. If it is believed that she can be driven or persuad ed to a profession of the radical creed, it is a mistake; she will live and die in the faith which has been handed down from her fathers. Accident on the Selma, Rome &. Dal ton Railroad—Jacob Scavey Killed. A very distressing accident occurred on the above named road last Sunday, about 3 miles below Oxford, Ala. Tho train was running at abont 18 miles per hour—the road at that point in apparently good condition and so far as was known, the running gear in perfect order. Suddenly the truck under the baggage car was turned loose crosswise between the rails, and and consequently the following trucks were knocked out of place as they came to the first one. The baggage car, the Express car and two passenger coaches whre thrown from the track. The coupling before the Express car broke, and the engine, with two cars, moved on without injury. Jacob Seavey, grandson of Jesse Lamberth of this city, acting as brakesman, was standing probably on the platform of the express car at the time of the aooident. The presumption is that he jumped off and fell down. Atalfevents, he was found under a car that had tilted over, the edge of the car laying across his^ stomach. Every possible effort was made to extricate him, bnt without avaiL Life was not quite extinct when they got to him, though the injury must have proved fatal even if he could have been removed at onoe. No other person on the train was seriously injured. The passengers bestow at praise on Capt. Kays, the conductor, for coolness, prompt action and judicious con duct under the distressing ciroumstanoes. [Home Courier. Views of a Reconstructed Rebel Officer. The Washington correspondent of the Troy Times gives the subjoined account of an inter view with an officer in the Confederate army, General Longstreet, we suppose, being the officer alluded to: Walking down Pennsylvania avenue to-day, on my usual trip to the Capitol I toll in with an ex-Confederate officer, who carved his name high on a hundred battlefields of treason, bat who, since the unholy war ceased, has renounced the errors of his way in the same fall, manly spirit with which he fought, and has accepted the decrees of fate and of Congress with a hearty and yet a dignified submission. He was exceedingly cordial and communicative, full of hope for the future, and glowingly sanguine that the South, purified from the blight of human slavery and recognizing the equal rights of all men, would grow, and flourish, and blossom all over, like unto a second land of promise. < “ General” said I, “ what more peril have these obstructionists at the South undergone, what more suffering have they endured, what more bravery have they shown, that they shonld revile yon for the frank renewal of your loyalty to the Government ?” “None,” he exclaimed. “ Then why not follow your example,” I in quired, “ and give us the fruits for which we fought ?” “Simply,” said he, “because you of the North—I rather mean your administration— made a wrong start when the war ended. If vigorous means of reconstruction had been put in force when the Confederate armies surren dered, there would be no obstructionists now. It was the dallying policy of Andrew Johnson, tolerated too long by your people, that fed tho spirit of the South with false hopes of recover ing the suppremacy they had lost, and while these false hopes prevailed, it required no small amount of moral courage to take the stand that I did. Up to the 3d of last November this same delusion existed, and had Seymour and Blair been elected, good-bye to peace and reconstruc tion at the South.” “But Grant will set all things right, down there," I observed. .“Very favorable, indeed,” he returned, “ Grant, to my mind, is the beau ideal of a sol dier’s companion. To explain this to yon, 1 might lay it down as a rule that a soldier detests long sentences of rhetoric—he prefors a short, nimble mode of expression, and likes a man of general information who is not a bore. Grant has not read very extensively, bnt it is amazing how clear and precise he is on every subject. His mind would appear to flash across a ques tion like lightning over the wire, and then, after a brief pause, he give 3 yon his opinion in the simplest words but in the tersest form. It is all a mistake about his reticence. In public he is taciturn, but meet him, as I did, in social con versation, and under the convivial cloud of a ci gar, and no man living can be more entertaining than Grant; at least to my mind he appeared so, and I had no favors to ask. Grantthmks deeply, but talks little on what he meditates most. Yon will find him develop his policy—and be assured it will bo a grand one—in detail, as a general develops his plan of battle. Under his adminis tration this country will take a bound forward and achieve a degree of prosperity beyond our most sanguine expectations.” “I begin to think, General,” said I, as we were drawing near the Capitol gates, “that you and General Grant must have been talking over your old campaigns in Mexico, and looking into the horoscope of that country’s destiny.” “Well, I confess,” he replied, “we did talk a little about Monterey and Chapnltepce, but I can’t positively say if ho looked into tho horo scope, though I know I did. It has been an old dream of mine that Mexico is bound to be onrs, and I hope, before I die, to pitch my tent some where in her pleasant valleys." Idle Insurance. Mr. Williams, United States Senator from Oregon, has introduced into the Senate a bill relative to life insurance, which provides that no policy hereafter issued shall be forfeited or become void by the non-payment of premiums thereon, any further than regards the right of the party insured therein to have it continued in force beyond a certain period, to be deter mined. The net value of the policy, when the premium becomes due and is not paid, shall be ascertained according to the combined expe rience or actuaries’ rates of mortality, with in terest of four per cent, per annum. After de ducting from such net value any indebtedness to the company or notes held by the company against the insured, which notes, if given for premium, shall be cancelled, four-fifths of what remains shall be consideredas a net single pre mium of temporary insurance, and the term for which it will iusoro shall be determined accord ing to the age of the party at the time of the lapse of premium and the assumptions of mor- lity and interest If the death of the party occur within tho terms of temporary insurance covered by the value of policy, and no condition of the insur ance other than the payment of premium shall have been violated by the insured, the company shall be bound to pay the amount of the policy the same as though there had been no lapse of premium, provided that notice of the elaim and proof of death shall be submitted to the com pany within ninety days after decease; and pro vided, also, that the company shall have the right to deduct from the amount of the policy, at seven per cent, per annum of the premiums that had been forebomo at the time of the death. All endowment policies on which two annual premiums have been paid, shall be non-forfeit ing for such proportion of the original sum as the number of premiums paid bears to the to tal number required by the policy; and such paid up policy shall receive an equitable share of the profits or dividends until it matures. The passage of such a law as this, says tho Washington Express, ought to be pressed, both for the protection of the insured and the in surer. It cannot injure the insurance com panies, because under its operations thousands who now hesitate to insure their lives from a fear or future inability to continue their pay ments would be enabled to enrol themselves upon the life insurance lists with the certainty that what they paid in would not be lost in the event of snch failure. In this manner the in surance companies would find an active revival in their business. The Extravagance of Congress. The appropriations actually made by the Con gress of tiie United States for the contingent ex- mses of that body for tho fiscal year ending une 30, 1868, were: For the Senate ©537,784 84 For the House 699,906 50 Total. These'are the $1,237,691 34 'contingent expenses” of the two houses of Congress for one year. Among the items paid for by the Senate are $35,000 worth of stationery; a body oomposed of seven ty-two members uses $35,000 worth of station ery in one year! Then, again, $104,554 was paid to clerks of committees, pages, and for lorses and carriages. Sixty thousand -dollars was paid for “miscellaneous.” Heating and ventilating the Senate Chamber cost $25,000 for one year! Capitol polioe $25,000. In the House one item for cartage is $3,800; for clerks to committees and temporary clerks -mostly fc $39,392; folding documents—meetly for elec tioneering purposes—$117,000; furniture and packing-boxes for members $60,000; for horses, carriages and saddle horses, $10,230, (What are saddle horses wanted for?) For “miscellane ous,” $73,650, for pages and temporary mail boys—mostly for electioneering purposes—$16,- 200; compensation of employees, $142,621; capitol police $25,488 ; making an expense for the “polioe” of thejtwo Houses of $6,488! How long can the people endure a Congress that expends one million and a quarter a year for “contingent expenses” abont the capitol and that gives away to corporations and speculations one hundred and twenty-four millions of acres of the public lands ? Letter from “Mark.” Correspondence of the Cincinnati Knqnirer. j Washington, February: GRANT AND THE OFFICE-HOL ' There are very strong intimations J that General Grant vull move a'" 1 change of office-holders, and that means recognize the rotation prin dally will this be tree in regard served in the army and have the war been appointed to office. Aleck Sandi’ slate for Hamilton i includes all our old friends of will be badly smashed. There is that slate who was south of during the war, although I believe I to be veterans in the noble army of stayed at home “to fight coppej rear.” Fighting rebels at the front isl recommendation to Grant than fighting copper heads in the rear, because no ons knows better than he that the latter branch of the service consisted mostly in getting Government contracts. Let every man who has a good sol dier’s record behind him, and whom the Radi cals want to oust, see to- it that General Grant knows the fact of his faithful service; and there is little doubt that he will be retained in spite of the cliques and combinations in favor of civ ilians. Ohio is fall of this class of office-holders. They will all be turned out, if the cliques can do it—but they can all be kept in if the advice of this paragraph is acted upon. I am well sat isfied this is tree as to most of the office hold ers of Hamilton county. Sands is making a raid upon them all—but he can be outflanked changes are either needed or desired, < are likely to be for the better. Let the hungry Chronicle fellows get in as best they can. They onght to consider themselves well enough off in the undisputed enjoyment of the honors of “the official organ of the city and county.” What more do they want ? Is there no limit to their ambition? THB WHZSKT BING. The whisky ring (or rather the right wing of of it, under eommandof Major-General Robert O. Schenk,) is working vigorously for an increase of the tax, bnt is not likely to accomplish any thing during the present session, so rapidly drawing to a close. Unfortunately, however, under tiie Radical regime, the close of one Con gress is no relief to the people, for a new one succeeds it the next day. The Forty-first Con gress will meet on the 4th of March and com mence a new series of legislative varieties to swindle the people and destroy the Government. The latter branch of this work will be easy, considering how little there is left of the Gov ernment now. The whisky ring will then renew its operations, bnt I do not think there is a strong probability of success for it. The Trea sury is not likely to be benefited by an increase of the tax, and the only result of it that can be foreseen is an additional premium upon swind ling, to be derided among the Government de- * tectives and Treasury agents. It would be far wiser to abolish the tax altogether, since it seems impossible to reduce it below the stealing point. It costs now nearly as much as it comes to. But for that matter tiie whole internal re venue system is a nuisance that can only be abated by being abolished. Under a judicial and economical administration there is n6 more necessity for it now than there was before the- war. A REPUBLICAN FORK OF GOVERNMENT. It is amusing to hear the latter-day statesmen of the Radical party brace themselves up against the constitutional guarantee of a “Republican form of government,” as a justification for negro suffrage. They have at last discovers dr that the fathers of the Republic meant by this provision that Congress shonld guarantee uni versal suffrage—which is strangely inconsistent with the fact that the fathers were slaveholders, and that not one of them ever advanced an. idea in favor of the modem Radical doctrine. Sum ner has harped upon the subject every day/ora week, insisting alwa; .ways, of course, on the Radi cal interpretation of it. Now, if he were as great a student as he professes, if he had. read as much of the history of his own country as he has crammed of the history of other coun tries, he would know precisely what was meant by that clanse of the Constitution which requires Congress to guarantee Republican form of government to the States. If he will look into the' proceedings of the Congress of 1787, and the record of what Is so well known as the ordinance of that year, he will find it all explained. The fourth proviso of that ordinance, as originally drawn up, was in these words: “That their respective Govern ments” (that is the Governments of the new States) “shall be republican in form, and shall admit no person to be a citizen who holds any hereditary title." In the debate which the or dinance elicited, the words I have quoted in italics were stricken ont as superfluous, as tau tological, proving clearly that the framers of the Government meant by “a Republican form of Government,” simply a form that was not mon archical and that they had no reference to the question of suffrage as to whites or blacks. This ought to put an end to the mouthing and word mongering of the Radicals in their at tempts to distort the meaning of a plain phrase in the Constitution. Mack. Rochefort’s disclosures relative to the fact of Napoleon HI haring given orders to remove the master-piece from the Museum of the Louv re to tho Imperial mansion, has created a first- class sensation in Paris. In Brussels a cartoon has been published on the subject- It is a night scene. Napoleon and Eugenie, armed with burglars’ tools, are trying to break into tha Louvre. Napoleon says: “I must have, to night, three Raphaels and one Titian. ” Eugenie replies: “I want only the two best Murillos.” Rochefort appears in the back-ground. He holds in his hands a large lantern, which sheds its rays over the burglarious couple. Apparent Death.—A prize of $4000, it is stated, has been recently offered in France for the discovery of a sure and simple means of recognizing if death be real or apparent. A French journal announces that a Dr. Carriers intends to claim the money fox a process which he has successfully employed for forty years. This system consists in placing the hand, with the fingers closed before the flame of a lamp or candle. In the living person the members are transparent and of a pinkish color, showing the capillary circulation and life in full activity; whilst in that of a corpse, on the contrary, all is dull and dark, presenting neither sign of exist ence, nor trace of the blood current. Valuable Patent to a Georgian.—We have been shown a patent for a Non-ribrating Pro filer, granted by the British Government to ames A. Joyner, a young man bom at La- Grange. in this State, and whose father resides in this city. From the description of it by the Liverpool Daily Post, we should think it des tined to supersede all others as the motive. power in propelling vessels. Joyner’s history has been rather an eventful one since the close of the war. He is now only about 26 years of age. Sixteen months in the Confederate army, he was subsequently com missioned 1>y Mr. Davis as master of a vessel in the volunteer-navy. Running the blockade in 1863, he remained in that servioe until the doee of the war. Next he took oommand, in 1866, of a Liverpool merchant vessel and Bailed to Cor dis, in Whales, thence to South Africa. His vessel was then chartered for Hong Kong, China. He then returned to Germany, from that to Holland, from Holland to Constantino ple. In 1868, with arms, he ran the blockade :it the Cretan war, loaded with refugees, and was captured by a Turkish man of war. After being released he traveled through France, then went to Liverpool where he invented the propeller . . _. 1U £ alluded to.—Atlanta Constitution, Four Norman stallions were lately sold by auction at Irwin Station, Ohio. They had re cently been imported, were six, four and three years old, and Drought $2,385, $2,475, $2,935 and $1,500 respectively. All were purchased by parties in Ohio. . % 'V •V.