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About Weekly chronicle & sentinel. (Augusta, Ga.) 1866-1877 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 9, 1870)
Ciuouklt & icutmcl. WEDNESDAY MORNING, riBIVAKT*. The B orgia henators. Under date of .January 21th. the special Washington correspondent of the New X«rk Times, telegraphs that paper as follows: “Therqis an apparent misapprehension j in some quarters as to the future action of the Georgia legislature regarding the election ot Senators. It seems to be taken for granted that the law of Congress con templated such action. Nothing is further from the fa"t—and this is so understood by the Prc-ident and by a majority of the Senate. The law never contemplated an invalidation of all th action of the Geor gia Legislature as organized by General Meade; it only provided for the correction of the error made in expelling rightfully elected members in violation of the 14th Amendment of the Constitution. When this is fully done, the object of the law is accomplished. And if Messrs. Hill and Miller, the Senators elect, present them selves they will doubtless be sworn in, provided they can qualify in other re spects.” Our Washington dispatches of yester- ; day state that General Grant has com mitted himself to recognize Messrs. Hill and Miller as the legally elected Senators from Georgia. And so has Genera! Sher man, if reports be true. But this may all be taken in a Pickwickian sense. We have no faith in the administration doing justice to Georgia. Radicalism ignores justice and honesty. Its aims and policy are aggressive and partizan. Messrs. Hill and Miller stand but a slim chance Os bemg admitted to their scats in the Sen ate, and some rascally pretext will be found to prevent their admission. The Express Agent’s Message. Asa part of the political history of the - day, we lay before our readers the message : qf the Express Agent to the Legislature. It is made up mainly of extracts from \ the reconstruction acts, and military orders promulgated for the enforcement of those j acts, and in this respect challenges neither j consideration or comment. ' True, however, to the intense malignity [ of his heart against the respectable people of the State, he does not fail to utter the usual sterotyped slanders against those who, through force, fraud and corruption, he claims to represent. His calumnies are too “stale, flat and unprofitable” now to produce any effect upon the public mind. He is known at homo and abroad as an utterly unreliable aod mendacious slan derer of the people, whose money he corruptly and fraudulently squanders upon hi's pimps and favorites- ‘ The milk in this seven-column cocoanut is found in the paragraph relating to the tenure of the officers of tfie State Govern ment, and the members of the Legislature aud Senators. Bullock wants to throw Angier and some of his own .Judges out of officej and retain his present subservient lacqueys in the Legislature to carry out, without hesitation or question, his illegal and corrupt schemes. Hill and Miller, Joe Brown and Warner, arc in his way, and ho insists upon their removal. The bitter partizan spirit shown through out this strange compound of Congressional enactments and military orders is a dis grace, if anything can be a disgrace, to the extreme Radical faction who now control the State Government. The National Guard. Tho most alarming, as it is the most do' structive in its tendencies,-of all the un constitutional legislation of the last ten years, is the proposed establishment of a National Police. None but the most despotic of the Gov ernments of the old world attempt to keep up BUeh an organization there. Russia and France havo their national guards quartered in every hamlet and village, un der tho command of officers who belong to tho central dospotisin. These guards are used as occasion may require, to curb pub lie sentiment, enslave the people and in sure the satoty of the throne. American Radioals propose the estab lishment of a similar organization, with its armed soldiery stationed in every State to crush out the last vestige of American liberty and extinguish iorover the rights of the people. A condition of serfdom like that in Russia is to bo established here, so that the power of Congress shall not only be absolute but actually free from criti cism or censure. Ten years ago such a proposition as that made in Congress day before yesterday, by Abbott, would have aroused the scorn and indignation of every citizen of the land. ■ Now it. will hardly provoke unfavorable comment North of Mason and Dixon's line. Awake bin off (be Track. Our very clever neighbor across the street has aroused himself from his dreams, but,like most persons when suddonly awoke, lie sees very indistinctly and misappre hends the point we made on him. We certainly did not make so great a mistake as to ask him to read the Chroni cle & Sentinel for information—babes are not fed on strong meats but rather on i weak tea and arrow-root. We referred him to the report of Judge Andrews’ j speech printed in the new Bullock organ at Atlanta a whole week before our neigh bor found that such a’speech had been made. Our very correct and olassic neighbor is struck dumb with astonishment and borror at our inoorrect and ungrammatical ex pression ‘'the world is moving round you still,” and tauntingly asks ‘‘whoever heard of anything tn motion being still?” Wero *ply by asking, who has said that anything in motion was still? We make no pretentions as masters of pure, correct and classical English. We I never attempted poesy or doggerel verse. I If our remark was incorrect or ungratn- j matieal we are not the only offender in | this particular. Addison used the word ■ still as an adverb. Pope also, who says ‘‘The fewer still you uatne, you wound the more.” Sir William Temple not having the fear of Constitutionalist critics before his eyes says : ‘‘So men run still to a crowd in the | streets though only to see.” He did not ’suppose that he would be asked as wo have beeo, if .he "ever heard of anything in motion , being still." We should think meu funning as much in motion as the world in moving. But we have a little poet whose opinion on this point we wish to place in evidence ia our favor. The Constitutionalist hat. doubtless, heard of one John Mdton who many years since made some public attempts in the ‘‘line poetical”—he of the ‘‘Paradise Lost.” Well Milton says: "Still bear up, and steer right onward.'’ The Bard ot Avon also frequently usee the word still as an adverb. Noah Web ster, the groat American Lexicographer, defines still, an adverb to mean, al ways ; repeatedly ; after that ; after what is repeated, &e. Indeed all good writers, including those on the Chroni cle A Sentinel, make a wide dis tinction between the moaning of still an adjective or verb and still an adverb- When our friend gets through rubbing his eyes, he too will bo able to perceive the distinction- We like our neighbor’s allusion to print ls though we confess a fear unless the point is drawn so jne as not to be easily detect ed. We do print largely and circulate our prints extensively. For further particu lars we refer our friend to the oirtifieates of nearly fitly postmasters in Eastern Georgia to the effect, that the print of the Chronicle & Sentinel is much more extensive than aay other paper. Hon- Frank P. Blair, Jr., was prevent ed from voting in Missouri because he re fused to take the oath* of “loyalty” pre s-ribed by the Constitution of that State. The Supreme Court of Missou# endorsed the action- An appeal was taken to the Supreme Court of the United States, and that tribunal is equally divided upon the issue. This shuts the ballot-box against Mr. Blair in Missouri so long as he refuses to bow his knee to bigoted, partizan legis atioa. More Kecnti*'ruction Demanded. We arc informed that Bullock and his co-conspirators, have gone to Washington : to in !u -c Congress to take such action as j will secure a thorough overhauling of all ! the State officers, an i anothe; election for j United States Senators. Tfi : Express agent seems to be particu larly anxious to get a lick at some of his I Jodi, ml appointees, both on the Supreme i and Superior Court benches. Joe Brown is said to be the special object of his spite. Plant Corn. Planters are now about commencing to ! “pitch their crop*," and we urge upon ] them the propriety—nay, necessity of planting an ample breadth in corn. ! XLe present and prospective price of this indispensable article should admonish planters that, however large a crop of cot ton tiny may make, their nut profits will : be stna.l if they have to purchase any con siderable portion of their corn. Planting | largely of cotton will tend to reduce the price of that article, and thereby lessen their ability to purchase provisions. Every one should plant corn enough to insure a full supply the coming year. The Macon Outrage. A few eveoiogsago, a distinguished lady ! of this city, passing thtougha lane near her house, was violently assaulted by a negro man The struggle was very brief— the lady heroically and successfully defend ed herself, and the negro fled abruptly so soon as he heard her name uttered in ! a threat as to what her husband would do. and the. lady then continued her way home. This is the sum and substance of an un happy event which has been exaggerated by tumors and contemporaries into a much more fearful and injurious story. But, we are happy to say, none of the state ments, beyond these, have the slightest foundation of fact.— Messenger & Tele e graph, 'id inst. This villainous outrage was committed more than a week ago, and we believe this is the first notice given of the fact by the i Macon press. In the same issue of the | Telegraph k Messenger from which we clip the above, is a strong and sensible ar ticle on the “impolicy ot silence,” in which ! it is stated “that the way to estop dam i aging and exaggerated rumors is to fore stall ‘hem by the simple truth.” If our friends had, in this case, put in ! practice the above sound advice, the affair | would not have assumed the “fearful and i injurious” aspect which has been given to j it, founded on incorrect infoimation. The Fifteenth Amendment. Radical papers and politicians are jubi lant over what they claim to be the ratifi cation of the Fifteenth Amendment. The advocates ot this unconstitutional measure assert that twenty-eight States have pa-s, and it in due form, and that henceforth it is to be recognized and enforced in all the Stales by the Goneral Government. We shall sen. Time works wonders. This fraud has been bayonelted to the Consti tution l y corruption and force. The domi nant party have carried it through by vio lence and fraud. It is contrary to the very letter and spirit of the Constitution, and is destrucrivo to the liberties of the people and the rights of the States. The authors ! of the measure cannot expect it to be binding any longer than they can usurp i the power to enforce its provisions. When Radicalism fails, its usurpations will fail ; too. A people upon whom are foisted illegal enactments will not respect or olsofV them when the power which etloretd tltm no longer exists. What a mockery it is to say that, the people of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Ala- bama, Georgia, South Carolina and other Southern States havo ratified the Fifth teouth Amendment! The people forsooth ! What peoplo ? The carpet-baggers from New England, the negroes and mean, low, scalawags, who have been elevated to office by the fraudulent manipulations of tho Radical party. Os this complexion are the so-called Southern Legislatures which have latified this Amendment. It is not tho wot sos our people. They have taken no in it. They submit as a matter of necessity, not of choice,.for the present. W hen the proper time comes, they will repudiate all acts which are iu violation of the Constitution, and destruc tive of the rights of the States and the liber -ties of the people. These are the States which the Radioals oiaim to have finally adopted the Amend ment : 1. Nevada I 15. Florida. 2. Louisiana. | 16. N Hampshire. 3. West Virginia, j 17. Virginia. .4. North Carolina. | 18. Vermont. 5. Illinois. 19. Alabama. 0. Michigan. | 20. Kansas. 7. Wisconsin. I 21. Missouri. 8. Ma ne. | 22 Indiana. 9 South Carolina. I 23. Minneso'a. 10. Pennsylvania. | 24. Mississippi. 11 Massachusetts, i 25. Ohio. 12. Arkansas. I 26. lowa. 13. New York. | 27. Rhode Island. 14. Connecticut. | 28. Georgia. The following is the text of the Amend meat: ARTICLE XV. Section J. The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States, or by aoy State, on account of race, color, or previous condition ol servitude. Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legisla tion. What will New York and California do, or rather what? will the Federal Govern ment do to enforce this amendment in those States ? The question promises an interesting solution. Wc shail see what the result will bo. His Head is Level. Xho Atlanta correspondent of the Cin cinnati Commercial (Radical) tells the fu ture of Georgia Radicalism with prophetic ken. It will preve as true as Gospel. He says: ‘ Owing to a variety of reasons, the principal one of which is the fact that the army of the United States and sundry military gentlemen in the shape of a court martial have come to their aid, the Repub lican party in Georgia appear to be on rising ground. But as soon as the extra ordinary props now supporting it, and giving it a false coloring of strength, are withdrawn, the party will slowly sink again into the slough of despondency, and cry out for help when no help can roach it. The time cannot be long now until the s tat: is returned to her place in the Union, and then the party w 11 have to stand upon its merits, it i sttnds at a'l, for Congress wdl c powerless te come to its aid every fix months.” \\ ashiogtoa letter-writers are awarding the po-ition of leader ot the House to Mr. Dawes, of Massachusetts Butler has pretended to tbe position, and had several sharp bouts with men whom he thought stood iu bis way. Mr. Dawes had not appeared prominently, , observing that dtgnoy and decorum which generally oharac ortzed well-balanced men, and M r . Bu.h and cot cock his eye at him. Cir cciciia CoS at last brought them in con firet. and it was seen at onee how the pure g, ot dignity and ability shone above the ! -and impudence of cunning and ; trek cry. Tbe Richmond Dispatch thinks t e at, whether Dawes is to be leader in the i; use or not he has settled Butler’s hash, and given him that kick which detaches the i 1 1, and senas h:m headlong down the fatal cliff. 1 C «:«1 England are just now at fog erheau* oa the subject of a renewal of the Anglo-French Commercial treaty. The allegations are that France has suffered in her linen, cotton and iron industries from English competition, while England has found her silk trade nearly ruined by the influx of French fabrics, her woolen manu factures in certain fancy departments altogether transferred, and some branches of her cotton trade injuriously affected. , Statesmen on both sides of the Channel Ve endeavoring to effect a compromise. One effect of Mr. Dawes’ speech is al ready visible. The Secretary of the Treas ury has revised the estimates of his De partment, and reduced them several mil lions of dollars. General Butler and the corruptionists might as well give up the fight against Mr. Dawes. He is master of the situation, and becoming stronger esfch day. BULLOCK’S MESSAGE, j A LIBEL ON IHE PEOPLE. HE IS A LYING HYPOCRITE. AND A COWARDLY CONSPIRATOR. HE SEEKS TO COVER HIS RASCAL ITIES UNDER THE CLOAK OF | FEALTY TO R ' DICALISM. HIS UNBLUSHING EFFRONTERY* IN KEEPING WITH HIS VENALITY. To the Senate and House of Representa t tires of the Provisional Legislature : A correspondence with the Major Gen eral Commanding this District is here with transmitted, by whieu you will be in formed that your organization is reorgan ized from to day, as being one i>roper!y prepared to enter upon the action required by the several Reconstruction Acts of Congress : “Atlanta, Ga., Feb. 1, 1870. 1 "Brevet Major Gen. A. U 'Jerry, Com \ manding District of Georgia : j “General: I have toe honor to report , that a joint committee from the two ] Houses of the Provisional Legislature have ! perfected an organization by the election of the proper officers, after excluding from | the roll of memtters persons disqualified urder the acts of Congress from holding office. The two Houses stand in recess until Wednesday next, the 2d instant, at 12 M ‘ “I am, General, very respectfully, “R. B. Bullock, “Provisional Governor.” “Headq’rs Mil Dost. of Ga., 1 Atlanta, Ga., Feb 2, 1870. j "Hon. R. B Bullodc, Provisional Gover errior of the State ot Georgia : “Governor: I have the honor to ac knowledge the receipt of your communica tion of yesterday, informing me that a joint committee of the two Houses of the Legislature has informed you that the Senate and House of Representatives have each perfected an organ zition by the elec tion of the proper officers. In reply to it I have the honor to say that I think that the two Houses are now properly organ ized for the purpose of assenting to and complying with the conditions imposed by Congress for the restoration ot the State to its original relations with the nation. “I have the honor to be, very respect fully, your obedient servant. “Alfred H. Terry, “Brevet Major Gene. alCom’g.” Headq’rs Military Dist. of Georgia, Atlanta, Ga., Feb. 2, 1870. Official: J. H. Taylor, Assistant Adjutant General. That a proper understanding may be had of your present political condition, and our status under the several acts of Congress which have, from time to time, been adopted for the purpose of securing tbe establishment of State governments, re publican in form, in this and other of the late rebel States, it is important to review those acts, and to carefully consider what has been done by ourselves toward a com pliance with their provisions. Such a review will establish the fact that the prosent legislative organization, if ac cepted aud ratified by Congress, is the first and only legal organization dejure of this Legislature, and of the State Government, established by the votes of the people, under the rtconstruction acts; and that this organization is based exclusively upon the election held under the order ot the District Commander on the 20th, 21st, 22d and 23d days of April, 1868. By an act of Congress, which became a law March 2, 1867, it is provided, that— Whereas , No legal State governments or adequate protection for life or property now exist in the rebel States of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida, Texas and Arkansas ; and Whereas, It is necessary that peace and good order should be enforced in said States until loyal and Republican State Governments can be legally .established ; therefore, Be it enacted, etc., That said rebel States shall be divided in‘o Military Dis- ■ tricts, and made subject to tbe military authorityiof the United States, as herein after mentioned ; and for that purpose Virginia shall constitute the First Dis trict, North Carolina and Sooth Carolina the Second District; Georgia, Alabama and FI; iida the Third District; Mississippi and Arkansas the Fourth District; Louisi ana and Texas the Fifth District. Sec. 2 That it shall bo the duty of the President to assign to the command of each of said Districts an officer of tbe army not below the rank of Brigadier General, and t.o detail a sufficient military force to enable such officer to perform his duties and enforce his authority within the District to which he is assigned. Sec 3, That it shall be the duty of each officer as-igned as aforesaid to protect all persons in their rights of person and ! prtperty, to suppress insurrection, disor j der and violence, and to punish, or cause j to be punished, all disturbers of the public | peace and criminals ; aud to this end he ! may ailow local civil tribunals to take j jurisdiction of'and try offenders, or when, j in his judgment it may be necessary tor the trial ot offenders, he shall have power to organize military committees or tribu nals tor that purpose, and all icterferetcc undercolor of State authority with the ex ercise of military authority under this act shall be null and void. Sec. 4. That all persona put under military arrest byyirtjje of this act shall be tried without unnecessary delay, and no cruel or unusual punishment shall be in flicted, and no sentence of any Military Commission or tribunal hereby authorized affecting the life or liberty ot any person shall be exorcised until it is approved by the officer in command of the District; and the laws and regulations for the govern ment of tbe army shall not be affected by this act; except in so far as they may con flict with its provisions. Sec. 5. That when the people of any one of said rebel States shall have formed a Constitution and government iu con formity with the Constitution of the United States in all its respects, framed by a Convention of delegates elected by the mala citizens of said State, twenty-one years old and upward, of whatever race, color, or previous condition who have been resident in said State for one year previous to the day of such election, ex cept such as may be disfranchised for par ticipation in the rebellion, or for felony at common law, and when such Constitution shall provide that the elective franchise shall be enjoyed by all such persons as have the qualification herein stated for electors of delegates, and when such Con stitution shall be ratified by a majority of delegates,' and when such Constitution shall be ratified by a majority of the per sons voting on the question of ratification, who are qualified as electors for delegates and when such Constitution shall have been submitted to Congress for ap proval, and Congress shall have appro ed the same, and when said State, by a vote of its Legislature, elected under said Con stitution, shall have adopted tbe Amend ment to the Constitution of the United States, proposed by the Thirty-math Con gress, aud known as Article Fourteen, and when said article shall have become part of the Constitution of the United States, said State shal 1 be declared entitled to representation in Congress, and Sena tors and Representatives shall be admitted therefrom on their taking the oath pre scribed by law, aud then and therefore the preceding sections of this act shall be in operative ia said State. / -s i-iJed, That no person excluded from the privilege of holding office by said pro posed Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, shall be eligible to elec tion as a member of the Convention to frame a Constitution for aDy of said rebel States; nor shall any such person vote for members of such Convention. Sec. 6. That until the people of the said Rebel States shall by law be admitted to representation to the Congress of the United State", the civil Governments that may exist, therein shall be deemed provis ional only, and shall be in ail respects sub ject to the paramount authority of the United Statestatiauy time to abolish, modi fy, c ntrol and supercede the same, and in all elections to aRy office under such Pro visional Government all persons shall be entitled to vote, and none others, who are entitled to vote under the provisions of the sth section of this act. And no person shall be eligible to any office under such Provisional Governments who wou! 1 be disqualified from holding office nol.r and.; provisions of the tuir,. ..c.c of slid Con stitutional Amendment. Under this and supplemental acts, an , election was held on the 29th, 30th, and 31st of October, and the Ist aud 2d of No- ' ▼ember, 1867, for delegates to assemble in convention and to form a Constitution. The delegates then elected assembled in convention at Atlanta on the 9th day of December, and after framing a Constitu tion and adopting certain ordinances, ad journed on the 11th of March, IS6B. An election for the ratification of the Constitution so framed, for members of a Legislature, Governor. &c.. was held on the 20th, 21st, 22-i and 23d days of April, IS6B, and resulted in the ratification of the Constitution by a large majority of the voters, and also in the election 5f members of the Legislature, Governor, Ac. The result of this election was pro claimed by the Commander of the District, in Genera! Order No. 90, dated June 25,.; IS6S. And in accordance with the follow ing act of Congress: An Act to admit the States-of North Car- I olina. South Carolina, Louisiana, Geor gia, Alabama and Florida, to represent- 1 ation in Congress , The people of North Caro- j Carolina. Louisiana, Georgia, i Alabama and Florida, have, in pursuance of the provisions of an act entitled “An act for the more efficient government of tbe rebel States,” passed March 2d, 1867, and the acts supplemental thereto, framed con stitutions of a State government, which are Republican, and have adopted said con i stitutions by Targe majorities of the votes cast at the elections held for the ratification j or repealing of the same: Therefore, Be it enacted. That each of the States i of North Carolina, South Carolina, Louis iana, Geoigia, Alabama and Florida, shall , be entitled and admitted to representation i in Congress as a State of the Union, when the Legislature of such Stite shall have duly ratified tbe amendment to the Consti tution of the United States, proposed by j the thirty-ninth Congress, and known as Article 14, upon .he following fundamental | conditions : Section Ist. That the Constitution of neither of said States shall ever be so amend ed or changed as to deprive any citizm, or class of citizens, of the United States of tbe right to vete in said State who are en titled to vote by the Constitution thereof herein recognized, except as a punishment of such crimes as are now felonies at com mon law, whereof they shall have been duly convicted under laws equally applica ble to all the inhabitants of said States; Provided, That any alterations of said j Constitutions, prospective in its effect, | may be made with regard to the time and place of residence of voters, and the State of Georgia shall only be entitled and ad mitted to representation upon this further fundamental condition : That the first and third sub divisions of Section 17 of the sth Article of the Constitution of said State, except the proviso to the 5-st sub division, shall be null and void, and that the Gene ral Assembly of said State, by solemn pub lic ac', shall declare the assent of the State to the foregoing fundamental condition : See. 2. That, if the day fixed for the first meeting of the Legislature of either of said States by the Constitution or or-, dinance thereof shall have passed or so nearly arrived, before the passage of this act, t lat there shall b time for the Legis ature to assemble at the period fixed, such Legislature shall convene at the end of twenty days from the t.uia this act takes effect, ui less the.Goveraor elect shall sooner convene the same. Sec 3. That, the First Section of this act shall take effect as to each State, ex- ] cept Georgia, when such State shall, by j its Legislature, duly ratify Article XtV of ] the amendment to the Constitution of the United States proposed bv the thirty-ninth Congress, and as to the State of Ge irgia wlen it shall, in addition, give the assent of said State to the fundamental condi tion hereinbefore imposed upon tbe same ; and thereupon the,, officers of each State duly elected and qualifie i under tho Con stitution thereof shall be inaugurated without delay ; but no person prohibited from holding office under the United States or under any State by Section 3of the proposed amendment to tbe Constitution of the United States, known as Article XIV, shail be deemed eligible to aoy office in either of said States, unless relieved from disability as provided in said amend ment; and it is hereby made the duty of the President within ten days after re ceiving official information of the ratifi cation, of said amendment by the Legisla ture of either ot said States to issue a proclamation announcing that fact, which became a law June 25tb, 1868, the mem bers of the Legislature so elected were by the proclamation of the Governor elect convened in Atlanta on the 4th day of July, 1868. On the same date the Governor ‘ elect was appointed Provisional Governor by the Commander of the Distriot, under General Order No. 91, dated June 28th, 1868. This act of Congress authorizing the as sembling of the Legislature, it will be ob served, required that “no person prohibit ed from holding office under the United States, or under any State, by section 3 of the proposed amendment to the Constitu- tion of the United States, known as Arti cle XIV, shall be deemed eligible to any office in either of said States, unless re lieved from disability as provided in said amendment.” The Legislature thus convened having been organized under the orders of the Commanding General without inquiring into the eligibility of its members as re quired by this act of Congress, his atten tion was called to the fact that persons disqualified by that act were then sitting and acting as members ; whereupon the Cominhoding General directed the body to examine into the subject of the eligibility and proper qualification of its members ; and unon a resolution being adopted in each House that all the then sitting mem bers were eligible and qualified; the Com manding Genetal authorized the body to proceed with the legislative action requir ed by the several laws of Congress to ivnich reference has been made. This legislative action was taken the 21st of July, 1868, in apparent good faith, and members of Congress who were elected, as provided by an ordinance of the Consti tutional Convention, to the XLlst Con gress. were adntitted to the last session of the XLth Congress upon presentation of certificates from the District Commander that they had received the highest nurnbor of votes in their respective districts. This admission occurred in July, 1868, and Con gress adjourned on the 25th of the same month. The Legislature, on the 29th of July, P'6B, proceeded to the election of United States Senators, when, by uniting the en tire vote of the disqualified members and the members who were opposed to the Congressional policy of reconstruction, with a .ew who had assumed to favor it, Messrs. Hill anu Miller were declared to have beeu elected Senators, the former for the term ending March 4th, 1873, the latter for the term ending March 4th, 1871. Although, as has since been dis closed, if the twenty five or more dis qualified men had been excluded, neither of these gentlemen could have been elec ted, Mr. Hill’s majority on joint ballot having been but seven and Mr. Miiler’s but fourteen. This action having been taken and the District Commander having issued his order relinquishing military control, it was assumed that the requirements of Con gressional law had become inoperative, and that the National authority was no longer effective in Georgia. On the Bth day of August, 1868, a resolution was offered in the House of Representatives of the General Assembly, “denying the eligibility of oolored men to sea's upon the floor of the House,” who up to that time had been acting as mem bers, and on the 3d day ot September fol lowing, twenty-six colored members were expelled. On the 12th day of September, similar action was perfected in the Senate, and all the oolored Senators were expelled. On the 6th day es October, 1868, this organization adjourned. Congress re-assembled on the 7th day of Decembor, 1868, when the credentials of one of the Senators elect, Hon. Joshua Hill, were presented iu the Senate, and, upon objection being made, his credentials were referred to the Judieiarv Committee. This committee, having examined thor oughly into the organization, aad the rev olutionary action of the legislative or ganization, which had assumed to elect these Senators, and after having had the case betore the committee for deliberation for many weeks, made an elaborate report to the Senate against the admission of Mr. Hill, in which that commit ee say: ‘ Your committee are of opinion that the aet of June 25, 1868, which required that the Constitutional Amendment should be duly ratified, must be held to mean that it must be ratified by a Legislature which has in good faith substantially complied with the requirements of law providing for its organization. ’ ’ Reierring to the fact that ordinarily the election and qualification of members of the State Legislature is not a subject to be inquired into by the Senate, the committee in their report, marked very distinctly the difforenco between a State whPh has un interruptedly maintain and its proper rela tions to - the Union and one like ours, iu which a govornnp'mt j g being organized under and t >y virtue ot roe authority of the United St ttes. The oomnitti say : “The election aud qualification of mem bers of t e Legislature, where the exist ence of any Legislature authorised to act as such is not insolved, cannot be inquired into by the Senate in determining the right of a Senator to his teat, your com mittee hold that tbe question involved in this case is not whether persons not en titled to seats in the Legislature were re ceived by that body and allowed to vote upon the election of a Senator bat whether the body assuming to be the Legislature violated the conditions upon which it teas allowed to organize, by permitting disloyal j arsons to participate in its proceedings." Ia repelling the proposition that tne action of the Legislature touching the eligibility o’s its members, under the law and the Fourteenth Amendment, together with the subsequent action in the premises by the district commander, finally disposed of the whole question and debarred Con gress from taking aDy action —the commit tee say ; “Whereupon the two Houses went through the form of an investigation. Bat from the evidence before your committee, the investigation does not appear to have been conducted in good faith, or with any intention either of finding the facts or of exeluding persons known to be disqualified. A committee was appointed in eaoh House. In the Senate the majority of the commit tee found all the members qualified, but there was a minority report which gave an abstract of the evidence and found four Senators disqualified. The evidence con- ! sfoted of the adm ssiocs of the Senators themselves, which, if true, they should hace been excluded. Yet the Senate passed a resolution, under he operation of the previous question, admitting them all.” * * * * * * * “For the purposes of this report, how ever. your committee did not deem it ne cessary to ascertain the number of dis qualified persons admitted. But the fact that any were knowingly admitted was not ody a violation of the Fourteenth Amend ment, and a failure to comply with the requirements of Congress, but manifests a disposition to disobey and defy the author ity of the United States if one could be admitted, why not ail? And will it be contended that if the entire body had been composed of men who had usurped the functions of the Legislature against the express provisions of the Reconstruction Act;, they could have complied with the provisions of those acts so as to create any obligations on the part of Congress to re ceive their Senators and Representatives? ’ The action of Congress in this matter is fully quoted, because of its importance, as tho foundation u on which the subsequent action rests. ! If our legislative organization had been perfected as required by the laws, there would have been no power resting in Cos i gress to interfere which would not apply equally to the adhering Jtates— New York or Massachusetts —but when it was ascertained that we had not complied with the laws, rnd had not organized the leg islature by excluding aen who were dis qualified by the law, Congress could in uowise be bound by the action of such a body, and the right, we may say the duty j of Congress to adopt such measures as i seemed to them proper to enforce their own laws, aod wa« not only indisputable but freely admitted. As will be subse quently shown, Congress and the Presi dent concur in requiring us to commence again the work of reconstruction at the precise point where a failure in the execu i tion of those laws becomes aoparent, viz : 1 the Fourth Day of July, 1868. ■ That both Houses of Congress moved in I harmony upon this subject is established by the adoption of the following preamble J and resolution in the House of Representa tives of Congress after ihe report of the J udiciary Committee was made in the Sen- ate : Whereas, It is reported that the Legis lature of Georgia ha- expelled the colored members thereof, and admitted to their seats white men who reeeived minorities of votes at the polls, and that members of said Legislature who had been eleoted thereto, by the votes of the oolored men, joined in such action, and that twenty-seven disqualified white men hold seats in said Legislature, in violation of the 14th amend ment to the Constitution and of the Re construction Acts of Congress: and Sena tors from Georgia have not been admitted to the Senate of the United States, Resolved, That the Committee on Re construction be ordered to inquire and re port whether any, and if any, what further action ought to be taken during tbe XLth Congress respecting the representation of Georgia in this House. [Adopted January2B—yeas, 127 ; nays, 33. | While this action was being taken by Congress, indicating plainly the desire, the judgment and the purpose of the Govern ment,! this illegal legislative organization of ours, on the 13th January, 1869, re-as sembled and after being in session until the 18th day of March following, refused toheed tbe recommendations then repeated to perfect its organization in accordance with the laws of Congress, by the exclu sion of the disqualified persons and the restoration of members expelled on account of their color. All that has since been done oould then have been avoided. We all knew what was required of us, aod should have promptly complied, Valuable lives would have been saved. The peace, good order and good name of our State would have been maintained, and our material prosperity greatly enhanced, by following the dictates of wisdom and ceasing useless and fruitless opposition to the inevitable. But unfortunately other counsels were heeded and the policy of re action and resistance prevailed at that time. Congress assembled again on the first Monday in December, 1869, and in accord ance with the recommendation of the I President proceeded promptly to prepare j and adopt an act to promote the recon | structioii of Georgia, and thus overcome | the obstacles which had been placed in the I way of restoration by the men who had | embraced every previous opportunity to j defeat that wise and just policy which is involvea in the Congressional enactments for the establishment of civil governments in this aud other Southern seceding States. , The act under which you are now assem bled and organized was adopted in the United States Senate on the 17th of De cember, 1869, by a vote of 46 to 9, and in the House on the 21st of the same month by a vote of 121 to 51, and became Hw by the approval of the President on the fol lowing day, thus displaying the united de termination of Congress and the President that the machinations cf defeated rebels should not prevail by civil proceedings af ter their armed opposition had bean so signally defeated. In accordance with the letter and the spirit of the action of Congress, tire Presi dent, on the 24th of December, 1869, as signed “an officer of the army, not below the rank of Bradier General”—Brevet Major General Allred H. Terry— to the oommand of Georgia, as a Military Dis trict. On the same date the Governor elect was appointed Provisional Governor by the Commander of the District, under General Order No. 91, dated June 28, IS6B. This act of C ingress authorizing the as sembling ol the Legislature, it will be ob served, required that “no person prohib it* i from holding office under the United States, or under any State, by section 3 of the proposed amendment to the Constitu tion of the United States, known as Arti cle XIV, shall be deemed eligible to any offiee in either of said States, unless re lieved from disability as provided in said amendment.” The Legislature thus convened having been organized under the orders of the Commanding General without inquiring into the eligibility of its members as re quired by this act of Congress, his atten tion was called to the fact that persons dis qualified by that act were then sitting and acting as members: whereupon the Com manding General directed the body to ex amine into the subject of the eligibilitv and proper qualification of its members; and upon a resolution being adopted in each House that all the then sitting mem bers were eligible and qualified, the Com manding General authorized the body to mooeed with the legislative action required by the several laws of Congress, to which reference has been made. Thi- legislative«action was taken on the 21st of July, 1868, in apparent good faith, and members of Congress who were elect ed, as provided by an ordinance of the Con stitutional Convention, to the Forty first Congress, were admitted to the last session of the Fortieth Congress upon presenta tion of certificates from the District Com mander that they had received the highest number of votes in their respective dis tricts. This admission occurred in July, 1868, and Congress adjourned on the 25th ! of the same month. The Legislature, on tho 29ch of July, 1868, proceeded to the election of U. ». Senators when by uniting the entire vote of the disqualified members, and the mem bers who were opposed to the Congressional policy of reconstruction, with a few who had assumed to favor it, Messrs. Hill and Miller were declared to have been elected Senators, the former for the term ending March, 4th, 1873 the latter for the term ending March 4th, 1871. Although, as has since been disclosed, it the twenty-five or more disqualified men had been excluded ! neither of these gentlemen could have j been elected, Mr. Hill’s majority on jo : nt ! ballot having been butseueu and Mr. Mil ! ler’s but fourteen. This action having been taken and the District Commander having issued his or der relinquishing military control, it was assumed that the requirements of Congres sional law had become inoperative, and that the National authority was no longer effective in Georgia. Oa the Bth day of August, 1868, a reso ; lution was offered in the House of Repre sentatives of the General Assembly, ''de nying eligibility of oolored meQ to seats upon the floor of the House,” who up to that time had been acting asmembers, and on the 3d day of September, following, twenty-six colored members were expelled. Oa the 12th day of September, similar action was perfected in the Senate, and all the colored Senators were expelled. On the 6th day‘of October, 1868, this organi zation adjourned. Congress re-assembled on the 7th day of December, 1868, w ten the credentials of one of the Senators elect, Hon. Joshua Hill, were presented in the Senate, and, upon objection being made, his credentials were referred to the Judiciary Committee. This c m mittee, having examined thorough ly mto the organization, and the revolu tionary action of the legislative organiza tion, which had assumed to elect these Senators, and after having had the case before the committee for deliberation for many weeks, me de an elaborate report to the Senate against the admission of Mr. Hill, in which that committee say : “Your committee are of opinion that the act of June 25, 1868, which required that the Constitutional Amendment should be duly ratified, must be held to mean that it must be ratified by a Legislature which has in good faith substantially complied with the requirements of law providing for its organization.” Referring to the foot that ordinarily the election and qualification of members of the State Legislature is not a subject to be in quired into by the SeDate, the committee in their report, marked vSry distinctly the difference between a State which has un interruptedly maintained its proper rela tions to the Union and one like ours, in which a government is being organized upder and by virtue of the authority of the United States. The committee say: “The election and qualification of members of the Legislature, where the existence of any Legislature authorized to act, as such is not involved, cap be inquired into by the Sen ate in determining the right of a Senator to his seat, your committee hold that the question involved in this ease, is not wheth er persons not entit ed to seats in the Leg islature were receired by that body and al lowed to vote upon the election of Sena tor, hut whether the body assuming to be the Legislature violated the conditions up on which it was allowed to organize, by permitting disloyal persons to participate in its proceedings.” Jn repelling the proposition that the ac tion of the Legislature touching the eligi bility of its members, under the law and the 14th Amendment, together with the subsequent action in the premises by the district commander, finally disposed ot the whole question, and debarred Congress from taking any action, the committee say: “Whereupon the two Houses went through the form of an investigation. But from the evidence before your committee, the investigation does not appear to have been conducted in good faith, or with any intention either of finding the facts or of excluding persons known to be disqualified. A committee was appofr'e-t each House. In the Senate, a major. oi ...o committee found all the members qualified, but there was a minority report which gave an abstract of the evidence, and found four Senators disqualified. The evidence con sisted of the admissions of the Senators themselves, which, if true, they should have been excluded. Yet the Senate passed a resolution, under the operation of the previous question, admitting them all.” “For the purpose of this report, how ever, your committee did not deem it ne cessary to ascertain tbe number of disqual ified persons admitted. But the fact that any were knowingly admitted was not only a violation ot the XlVth Amendment and a failure to comply with the require ments of Congress, but manifests a dispo sition to disobey and defy the authority of the United States. If one could be admit ted why not all ? And will it be contend ed that it the entire body had been com posed of men who had usurped the func tions of the Legislature against the ex press provisions of tho Reconstruction Acts, they couid have complied with the provisions of those acts so as to create any obligation on the part of Congress to re ceive their Senators and Representatives?” I have thus recapitulated the facts cov ering our political history from the time ot the adoption of tho act of March 2d, 1867, which declares “that until the people of said rebel States shall, by law, be ad • mitted to representation to the Congress of the United States, the civil governments that .may exist therein shall be deemed provisional only, and shall be in all respects subject to the paramount authority of the United States, any time to abolish, modify, contiol and supersede the 6ame,” &c., up to the present hour, and it will not, I think, be seriously argued that tho right reserved by Congress iu that act has ever been withdrawn by the action of Congress or expired by reason of any h gal act of our own. But, the argument made by General Terry in his report is so cogent and conclu sive that I repeat it here. J quote from Major General Terry’s report, dated At lanta, Ga., August 14th, 1869 : While I have been in command of the Department I have endeavored to take no action which would not be justified by the letter of the law, even if Georgia should be held to be restored to its original relations to the General Government. I have con fined myself to giving support to the civil authorities, and moving detachments of troops into some of the disturbed counties where their presenoe would exert a good influence, and where they would be ready to act if properly called upon- I think that some good has, in this way, been accom plished, but the great evil has by no means been reached. Asa Department Com mander, I can do no more; for whatever may be the status of Georgia, aid what ever may be the powers which an officer assignee to command the Third District, created by the reconstruction acts, would possess, it is only an officer, sq assigned, who could exercise them ; they are not vested in me by my assignment to the com mand of this Department. Where, therefore, the civil authorities are in s. mpathy wit,h, or a-e overawed by those who commit crime, it is manifest that lam powerless. In this connection, I re spectfully call the special attention of the General Commanding the Army to the re ports in regard to the attempt made in Warren county to secure the arrest and punishment of persons charged with crime, which arc to-day forwarded. It appears to me that the national honor is pledged to the protection of the loyalist and the I reed men of the South. lam well awi.re that the protection of persons and property is not, ordinarily, one of the functions ol tho National Government, bui, when it is re membered that hostility to the supporters of the Government is but a manifestation of hostility to the Government its If and that the prevailing prejudice against the blacks results from their emancipation— the act of the Government—it would seem that protection cannot be denied them, if it be within the power of tbe Government to give it. I know of no way in which such protection can be given in Georgia, except by the exercise of the powers con ferred on military commanders by the Re construction Acts. The question whether these powers cau still be exercised in this State, is a grave one. I should hesitate to attempt the discussion of it, were I not convinced of the absolute necessity of such action. Being convinced of that necessity, I venture to prosent my views to the Gen eral Commanding. By the act entitled “An Act to provide for the more efficient government of the rebel States,” passed March 2, 1867, it is provided in the Ist section thereof, that the States of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Florida, Texas and Arkansas, shall be divided into five Milita ry Districts and subjected to military au thority; and in the 2d section, that to each of tho said Districts shall be assigned as a Commander an officer of the army not below the rauk of Brigadier General. The 3d and 4th sections of the act specify the powers and duties of District Com manders; makiog it their duty “to sup press insurrection, disorder and violence, and to punish, or cause to be punished, all disturbers of the public peace,” ete. The sth section prescribes the manner in which, and the conditions upon which the rebel States may be restored to their normal rela 1 ions .to the National Govern ment, and fixes the contingencies upon the happening of which, the preceding sec tions shall become inoperative in said States respectively; upon the happening of which, military oontrol in s lid States shall cease. This section is aB follows, viz : Sec. 5. And be it further enacted, That when the people of any one of the said rebel States shall have formed a Constitu tion of government in conformity with the Constitution of the United States in all respects, framed by a convention of dele tales elevated by the male citizens of said State, twenty-one years old and upward, of whatever race, color or previous condition, who have been resident in said State for one year previous to the day of such elec tion, except such as may be disfranchised for participation in the rebellion, or for felony at common law; and when such Con stitution shall provide that the elective franchise be enjoyed by all such persons as have the quafi'JCtttions herein stated for electors of delegates ; and when such Con stitution shall be ratified by a majority of the persons voting on the question of rati fication who are qualified as electors for delegates; and when such Constitution shall have been submitted to Congress for examination and approval, and Congress shall have approved the same; and when said State, by a vote of its Legislature elected under said Constitution, shall have adopted the amendment to the Constitu tion of the United States proposed by the Thirty-ninth Congress, and known as ar ticle fourteenth ; and when said article shall become a part ot the Constitution of the United States, said State shall be de clared emitted to representation in Con gress, and Senators and Representatives shall be admitted therefrom on their taking the oath prescribed by law ; and then and thereafter the preceding secrions of this act shall be inoperative in said State: Pro vided, that no person excluded from the privilege of holding office by said proposed amendments to the Constitution of the United States shall be eligible to election as a member of the Convention to frame a Constitution for any of said rebel States, nor shall any such person vote for members of such Convention. It will be observed that, alter prescrib ing the terms of restoration, it provides that, when they shall have been complied with by any one of the States to which the act applies, said State sha 1 be declared to be entitled to representation in Congress ; and Senators and Representatives shall be admitted therefrom on their taking the oath prescribed by law; and then and thereafter the preceding sections shall be inoperative in said State. liespecifully submit that, by this language, tbe actual admission of Senators and Representatives is made a condition precedent to the abrogation of military authority; that the action of the two Houses of Congress in admitting members was provided for as the final recognition of the restoration of the States ; and that, until the recognition by the law-making power, unless subse quent nets have changed, modified or re- j pealed this act, in this respect, the powers | conferred on District Commanders may be , The supplementary acts of March 23 and July 19,1867, to my apprehension, have j no bearing whatever upon this question; they, in no degree, modify or chaDge the aot of March 2d, in respect to the time J when, or the conditions upon which the - first four sections of that act become in- i operative. Tue act of June 25, 1858, only remain ing act which relates to the government and restoration of the rebel States, seems to have been passed mainly in pursuance | of those portions of tho sth section of the act of March 2, 1867, which provide for the subtni-sion to and approval by Con gress of the constitutions framed for the several States, and for a declaration by Congress that the States are entitled to representation. It contains a con ditional approval of the constitutions formed for certain of the rebel States, and the re-affirming one of thq original conditions of restoration, provides that after tbe ratification of the 14th Amend ment by the Legislatures of ihe said States, they shall be entitled and admitted to representation. In this there seems to be no departure from the original aot; that act also provided that when the prescribed terms aud eondit ons should be complied with, the States should be entitled and ad mitted to representation, but it made the cessation of military control dependent on the actual admission of Senators and Rep resentatives ; and the act of June 25th leaves this matter where the original act placed it. The plan of reconstruction con templates five great steps. Ist, The formation of a State Constitu tution. 2d, she approval of the Consti tution bv 3d, The ratification of the XlVth Amendment. 4th, The declaration by Congress that the State is entitled to representation ; and sth, The fiual act of recognition —the admission of Senators and Representatives on their taking the oath prescribed by law. When all these steps are taken, the powers con ferred on military commanders cease to exist; until then they may be exercised. The persons elected as Senators by the Legislature of Georgia have never been admitted to the Senate, and no Repre sentatives from the State have been ad uiitted to tho present House of Represen tatives. I therefore respectfully submit that the work of reconstruction here has not been completed, and that consequently the powers conferred on military com manders may still be exercised within the State. Thus far I have proceeded on the as sumption that all the conditions precedent to restoration have been complied with by Georgia, but I now submit that the 14 h Amendment has not been duly ratified by its Legislature. Tbe act < f June 25,1868, in its concluding section, provides that “no person prohibited from office under the United States, or under any State, by sec tion 3 of the proposed amendment to the Constitution of the United States, known as Article 14, shall be eligible to any of fice in either of said States, unless relieved from disability, as provided in said amend ment;” thus in effect prescribing the char acter of the Legislature by which said amendment should be adopted as a condi tion precedent to restoration; that is to j say, Legislatures composed of person* eli gible to office under that amendment. No such Legislature has yet assembled in Georgia, for it is well ascertained that in the Legislature which did assemble, and which acted upon the 14th Amendment, were a Dumber of persons who were not eligible to seats therein. The facts in the case are lully set forth in the following ex tract from tne report made in July last, by a majority of the Judiciary Committee of the Senate of the United States, to whom had been referred the credentials of Mr. Joshua Hill, claiming to be a Senator elect from this State, viz : “The District Commander, Gen. Meade, by a General Order, dated June 25, 1868, • declared the result of the election, Rufus B. Bullock being elected Goveruor. and among the members elected to the Legis lature in that order were thirty one oolored men — three Senators and twenty-eight Representatives. (See Exhibit No. 1.) By a proclamation of the Governor elect, in pursuance of the act of June 25, 1868, the Legislature of Georgia convened on the 4th of July following. On the Bth July, the organization of tbe two houses was effected, and all persons declared elec ted wen allowed to take their seats. “When the Governor elect was notified of the action of the two Houses, he address ed a commuication to Gen-Meade, Com mander of the District, informing him of the fact, and also that it was alleged that a number of the members of the General Assembly who had taken their scats and one or more officers of that body were net eligible under the act of June 25, 1868, by reason of their Laving taken an official oath to support the Constitution of the United States, and subsequently had given aid and comfort to the enemies thereof. Gen. Meade, on the same day, replied to tbe communication, and among other things, desired the Governor elect to oom municate to tho Legislature that he oould not reoognize any act of that body as valid, or allow the same to be executed until sat isfactory evidence was produced that all persons excluded by the Fourteenth Amendment wero deprived of their soats in both Houses. Whereupon, the two Houses went through the form of an investigation. But from the evi dence before your committee, the iovesti gation does not appear to have been con ducted in good faith, or with any inten tion either of finding the facts or of ex cluding persons known to have been dis qualified. A committee was appointed in each House. In the Senate the majority of the committee found all the members qual fled ; but there was a minority report which gave aa abstract of tho evidence and found four Senators disqualified. Tbe evidence consisted of admission of the Senators themselves; which, if true, they should have been excluded. Yet the Senate passed a resolution, under the operation of the previous question, ad mitting them all. These facts appear in the official correspondence between Gov ernor Bullock and General Meade in re gard* to the organization of the Georgia Legislature. (See Exhibit A.) There were three reports in the House. The majority report| found two members dis qualified ; one of the minority reports found still another member disqualified, but the other minority report found that all were qualified. The last report was adopted by the House under tbe operation of the previous question. To illustrate the manner in which the investigation was conducted, a co, y of tbe proceedings of the Legislature on the 16ih, 17th and 18th days of July, 1868, as reported in the Atlanta Daily Era, and forwarded to the State Department, is attached to this re port. (See Exhibits A, B andC.) It is alleged that an impartial investigation would have shown from thirty to forty members of the Legislature disqualified under the 14th Amendment, and although your committee have not been able to fully investigate this matter, but from the evidence before them, they little doubt that the number was large, as the exhinit hereto attached will tend to establish." It may be contended that this action of the two branches of the Legislature is final and conclusive; but L respectfully submit that by the terms of the act of March 2, that the State government at tbe time was provisional only ; the 14th Amendment had not been ratified, the con ditions precedent to restoration had not been performed, the State and its officers were still “subject to tie paramount au thority of Congress,” and to the authority which had been conferred by law on the military commander of the District, of which Georgia formed a part, therefore, it was in the power of that comm-mder to determine the eligibility of members ; and consequently the clause of the constitution of the State which gives conclusive juris diction of this question to the two branches of he Legislature, can not be considered as havim? taken effect. And I also submit that t.,e action of the Legislature admitting to membership the ineligible persons elected to it, whether in tentionally so or not, was, in effeet, a fraud upon the reconstruction laws, aod upon the government; a fraud which so vitiates its organization that it can not be consider ed a Legislature within the terms and pro visions of the reconstruction acts ; and, therefore, the 14th Amendment has not been ratified by the Legislature of Georgia; the conditions precedent to the restoration of the State have not been fully complied with, and the first, second, thi.d, aud fourth sections of the act of March 2, have not become inoperative in this State. There have been several official acts of the Executive and Legislative Depart ments of the Government bearing upon this question, some of which declare or imply that the State bas been restored to its normal condition, others that it haa not been. Os the former class are: First, The order of General Meade declaring the Suite restored, aud withdrawing from the exer cise of military control over it. Secondly, General Orders No. 55, Adjutant Gene ral’s Office, Washington, July 28, 1868, declaring that the Third Military District had ceased to exist; and Thirdly, The ad mission of members from Georgia to the House of Representatives of the Fortieth Congress. Os the latter olass are: The re fusal of the to admit the persons elected to it from Georgia; the refusal of the present House of Representatives to i admit members to it from the State, and ■ the refusal of Congress to count in the ac | customed manner the electoral vote of the State at the recent Presidential election. It is hardly necessary to suggest that the argument to be drawn from tois action, as a whole, is stroDgly against the proposi tion that tbe State has been restored. In conclusion, I desire to express my conviction that the only way to restore good order in the State, is to resume mili tary control over it for tbe time being, and ultimately to provide by law that the Leg islature shall re-assemble as a provisional Legislature, from which all ineligible per sons shall be excluded, aod to which all eligible persoos elected to it, white or black, shall be admitted. Such a Legislature would, I believe, enact such laws and in vest the Executive with such powers as would enable him to keep tbe peaoe, pro tect life and property and punish crime. Tbe process of resuming military eontrol would, it appears to me, be a very simple I one. All that would be required is an or der from tbe President countermanding General Orders No. 55. Adjutant Gener al’s Offioe, July 28, 1868, and General Orders No. 103, headquarters Third Mili tary District, July 22, 1668, and assigning an officer to tho command of the District I ?*«* ting the States of Alabama and Flor-1 ida. This action I respectfully reoommend. ! I have the honor to be, General, very respectfully, your obedient servant, I (Signed) Alfred H. -Terry, Brevet Maj. Gen. Commanding. I That the foregoing presents tbe correct legal view of the ease, and that Congress and the administration have so docidied, is fully established by the fact that Congress has assumed to legislate upon the subject, amFthat the President has approve I such legislati n, and has a;s : gned a Commander to this district, by the following order : Headquarters of the Army, 1 Adjutant General’s Office, j- WArlington, Jan. 4, 1870. ) General Orders No. 1. By direction of the President of the United Slates, so much of General Orders No. 103, dated Headquarters Third Mili tary District (Department of Georgia, Florida and Alabama!, Atlanta, Georgia, July 22, 186S, and so much of General Orders No. 55. dated Headquarters of the Army, Adjutant General’s Offioe, Wa-h --ington, July 28, 1868, as refers to the State of Georgia, is hereby counte rmauded. Brevet Major General Terry ' riH, until further orders, exercise within t hat State the powers of tho Commander of a Mili tary Distriot, as provided by toe act of March 2,1867,ami the acts supplementary thereto, under his assignment b.r General Orders No. 83, dated Headquarters of the Army, Adjutant General’s Offi se, Wash ington, December 24, 1869. By command of General She .'man. E. D. Towns' ind, Adjutant General. That it is a political question upon which Congress is the sole and final judge, will uot be denied. It therefore follows that, having perfect ed an organization as required by law, you are prepared and required to pass upon tho several subjects submitt ,*d tor your action by the acts of Coßgress, known as the Reconstruction Acts, and *;o elect Sena tors. These subjects are tho ratification of the XlVth Amendment, giving the assent cf the State to certain modifications of the Constitution, and the adoption: of the XVth Amendment. Should it be tgrged that we have already acted upon the X Vth Amendment, etc , it is a sufficient answer to quote the action of Congress, wherein they hold that no legal organization of a Legislature, has heretofore been perfected Aud should it be argued that Georgia was counted as having ratified the XlVth Amendment, it is answered by the follow ing joint resolution of Congress, adopted before Georgia acted, and in which Geor gia is not named : Concurrent Resolutions of Congress re specting the ratification o the XlVth Amendment to the Constitution, July 21, 1868. Whereas, The Legislatures of the States of Connecticut Tennessee, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont, West Virginia, Kansas, Missouri, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Minnesota, New York, Wisconsin. Penn sylvia, Rhode 1-land, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire,Massachusetts,Nebraska, Maine, lowa, Arkansas, Florida, North Carolina, Alabama, South Carolina and Louisiana, being three-fourths aedmore of the several States of the Union, have rati fied the Fourteenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States, duly proposed by two-thirds of each House of the Thiety-Ninth Congress, therefore, Resolved , By the Senate, (the House of Representatives concurring) that said 14tk urticle is hereby declared to be a part of the Constitution of the United States, and it shall be duly promulgated as such by the Secretary of State. July 21—Passed the Senate without a count. Same day the House passed the resolu tion—yeas 126, nays 32; the preamble yeas 127, nays 35. Such action having been accepted by Congress by the admission of Senators and Representatives, we will, after nearly t«a years of wandering estray, be once more a Slate in the Union. Our Constitution will then become of force, and upon the elec tion by your now legal organization of officers provided for by the Constitution, the State Government will become a gov ernment de jure ■' the members of your honorable body will enter upon the terms for which they were elected, and it is hoped and believed that nothing will ever again occur to disturb the harmonious re lations which should be forever maintained between this State and the National Gov ernment. I transmit herewith authentic copies of the joint resolutions of tbe Thirty-ninth Congress proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United S ates, known as Article XIV, and the joint resolution of the Fortieth Congress proposing an amend ment known as Article XV; also the act of June 25th, 1868, winch requires the assent of the State to be given to certain mooifications of the Constitution of the State. The party in this Ftate which has pro moted reconstruction may properl) b( men tioned in a communication of this charac ter, because party lines here, as in all the Southern States since the rebellion, have been drawn between those who favored restoration of State governments under Congressional enactment and those who opposed such re.itorat;on; tbe former party being in iavor of compliance, and the latter party opposed to any settlement which did not practically yield all the issues which the Geoerai Government bad cstab lished by foroe of arms. This party, thereiore, has been and is the party of peace, aud the other the or ganization of all tbe dements of discord, discontent and defiance. And l speak of the party favoring the reconstrerion meas - ures, dow to recognize the fact that its course has been consistent and persistent in support of the measures provided by Congress as a setlement and for a restora tion of civil government in the Houth, and tbe party has been equally as determined iu its opposition to every scheme which the old political tricksters have devised to defeat this wise and just policy of Con gress. Inppus ling their opposition t> Cou gress, these political charlatans have re sorted to every conceivable baseness, abandoning argument to take up with murdet and assassination; disregarding princifles to indulge in villification, and now, :n their hopeless ■> despair, we find them (ndavoring to grasp a Republican livery, under which they hope to hide their tefarious purpose. They now loudly proclaim their hot haste to promote recon struction and to adopt measures wbioh will stccessfully perfect it. While we congratulate the State, and tbe ccantry, even upon this outward evi dence.hat wisd itu is returning to our mis guide and brethren, the partv door is Wida and open for any and all who desire to en ter a«l support the great principles ■ 1 equalrghts and republican lifr rty, which have triumphed over secession aod rebel lion. We tesire the good of the whole i eoplc-; that tip rights ot the poor laboring men shall b| equally protected with those of the riot tnat the avenues of intelligence shall beopen for all. and that a citizen’s worth Biall be determined by his own ef forts aid his owo cnarafters, neither ad vanced lor retarded by his birth, his color, his religon or his polities. Upon this platform all can unite. Tne industrions, the inteljgent, and- those who love ; eace rather thin strife, will soon abandon the lead of dkappointtd politician*, and aid in sustainiig the Government. The wnngs which have been done, the lawless oitrages which have been commit ted in tinny parts of the State, are the acts of bit a few irresponsible persons. W hen allgood citizens exert their influence in favor if justice, lawlessness will cease. Let ot, therefore, unite in a complete recogniti nos the rights of men, irrespec tive of ferth, color or previous condition, and frailly admit that under, and before, the law all men are equal—that all are response—and see to it that by future legislatjm the requirements of our Con stitutiot are recognized—that free school-, are estitiished and maintained, and tha' protectim is secured for person and proper ty, andfor the free expression of political opinion. 1 et »rty lines be extended so as to wel come aid include all who are in favor of impartil suffrage and universal amnesty. Under,tur State Constitution no man is disfranjltistd, and under the Constitution of the Jnited States no man will be di qnalifidl from holding office who is ready to maißain aod uphold the Government I weild respectfully recommend that the Xft r th Amendment and, the funda mentaLondiuons required by the Act of June %, 1868, and theXVth Amendment be adojted at once, and that your honor able bjdy then take a recess until Monday, the 14jh inst. Shoild it be deemed desirable by any membr to attempt general legislation at this thte his attention is invttfid to the follow! g extract from the opinidb of tbe Honoytble Attorney Genera 1 of tho United State*n the case of Virginia: required under tbe previous law to actHpon the question of adopting the * * Amendments] to the Constitution - of th* united States before the admission ' of the 1 rates to representation in Congress. j lam if opinion, therefore, that it may : oome igether, organize, and act upon that Ameatment, but that until Congress shall have approved the Constitution, and the action inder it, and shall have restored the S|ite to its proper place in the Union, by realizing its form of Government as repub'ean, and admitting it to representa tion, tie Legislature is not entitled, and couid tit without violation of law, he al lowed t) transact any business, pass any Act oßßesolve, or undertake to assume any osier function ot a Legislature, if the test oth has not been required of its membfg.” In afiubsequent opinion the Honorable Attormy General decided that the election or Seniors, at the proper time, was a part of the*ork of reconstruction. Tout organization having been reeog ptzed from to-day t|„. t j. -■ 6, ,ii, United States for ciecti'on &| Smaors will occur on, Tuesday, the 15 h in-tan, and as Wit unwise to attempt any go * legislation while the Government f* p"! visional, and pending o ur recognition Ty I shall esteem it a personal and an r fflr.; i favor if your honorable bod/ wiJl aufcl ” a Joint committee to sit during , he ' e ss and investigate the indirect eharg P made by the Treasurer through the ps?fo prints against the Executive, as well as n?esen? “t cha , r , KCf * h ' ! n *ay now have to T 1 Ul<i recommend that the committee lie authorized to send for persons and papers, and to administer fore 8 ’ 1 a,IJ ° ’ ufi lent 'bat such va kh? K, n eD t 0 hn acts of the com rtnttoe, by the Command- r of the District, as maj be necessary to insure justice. Rufus B. Bullock, a,i ♦ , Provisional Governor. At.aata, U ednesday, February 2, 187th LSTTfiK FROM I>VBHl\t,TD\. FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT. Washij.gton, January 30. Editors Chronicle <£ Sentinel : Ihe great sensation last week was the open attack of Representative Dawes, ol Massachusetts, upon the extravagance ol the party in power, and tbe sensation this week is the negro Senator from Mississip - Pi- He will probably make his appearance at tne senate chamber to morrow, but as of that and the proceedings incident thereto, you will be duly advised by telegraph, I only to say that varied speculations are indulged in here concerning the prob abilities attending the presentation of the credentials ol the negro Senator. The Radioals gave out that he is a man not to be trifled with, and that “it will not be prudent to snub him in the Senate.’’ This last declaration, may be intended for M . Sumner and others, who, despite their pro fessed love for the negro, are by no means ready to extend the hand of hearty wel come when he appears on the national boards to take and irt in the play in close proximity to themselves. Immense strides are being taken, and if they continue for a few months, the country aud the world will be edified with a very extensive array of "color” in both Houses ot Congress. The capital of the nation is tbe ‘ Mecca of ne groes. They flock herefrom every portion ot the South, and the appearance of one of their race in the Seuate chamber of the nation (if he is allowed to take his seat) will awaken ambitions that can hardly be controlled. The least possible vent for them will consist in the election for this municipality of a negro Mayor and board of Councilicen next June. It is not saying too much to assort that these events are by no means without the range of prub ability. The people here, excepting the negroes and the scalawags who pander to their ig norance and presumption, are iu favor ol a change in the government of the District, and a bill has already been introduced to provide for a change to a ter- itorlal form. A call has been made for a mass oonven tion of the people ot this and the adjoin ing' c.ty of Georgetown, to consider the consolidation of the two cities with the oouoty into one harmonious government. It is signed by the most responsible men in this communty; but the result may truly be said to depend upoa whether the contraband majority in the L wo cities are willing to give their assent to the plan. The young Prince Arthur ha3 “gone to return no more.” His visit here was an ovation from the time of his arrival to the day of his departure. He won admiration from all o rcles, while his presence in tensified the snobbish propensities of those who glory in being considered shining lights of Washington “scctety.” You are not in “society” here unle.-s you have your carriage, get invitations to all the re ceptions of distinguished individuals (you {*et them by making application in due form, without the necessity of acquaint anceship), and endeavor, as much as possi ble, to imj ress those around you with the grandeur of your position. There are people here who hire carriages from liv ery stables for so much per month, using them so many days out ot' the week, at which time the public number is taken off the hack, and a driver and footman in livery furnished. Then they make calls and leave their cards at Sherman’s and Fisk’s and Colfax’s residences, attend the afternoon receptiou of Mrs. Grant, display a super-abundance of suoddyism gener ally, and are in "s ciety;” aud those who either can’t afford to do that sort ot thing, or, better still, havo the good sense to have no liking tor sueii cheap gentility, “don't belong to our set, you kat w. ” Dawes has stirred up the Radical poli ticians in Congress to deeds of great re venge, and half the party are “ laying low” for him. Butler has read him out of the party, even as he did Bingham ; but these obstreperous Republicans will •nit allow themselves to be read out, or talked out by Butler, and the moment he e mmences on that favorite strain of his, the victims of his ardor begin a com parison ot the records, which never results in Butler’s favor. He has constituted himself the champion of the administra tion, and Grant thinks ho has a strong defender. Several representatives have speeches prepared in defence of the administration against the attacks o‘ Dawes; but tbe latter has his figures and says, “more in sorrow than in anger,” that they will not lie even in defence of the political party to which he gives his allegiance. Italian Opera last week, to be suc ceeded by negro minstrelsy this week, has been the attraction in the amusement line at the National Theatre for a week, while Laura Keena with a first class com- P aD ? giving elegant entertainments at Walll s Opera House. Mbs Clara Louise Kellog, has been the star of the Opera, and even excels the’ Italian artistes io the perfection < f vocal talents. Since the meeting ofCongrtxs there have been nearly a thousand bills and resolu tions presented in the House, and a simi lar number in the Senate. Tfio.se who in dulge the hope that Congress will adjourn by May or June, are likely to be disap pointed. They have c -usurned the present month in talking over the admiss on ot Virginia, and besides consummating tba by a disgraceful lack of honor on the part »f Congress have done nothing el e. _lbe Internal R. venne officials m Geor gia have applied to the C amni-s one r for his influence in securing a "uffici. nt force to enable them to prosecute >he law against illicit distilx-rs in ‘he 4 h District.' Several ol Grant's nominations to the Senate yet baig fire, and will not be con firmed. Among I hem is that of Judge Hoar for the Supreme Court. Among the other nlessir.g: which this District may derive from the legislation of the present Congress is that of being made the experimenial ground for woman suf frage. It wuM put theDs'rict in the bands ol the Radical party for ever and aye, for every woman voter, black and white, wili ot course vote that ticket. The negro women wtio fa7e located here sinoe the war number many thousands, and they wili all vote. There is still talk of the establishment of a Democratic newspaper in Washing ton, but it would not be sustained. Busi ness among the merchants is t*o dill, and there is no Government p ip for Democrate. The papera are all Radical, excepting a spicy little • one cent daily, the Morning News, which it neutral. The Republicans in lb's city are sigh ingam ng themselves, and there ougia to be a hole for the Dem ocrats to got into; but Washington politics are too uoremuneiative. Jasper. ANew Railroad Speculation.—lt is currenily reported, aud most lifct'y with some reason, that a number of speculators have joined purses lor the purpose of buy ing » controlling interest in the stock of the South Carolina Railroad Company. They know enough of the condition of the road, at this time, to feel sure that the stock will s ion rise in price, bo* they are not willing to bay upon a stiffening market It is, therefore, a part of their plan to create a panic among tbe stock holders, by rnmers of legislative inter ference, wi'h tbe read, by abusive news paper articles, and by statements that the whole business of the road will be diverted, by anew combination, to Kamchatka or he Mountains of the Moon. The stock holders, then, rnu“t expect to hear of rail road wars and rumors of wars, the sole ob ject befog to depress in the market a highly valuable security. Knowing all the circumstances of tho case, we feel that wo may properly advise the i took holders not Xj b-; frightened into parting with their property. Tbe road is now strong in every respect—stronger than it has been for many years, and if tho stockhdic s make up their minds not to be alarmed until they Lave read the an nual report to be submitted to them iu a few days, they will save themselves iro u useless uneasiness as well as pecuniary loss. [ Charleston News. !i‘ ‘Repudiation.”—The Radicals, re marks tbe Hartford Times, talks a great deal about “repudiation,” and they don’t like the resolution of the working monos New Hampshire, asking for a uniform cur rency, for government and people alike* The Radicals call this repudiation. But the working men have reason to ccmplai* of the administration, lor stopping the re turn tc gold payments, when Boutwell re fused to sell gold at the market price They have a right to ask another question" evm under the present regal government’ ‘ If it is repudiation to redeem a bond with greenbacks, is tt not repudiation on the part of the government to refuse to nav us $600,G00, 000 of greenback notes gold ? What the Demoorata aud the working ueoi want is a uniform currency of BokUod silver- The governments £ puiUahng its notes every day,
