The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1865-08-09
GOV. JOHNSON OF GEORGIA.

A proclamation has been issued by Gov.
Johnson, calling upon the people of Georgia to
elect delegates to a convention to be held next
October. He also delivered an address in the
City Hall, at Macon, on the evening Of July
18th. In his address are some, features wor-
thy Of notice. The Governor makes several
strong points, and talks in strong language
that cannot well be perverted from its trne
meaning, nor easily misunderstood. He is
bold in his declarations to the people, and gives
them to understand distinctly that some ques-
tons have been settled by the war SO thorough
ly that they cannot be ripped up. Among
these settled questions, Slavery holds con-
spicuous place in the estimation of the Cover
NOR. It ia decresd that Slavery Is no more
Tie Institution has been utterly extinguished
By the operations of the wal. This fact
sands out 80 prominent that the Governor
doel not propose to argue the question. He
says sE2E tk1ASB
simply stale achat is universally acEnoacl-
edJe1 81 auUfi5efs on n1i0R III t1p, that BEL
IJerenSs haze the right to make captatres of
persons and property, and that they may
mace aClsd5 disposition they please of The prop
~
disposition of the conquerors, and may be dis
posei of as they think proper. au
He earnestly counsels submission to these
legitimate results of the war. In his, opinion,
Congress has the power-confered upon it by
the United States Constitution--tc give the
Pre,iIent the regulation Of captures by sea
and land, and the President, in the exercise
ofhis power, Issued his proclamation disposing
OF these captures and declaring that all the ne
groes who were slaves in the revolted States,
should, bv virtue of that proclamation, become
enancipated. The Governor gives it as his
deliberate and well settled opinion, that such
Il the law and he believes the Supreme Court
will SO decide it. t4Aks - si&AifsP
He further contends for another point, and
with yssat elrneJtness. he says: Tie con-
stltusion which the people Of Georgia shall
adopt in convention will be required to- recog-
nize this fact;" that is, the utter extinction of
Siavsly. The constitution which the people
ofGsorgia may adopt must conform to the
general result on this question which the war
has wrou int out. And this must be decided
before the State can be admitted to the Union.
This quarrel about Slavery must be settled
now, the Governor says, and it must be so set
ted taat it shall never be revived.
Again,--the Governor says, it has been
proclaimed by some that the negroes will not
work. He asks with emphasis. 'How do you
know they will not work? saw them work
ing very well in New York and other places
where have been. They must work-they
can work-they must either work or perish.
Do not people have to work in Germany, in
Francs, in New York, in Ohio? What is the
reason they viii not work 2 ! tell you they
viii work, and must also tell you, that under
the peculiar circumstances by which they
were surrounded, no people have behaved bet
ter than they have DONE"
The Governor Is right. The colored popula-
tioa have indeed behaved well, and let them
have full credit for it. He very naturally
thinks that those who say they viii not work
have hopes of continuing their control and
dominion over them. His opinion is that
they viii work and work well, too, under con-
tracts for hire. And who can doubt it p
These people are not halfso much fools as
many would make them to be-. En- 1aa.f.s5s
While the Governor feels as if the Southern
people had been hurt and chastened, yet he
urges item to remember that there is good
future before them If they will only do their
duty under existing circumstances. Now all
their surplus capital instead of being invested
In Slave property viii be turned into other
channels, and great improvements may be
made, and win be made. 59ag qa.exanh 50
Ayain,-the Governor alludes to other mat
tiers. Emigrants from other countries and
from the North, will flock to the South, and
their towns and villages will not be suffered to
20 to decay. The arts and sciences viii flour-
ijh among them to greater degree than ever
before. But the Governor does not stop here.
He says:
We have been very sensitive as q people.-
We allowed no man to think that Slavery was
moral, social or political evil, and if any one
thought thus he was deemed unsound, and
arfai yned before vigilance committee. Even
when Lord John Russell In England, took occa-
sion to say that he hoped Slavery would be
abolished by this revolution, our people COM
menced abusi lg him as if he had tfespassed
upon our rights. We abused mankind achcn
teeJ 0sJerea math Y :, and we carried our oppo-
sition to mems thinking as they pleased to
such an extreme that men AMONG nc Vim
dared to differ with US on this subject wore
arraigne1, not by law or before LEGAL ty;bnnai
but before vigilance societies, and person Nv
abused. Civilization acas almost dripen fror,
the E171d-LGac and order acre suppressed Is,
these lascLsss men. But now we can looRS
over this land and pray as Solomon did, that
all of Adams race may be elevated to dignity
and happiness.
BE Acknowledges it to be the order of Proyi-
dence in dealing with nations as he deals with
individuals, that they shall be perfected by
sugsiags. II this be SO, we think the South
has been for the last four years on the road to
perfection. They have suffered intensely and
their suffering are not all passed yet, but we
trust they viii come out OF the furnace purified
as by fire. We have no i'll viii towards
them but would encourage them IN evarv GOOD
WORK and rejoice in their future prosperity
and happiness. 80
The Governor does not atternpt to w,nL an,
ofsiylt the great fact that the Sorth .s...
menced the war, He expressly saws that a.
South fred the first gun, and history will, 80
record the fact. In that confession he sbao,ws
thatin spite of all his former prejudices and
proclivitie5, he can see who commenced the
civilstrise which has caused the waste of SO
much hood and treasure; and what challenges
our respect and admiration even more, he has
the manhood to avow it in the face ofthe world.
Herein he manife5ts more true manhood and
magnanimity than many Northern demo-
craft. i Is 81 3.
The Governor is full of hope for the future,
and bright visions of the prosperity not only
81 the South, but also of our whole country,