The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-05-01
BATE oF sURscRIPTIoNs.
RATRs or ADVERpIsING.
AFFAIRs n THE soUrH.
Cen POpe's Letter TO the Governor
Georgia. f|In ts5gs

/ -
ceived by telegraph, a synopsis OF the
correspondence between General Pope
and Governor Jenkins, relative to the
latter's recent address to the people OF
Georgia. General Pope inquired otthe
G0Yefppe. whether, when he issued that
address, hehad knowledge of his order
assuming command. of the District.
The Governor replied that he had not;
that he supposed he was exercising an
allowable freedom in the,public e1-
preston of opinion relative to public
matters, and that in the future he shall
do and saywhat he believes to be re-
quired of him by the dutv to which his
oath Of Office binds him, which he trusts
Will not involve either conflict or con-
troverSy between them in the execution
OF their respective trusts. To this Cen
eral Pope replied as follows: 'i'a7
HRADQ'Rs THIRD MILITARY DIsrR1Ur,1
(GEoRGIA, ALABAMA AND FLoRInAl u
ATLANTA Ca, A pfil u 1857.
GovERNoR: I have the honor to nc
knowledge the receipt of your letter of
the 20th inst, in answer to mine Of the
lth. II gives me pleasure to say that
your explanation is satisfactorv, 80 FIR
concur with you in the hope that our
relations in the future may be harmon
ious and agreeable, q h5Si77 =
would content myself with this
answer to your letter, but for the fol-
lowing remark which it contains, You
say: II supposed Twas using such free
dom IN the publicexpression OF opinion
relative TO public matters as seems still
to be accorded to the citizens of this Re
public, not imagining thatit was abridg-
ed by. the accident of the speaker or
writer holding Office p T,t,..l 5.5I
- This. expression, seems to indicate
that you think that in some manner.
either personally or officially, you have
been Yronged by that paragraph OF nv
order which has occasioned this cores
.pondence, and that, l am seeking, to
abridge the liberty of speech, in this
Stateiin an unnecessary and oppres-
sive manner.
I trust that may be able to disabuse
your mind of this idea! 1t is scarcely
necessary to tell yon that the tlate nets
OF Congress, which I am sent here to ex-
ecute, recognize the existing State Gov
erument Of Georgia as merely provi-
siOEal, and that the object of recogni-.
Zing 1t at all was only that the ordinary
course OF fbusinessf in the civil tribunals,
and the administration OF the laws OF
the State by the customary. agencies
might not be interrupted further than
was necessary for the strict execution
'ofzthe laws of the United States, 1t is
not doubted that Congress might have
legislated the present State Government
of Georgia out of existence as easily as
they have recognized it us provisional,
and It is as little to be doubted that
Congress would have done so. could il
have been foFeseen that the entire ma
chtnery of the provisional State Gov
ernment would be used to defeat the
execution of the very law by whose
sntterance alone 1t has any existence at
all. TITS very clear that Congress did
not intend to recognize or permit to ex-
ist, by these reconstruction acts, pow
erful organization 70 be used against
their e1ecutioni nor can such use be
made of the State Government Of Geor-
Ria without greatly obstruCting, If not.
indeed, entirely frustrating the perform.
anee OF the duty required of me by
these acts! e ruFal-tiI'ff ls57 5f9-8T ~
The existing State Government was
permitted to stand for the convenience
Of the people of Georgia, in the. ordina-
~ administration Of the local civil
laws, and to- that end 1t should be care
fully confined. 1twas in this view that
paragraph 3 of my order assuming
command was considered, and it is not
easy to see how it can be regarded as
Impressive or unjust. niH 70 70, |.1il7L5
Holding your Office by permission of
the United States Government, you are
debGTTed, as Z am, from expressing opi,,-
ions, or using Influences TO prevent the
execution OF the laws of the United
States, or to excite ill feeling and op-
position to the General aGoVernment,
which is executing these acts OF Con-
gress.
. With your personal opinions, or those
of any citizen of Georgia, or their ex-
preston within the limits of the law, I
have nothing to do; but the distinction
between personal opinion, openly ex-
pressed in an official capacity, and an
official opinion, is too nice for the COM.
mOBund nderstanding. FhH fJ
= /, The influence Of your opinions, open
ly ayowed, must OF necessity be very
great with the civil officers OF the State,
in allits departments, when the tenure
of office is largely dependent upon your
pleasure. Your opinions as a private
citizen, without official station, and the
same opinions while Governor of Geor-'
gfa, have very different Significance, :,
and prodnce a very different effect. 4
1 only require that the civil machine
ry of the State of Georgia be not per
yerted so-as TO frustrate the execution
=, Sor su thst Im IosSn ~ States' ana
ofticars tbsI S1b;is, ,ha,, .n. Iroan tne civil
fices tbev co"s sns t5.,S .t,s,, tneLI Of
the per- JOrmGnce Of their Official duties,
uant tLa ns $500 ~ az! lence S.ute 70 pre-
,ei,t,n y, ,l5 ~ Va, .ene Staee tloLn SUI
the Upiteda ed ST States ytu oue tne Jaws Oh y
ola Which S occssIo0sd tbts PeOpIe o. Seo5-
snes von dan I'm nces ff,a ant oyFeIp sssaSs
~ ebfc6 am sent HOO ~ - srso,,t5S
ssnaInabiy - nSconstitnt;oe ri '5 az
sI9rIav avonSly .onnrnsSivS y 5na 5atNa anu
the neSrTe ~ tsysr reSx ,aSHise
SIon az tbe I1TsT1a C.oTtt ~ T1Sfsa,,
Sfs1es II taf[a ~ ~ ;I,5s. ~ tiieSa
Iot,'S GUhiio NJ ss ~ aSs, tnose
Avs; ave-: Nv hLls YOU counsel tnetn not 70
tSYSss NY saS yo9 az tne same