The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1868-09-15
The Georgia Affair.

It has heretofore been announced that the Georgia
Legislature had declared the seats of the negro mem
bers vacant the ground of neligibility-that the
Constitution, framed by the Radical party, did
permit negroes to hold Office. This is in accor-
dance with the opinion of Ex-Gov. Brown the lead
ing Radical of the State, and who is Chief JUS
ce of the Supreme Court of Georgia. to which posi-
ton he was elected by the Radical party.
The following explanation from the Columbus En-
quirer will give idea of how the matter stands:
s'Thc question is, simply, whether the Constitution
adopted at Atlanta last Spring gives them the right
to hold Office If it coners upon them this right no
Democrat will seek to deprive them of it while that
Constitution is the prevailing fundamental law of the
State. If it does not confer them the right to
hold Office, both the Democratic and Radical members
of the Legislature bound by their oaths to sup
port the Constitution vote for the expulsion of the
negro members. The question ought not TO be, and
probably will not be, made Of party. 1t is purely
a question of law.
Nothing is easier than the task Of showing that
the Atlanta Constitution does not confer negroes
the right to hold office. Not only is this apparent
from the lack Of any section giving them this right
but it is brought prominently to view by the proceed
ings of the Convention which show that such Sec
ton was offered and defeated. The draft of the
Constitution. as originally reported from the Com
mtee, contained this section in the Article on Flee
ti0ns:
s'Sec. TO- All qualified electors, and none others,
snail eIlglUlc any once IN
qualified by the Constitution of mis- State by the
Constitution of the United Saes.'
This article as reported, dearly conferred upon
negroes the right to hold office, and had it been
adopted, there would have been question raised
about it. But it not adopted. motion was
made to strike it out, which carried by vote of
1875 yeas to II naysthe yeas including nearly every
white Radical in the Convention. The man who
made the motion to strike out the section was John
Harris, of Newton, at present Radical candidate
for Congress in his District. Ashburn and Maull,
the two white delegates from Muscogee, voted to
strike it out. Even Adkins the rantng Radical
who has made such hypocritica and furious speech
against expeng the negro members, voted to strike
out the section in the Constitution that alone gave
them the light to be members
1t will thus lie that the white Radicals of the
Atlanta Convention failed and refused to confer
negroes the right to hold office. Why? Because
they wanted to 90 before the white people of Upper
Georgia (whose votes they expected to catch by the
'Recf humbug) with the declaration that the cry
Of 'negro supremacy all Democratic trick,
and that they (the Radicals) had guarded against it
by refusing to confer on negroes the right to hold
office. Accordingly we find that Ex-Gov. Brown pro-
claimed this fact in the first speech of his in the North
Georgia campaign made at Marietta. They
cecded in dipping number of the upper Georgia
counties into the election of Radical members of the
Legislature, and now these Radical members find
that they have to stand up to the Constitution it
is, and to the understanding upon which they were
elected. ''That's what's the matter"