The Portland daily press., 1868-09-11


bers-ProtestS-W What the Negroes Said
The Case of Bradley
The Atlanta papers give very meagre ac-
counts of the expulsion of the twenty-five
coiored members of the Georgia legislature.
1t appears from the following three-ne para
graph in the New Era of the 4th instant that
two formal protests were presented-one oy
the expelled members, and the other oS
whtes-but neither of these protests Is YET
published:
Mr.. Potter sent up protest signed by the
colored members. and attached thereto pro-
test bv a number Of achtte members
One of the elected members, Romulus
Moore made the following speech:
H. said he ella med his seat because the State
of Georgia seeded in 1861 because the am
nesty proclamation was refused; because
General Lee surrendered to G. neral Grant;
because reconstruction was offered to the
South and refused; because he was appointed
registrar, an officer OF the United States;
because he was elected to the late convention:
and because he was elected 10 the seat which
he now occupies by the qualified voters OF his
county. He was sorry to know that members
OF his own party were opposed to colofed
members holding seats here. lie took the
Bible for his guide, well in politics as in re-
ligion. He knew what constitutions were;
could read and write; did not believe
there was a colored member on this floor
who could not read and write. He knew, in
the late convention, white members who had
to get some one to sign their names tor them.
lie did not doubt there were some In this
house In .he same condition. He said God
had intended negroes should hold office, and
he believed He would carry the work on
Ii turned out he would go home and tell his
constituents they were denied representation
haPp Ha would advise them to he DatleDt |
and obndient, and await the decision OF that
high power which had originated the recon-
struction measures. By adopting the Con-
stitutlonal Amendment we had put
on the top rail, and stake-and-ridered it. He |
believed, when the decision was made, these |
negroes would be brought back here with |
honor. If God is pleased with the Consttu-
tloial Amendment you can't change it-you |
can't change ii unless you can overcome the |
armies OF the United States.
The Augusta (Ga) Republican has the |
following:
Our dispatches state that the colOred men,
beri OF the House were ousted yesterday. |
This will take no one by surprise. We were |
prepared Tor it, Indeed since the keynote |
OF revolution was sounded by Frank Blair, |
and re-echOed by Cobb, Toombs and Hill. we |
have been prepared Tor any act OF treason to |
the state or revolution against the govern |
ment. 1t will not suffice tor gentlemen to |
say that negroes ought not TO he permitted |
to hold office. The negro is conessedly a |
citizen, and the constitution oil Georgia |
makes him eligible to hold office. Therefore |
we deliberately assert that every member OF |
the House-not a natural noodle-that voted |
to deprive members OF seats to which they |
mad been legally elected, because they had |
BLACK skins. was recreant to his duty as |
representative, and violated the obligations
which he assumed when he took an oath to
support the new Constitution. 1t only re-
mains tor the Legislature to consummate its
record of inamy by legisating twenty-three
Democrats, defeated before tue people into
the seats which riehtfully belong to men with |
winter principles, If they do have blacker
skins.
The same paper says:
Before the ratification of the new consti-
tuition the following men said that it gave
the black man the right to hold office, VIZ:
Ben, Hill, Judge Reese, Judge Cabiness,
Judge Lechrane, E. III. Pottle, Bob Toombs,
Cary Styles, Thomas Hardeman, Dr. Redley,
+. W. AIexadGer, P. M. b. Young, r. j.
Moses, Howell Cobb, the Lamars, Judge
Irving. together with every Democratic
newspaper and every little Democrat in the
State including Rause Wright.
PROPOSED EXPULSION OF CoLoRED sENA-
TORS.
The House having cleared out the colored
members, the Senate now proposed to follow
the example. The following dispatch is dat
ed at Savannah Monday:
A resolution was offered in the Senate to-
day declaring Senators Campbell and Wall
ace not eligible to seats, they being negroes
and not eligible under the constitutions of
the State and United States.
Mr.. Highly (Republican) read resolution
passed heretofore under General Order No
80, and insisted that it took two-thid vote
to bring this matter up.
The Chair decided that two-third vote
was necessary.
Mr.. Holcomb said it was the most extraor-
dlhary decision ever made, and appealed from
the decision of the Chair.
The appeal was sustained by a vote of "a to
8, and the resolution was made the special
order for Friday next.
THE CASE OF SENATOR BRADLEY.
On the 4tb instant Governor Bullock isslI-
ed proclamation countermanding the order
for an election Tor senator in the counties OF |
Chatham, Effingham and Bryan, and declar-
ing that A. A. Bradley (colored is succeeded
in the Senate by Rufus E. Lester. The proc
lamation rectes the resolutions adopted by |
the Senate on the 3lst of August in which
the cau.e of the alleged inelglbity of Brad
ley was declared to be his conviction OF an
offence punishable with Imprisonment in the /
penitentiary. Bradley addressed Republ- |
can meeting in Savannah on the 7th instant. |
de said the recent action OF the Georgia leg
lslature in turning out the negroes would in |
crease the ma orlty tor Grant. At first he |
thought the negro members would draw re.
voivers and assert their rights in blood, which
would have benefited the Democrats
He was glad they had done otherwise. He |
thought the coming election, whichever way
it went, would cause boodshed.
LETTER FROM THE GEORGIA REPUBLICAN
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.
The Philadelphia Press of to-day says: "The
following letter from the chairman OF the
Republican State Executive Committee of
Georgia was written previous to the expulsion
of the colored members by the Legislature,
and is addressed to the Republican Congress
ional Committee;
The Democrats have inaugurated new
revolution in this Safe. They intend to
overthrow the State government. The first |
step has been taken, or rather commenced.
We have good evidence that they intend to
expel the colored members of the House, and
then expel the colored members OF the SEN
ate, and seat Democrats ir their places. They
will then have two-thirds of the House: but
ii they should not have, white Republicans |
enough will be expelled 10 give them two
thirds. They will in the same way get con
troll OF the Senate. A bill will then be passed |
to take the State railroads from the control
OF the government and give it to the General
Assembly. The patronage of the State roads
is immense, and with il in their hands they
expect to control the Assembl,. They then
intend to impeach the Governor and remove
him; after that, God only knows what they
will do.
After appealing to Congress to prevent the
expulsion of the colored members, the letter
continues:
Our voters will have no protection at the
polls, and there is great danger of bloodshed,
but do not know that Congress can do any,
thing or us. We are not in as good condi-
tion as other Southern States, for they have
Republican legislatures, but the Democrats
control ours. They can pass laws 70 protect
voters, but we cannot. We have reliable in
formation that the Democrats are arming in
every part OF the State, and everything is be-
ing done that can be to prevent the coored
men rom armng Unless Congress does
something for us, God only knows the result
in many parts of the / tate. Our party is |
composed almost entirely of colored men. If
the whites attempt to interfere with them at |
the polls, and there is every reason To believe
that they will, boodshed will follow. Can
Congress do anything Tor us? Our General
Assembly will do nothing to preserve peace:
will G0nuracS do it |