The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-09-08
The Georgia Legislature ard the Ne
grOeS.

groeS.
It would be amusing, hit were not so
discreditable to American journalism, TO
read the comments Of the leading daily pa
,es Of New York upon the action OF the
Georgia Legislature in excluding negroes
from that body. The Sun, edited by {. 4.
DANA. ESQ.,, is the only one of these So
called great metropolitan journals = Whlch
has any intelligent idea Of the affair. ne
Tor,d has 90 article intended to sho" 'ha'
the Radicals voted with the Democrats IL
favor Of the exclusion Of the negroes ou'
!, seems rather to concede that the action
was uniustihab!e than to claim that II was
a righ,ful and constitutional proceeding.
The Tribune uses the fact OF exclusion Ito
noiot q moral" 1t infers that the negroes
NIL, never more think Of voting with their
old masters, and that consequently GRANT
will carry all the reconstructed States,
The Herald and tho Times both arv
entity Of the inexcusable blunder OF QUO
ting part of constitutional amendment
which allows negroes TO be deprived OF she
right of suffrage to prove that they eanro'
be deprived OF the right OF holding oSAct .
But not one of all these mighty loar"a'f
can suggest any remedy FOR IBIS wrong
The Herald, indeed, says that Congress WI
hold an extra session in September tcr Ess
purpose of legislatiug upon the sueleeE ;
but neither the Herald nor any or the
others have any idea as 70 how Congress
will right this wrong The Times in
dulces in the following, which is so puerile
that that journal ought to be ashamed OF
itself, and doubtless would be if it knew
how contemplate such language makes it
appear in the eyes of intelligent men:
&c If Georgia has not legally ratified the
constitutional amendment, Georgia is not
legally entitled to representation IN Con-
grcss, and will not be entitled to participa-
ton in the Presidential election. On this
supposition the session Of the Legislature
amounts TO nothing, and the State may be
required to resume its place under military
government. These are matters, however,
which Congress will probably decide"
The Herald lodges the legal questions.
1t says truly that " Georgia holds now the
"sta1us of New York as q State in the
"Union "a declaration which implies that
Congress cannot prescribe the qualifications
Of officers in eth err State-but it forthwith
Jumps to an opposite conclusion, declaring
that it knows the Radicals Of Congress will
decide that those negro members were
wrongfully expelled, and quoting from the
HOWARD amendment to prove that Congress
may ''enforce by appropriate legislation
the provisions of that amendment. The
Sun, Us we have intimated, treats the sub
ject more sensibly. 1t sees that there 1t
no remedy for this so-called wrong" We
quote some of its remarks, being the only
ones not beneath criticism, which have been
made upon the subject by any New York
journal:
" In taking this remarkable step the
Georgia Legislature has not exercised ali,
unusual or unprecedented power. From
time immemorial every deliberative body
LAS N4N'AASo thS IN VI SA pliAibS on
OF its members it chose to, without being
called in question for its act. Usually, in
deed, some charges affecting the moral cha
racter of the persons expelled are formally
preferred, investigated, and proved, as an
appropriate preliminary. The Constitutions
OF most Of our States, that Of Georgia in
Guided, clearly contemplate no such ground
OF expulsion as mere matter Of difference
O.: race or complexion. Still, if in other
respects all the constitutional requirements
are compiled with, the Legislature of New
York, tor instance, might expel all the
black. haired or ali the red-haired men who
had seats i'll il, and there would be no pre-
venting it. All the expelled could do would
be to 20, az these negro representatives III
Georgia will have to 90, back TO their coli
siltuents Tor reelection.
- Unless the negroes can rally to their
side enough voters to give them the control
OF majority Of the legislative districts,
their representatives. may be expelled AZ
often AS they are elected, and thus the Oh
order OF things, when the white men had II
monopoly of political power, be practically
restored"
That is pretty fair for Radical journal
which stated few days ago as facts the in
cxcusable lies that LEE lost fifty thousand
men by wounds during his last years CAM
paign against GRANT, and that LEES army
contained as many men as GRANTS, barring
difference not worth mentioning. But gu
much by the way. The Sun does not know
any better than the rest Of he metropolitan
journals that the HOWARD amendment not
only permits, but actually suggests, the ex-
clusion of the negro from the ballot-box.
We repeat once more, what we have al
ready said several times, that Congress not
only has no power or right to interfere in
this matter, but that it will not dare to de-
clare that these negroes must be allowed to
return to their seats. We again challenge
it to make such declaration.