, 1869-01-05
THE GEORGIA QUESTION.

earnestly discussing.
THE GEORGIA QUESTION.
On the fourth OF July, 1865, th= Ia
mentcd Henry Winter Davis delivered
an Grafton in this city on the triumph ot
the national arms and tho national cause,
which deserves to be ranked with that OF
Periclee on the heroes who fell In the
Pslopouuesiau war. In this noble dis.
course the orator sail that there were
but three men Of any standing or intlu-
eucc in the Sluth who had been un-
tlirchirgly fer the Union all thraugh
the Wat, viz: John Minor Botls, # Vlr-
elnia; James L. Pettigrew, Of South
C,1oline, and Joshua HILL, OF Georgi..
At the announcement of these names
cheers burst from the vast audience-,he
Spontaneous tribute Of loyalty in the
North to loyalty in the South.
Mr.. Pettiefew died, we believe, during
the war, sscadfast in the faith. Mr..
Bolts mud Mr.. Hill remain. Mr.. Hill was
eltc'ed Senator ot the United States
from the State Of Georgia last year by q
majority Of all the votes in the Legisla-
ture, and when he presented his creden.
tihls te Was denied sest in the Sensie,
ard his claim to represent the State of
Georgia was referred to the Judiciary
Commit 'ee. three members of which, We
understand, not only object to giving
him his seat, but favor the expulsion Of
Georgia from the Union entirely. The
Ground upen which their objection is
bastd iB ths, the Legislature of Gcorgia
lsd no right to c1rel the colored men,
bers OF that body. The expulsion, which
was ccr.ain1y ligh-handcd outrage,
tosk place long time after the election
of Mr.. Hill ard his colleague, AMI was
suenuously opposed and earnestly depre-
caied by Mr.. Hill.
Congress reassembles to-day, and one
Of the first things to be consideted will
be the Georgia question. I. is certainly
q vtrg important question. II Congress
can plsy at battledore and shuttleccck
With elestn States. receiving them into
The Union tc.day and expelling them to-
morrow, it m1y ultimately play the same
game with thirty-seyen Safes and the
place Which Illinois holds as member
Of tie Uuion will be at the mercy and
caprice If an accidental majority In Con.
g1tss at any time. We have never heard
ofa more dangerous political project, or
enc enbcoying less wisdom, Mr.. Ell
nun js, who fathers the measure OF e1-
pulsion in the Senate, entered that
bcdy short time ago With
very high reputation for common
sense, q reputation which he maintained
respec ably until Mr.. Sumner read him
a lecture. through the columns Of Bos-
ton newspaper. This, or something else
otequal gravity, seems to have upset
him, for he has since been the cham pion
oftte most cxtravagant and untena5le
political schemes that could be devised,
which if once put IN practice, would ship
wlcck The Republican party in every
State in the Union except possibly,
Vermont and Massachusetts,. There are
no better legal or constitutional grounds
for expcll!pg G.o1gia from the Union
than there will be tor expelling MasEa-
cnusctta if she It jects from her own Leg
islature the Boston youth {said to be less
than twenty-one years Of age) who has
received certificate Of election TO the
General Court; or If she gives him his
seat when she ought to reject him.
We say illegal aud constitutional
grounds" We condemn as severely as
anybody can the action of the Georgia
Lcgisla ure In expclling the colored mcm-
otrs. We believe that 1t was not w4r-
rRnscd by the constitution Of the S:ate.
Yet VIC remember that the act was
cousummated by the votes of persons
cs'llrg themselves Republicans, and that
they pretend to justify themselves by
saying that while Congress prescribed
sundry fundamental conditions to the
admission OF Georgia, the right Of ne
grocs to held office was not one Of them,
The point VIC make is this, that Congress
Eas Eo power TO expel S:atc from the
Unior. If q State sccedes from the
Union, or attempts to do so, the govern
1nent may bring her back by force Of
aims and prescribe tue conditions on
which she shall he1esftcr enjoy any 20.
lit.cal rights whatsoever. uaving done
this the government cannot turn arourd
and kick her out again, and prescribe new
'cIul5 to supplement real or supposed
deficiency in the first conditions. Such .
project is simply mons'rous. T. will no,
be sanctioned by the people, NJ poli'i
cal party can make itself responsible fol
Sch an act ard live. It is not mcasur;
conceived in the interest OF peace, bu, il
isyor OF rencwtd s:rilc, discord and con
ttnsion.
| We hope that Joshua Hill may b.
srectily admitted to his scst. II be hi
been carret-bagger, without bona .fd
residence In Georgia, there would proba
lily have been less opposition to him CT
the pars Of the screeching wing Of III
Senate. Being man who has q stake i,
The country and an influence among ID
thinking men ct the Sou:h-A ms,
Of proved loyalty and high priu
} ciple-his presence ought 10 be vel
coined BY unanimous greeting In bot
hcuses VI Congress. Such a man Can 4
more coed than all the new-flcdg.d 10y
; alists Of the Southern States put together
II his colleague in the Senate is d4squa!:
fed ter other reasons, that is q autstio
to be considered by ITSELF Ic: Sir. III
be adni ted, ar i let the project Of cjcclir
: Georgia, or any o.her State leg ally al
J ni1ltd 10 the Union. be put asilc as o.
, of these wild isntss'es which can be par
dcncd only as having their fuunGa ion i
: IN ilI-tirccc cd enthus asm for eQuli righ,
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