Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1869-12-23
IUBLlsHED WEEKLY BY
TROUT e. GRABILL.
WOODSTOCK, VIRGINIA.
Thursday Morning, December ss,lsee.

We will probably hear nothing further
from the Virginia question until after the
Holidays. From The general expressed
disposition of Congress and the Committee.
ave can scarcely hope for admission, ex
eept under other conditions which have
been proposed 1t is hardly thought that
it viii be speedy, if at all If at all, un-
der most bumiliating conditions and 10Th
or pledges" which the Virginia Lcgisla-
lure, or its representative committee,
lny sgree to ; and pledge upon the part OF
the State. We judge only b. the past
experience is the light for The future. The
Future will Judge Of the Past So mote
it be.
And what of Georgia-poor. recon
strucied -un-reconstructed Georgia. We
copy the following from. the Baltimore San.
Can Virgins CLEAN any hope? We pray
God the test may now come before we
are further Inundated. Before the peo-
pie of the good old State are further be-
trayed : before we are placed beyond the
record, to act as Georgia has done. God
bless her patriotic Legislature; they are
above bribes and their honors are more
valuable than office:
TIE GEORGIA BLL-The bill which
passed the United States Senate on Sat
uraay, at near Il o'clock in the morning,
to ..promo te,' as Its title is made to say,
s'the reconstruction Of Georgia" it is
known was suggested by the fact that the
Legislature Of that State, excluded from
seats in the body, several colored men
who had been elected On the ground that
the new constitution of the State, made in
accordance with the then reconstruction
acts Of Congress, while it permits negroes
to vote, nowhere says or intimates that the
privilege of holding office should follow
from tie possession of the ballot. Acting,
TOO. on the usual provision of the constl-
tuition .that the two houses we're the
Judges of the qualifications of their menu
bers," they adjudged, by republican as
well as democratic votes, that these color
ed men were ineligible both under the
constitution and the reconstruction acts
Doubtless the republican Congress intend;
ed the one privilege" to follow, as mat
ter of course. upon the otner but If the
party Legislators framed their laws SO i'm
perfectly as not to specifically and clearly
provide that all who had votes should be
eligible to Office, it was their own fault
Whether it was wise for the Georgia Leg
islature to avail of this lapsas to get rid
of the colored men is another matter
Certain it is, she is destined to fare worse
by it, in yiew of tie provisions Of the bill
now posed by tie Senate, and which it
is .intlmated will be hurried through the
House. Georgia it is stated, is willing to
submit the question to the State and I'm
ted States Supreme Courts. One of her
Judges who at first gave an opinion that
the act was constitutional has since re-
yersed that judgement. But the present
bill. if it becomes lag, will relieve the
courts, we suppose, of all labor in the
matter. 1t provides for tho reassembling
of the Old Legislature, including the col
ored members, the election of the white
members who cannot take the iron-clad
cath, and the admission Of the State to
representation in Congress only after the
Legislature shall have ratified the fifteenth
amendment to the constitution. The lat
ter requirement was put 10 by an amend
,inent of Mr.. Morton. who also proposed
to require the Legislature to readopt the
fourteenth amendment, but as it was urg
ed that this would imply that States could
reconsider their affirmative action on
amendments, it was Withdrawn. With
reference to the iron clad oath clause, it is
to the effect that all persons who aided
the rebellion shall be excluded from seats
in the Legislature of Georgia, except such
as were forced into the rebel services in
consequence of direct physical force. At
what point reconstruction will stop, or in
what new place it may break out, under
the assumed powers of Congress, no one
can tell.