The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1869-12-24
COLUMBIA, S. G.
Friday Morning, December %. 1889.
The Georgia Coercion Bil,.

of tho Charleston Courier, at Washing
ton, says.
The dead calm of radical rule in the
Senate has been slightly disturbed by
the Georgia coercion bill. The over
whelcsing radical majority always acting
in concert, has heretofore suppressed any
thing like deliberation and debate, and
all measures of the party, being dictated
by caucus or q committee, were simply
offered to be adopted without question.
Bnt three or four Republican Senators
have discovered that the party leaders
were leading the party TO destruction
and disgrace. As Mr.. Conkling re-
marked, the Georgia bill would, by CO.
ercing Georgia, impose negro suffrage
on Ohio aud New York, whose people are
hostile to it, and thus supply their Dem
ocratic opponents with o large quantity
Of fixed ammunition. It was foreseen
by some of the Senators that The adop-
don OF the fifteenth amendment under
duress would, at some day, be called in
question. The radicals were preparing
. pitfall for themselves.
It was admitted that the adoption of
the fifteenth amendment, by Georgia,
was absolutely necessary for its final rati-
hcation as q part of the Constitution, and
that Georgia of her own accord would
never assent to it. Coercion was there
fore essential for the triumph of radi-
calism at the next elections.
The radicals expect by the negro vote,
under the fifteenth amendment, to carry
New York, Maryland, and other States
now Democratic. Should Presidential
election turn upon the negro vote thus
improperly secured, the anti-Radicals
will contest it. This contingency is not
unlikely to occur. Some of the Republi-
can Senators, therefore, opposed the pro-
position to require of Georgia, as a con-
dition Of her admission, the adoption of
the fifteenth amendmcnt. This division
for the first time in the radical ranks
gave animation to the question. 1t be-
came evident that conservatism had crept
into the ranks.
Senator Thurman, of Ohio, distin-
guished himself in this discussion, as
the Democratic leader He takes the
place formerly held by Mr.. Hendricks,
of Indiana, as the Democratic leader in
the Senate.
The end of the matter was that the
radicals carried their point and passed
the bill, with the provision that before
the Senttors and Representatives of
Georgia be admitted. its Legislature
shall adopt the fifteenth amendment.
The House will seize upon the bill OH
Monday, and rush it through under the
previous question.
The same writer adds:
GA sensational rumor crculates among
the supporters of the Georgia coercion
bill, to the effect that q serious outbreak
Is threatened in that State against the
Federal authorities, and in opposition to
the Presidents plan for reconstructing it.
The radical Senators place confidence in
the rumor, and are consulting upon the
additional measures which may be me-
cessary to meet the exigency. AS soon
as an overt act shall be committed, it is
proposed that the State be put under
martial law; and, further, that several of
the most prominent leaders in the move
ment be arrested aud tried for treason.
The Georgia coercion bill. which has
passed the Senate, will be hurried
through the House tomorrow. and will
be signed without delay by the President.
This bill provides for the employment of
the army and navy to enforce the cxecu-
ton OF the Act, upon The call of the
Governor. 1t is intended that Governor
Bullock shall proceed at once to call the
Legislature, in conformity with the force
Dii', uuu " carry IL lHtO execution.
"Ihe opponents Of the coercion bill
i'll the Senate showed that there was
really very little ground for it. AS to the
expulsion of negro members of the lie
gislatnre. it appears that there were but
tour or five of such members, and that
their votes would not have influenced the
majority of the body; and. further, that
Governor Brown had assured the people
OF the State that the reconstruction mea.
sures only required that the negroes
should be allowed to vote, and not TINT
they should be eligible to Office AS to
ether members, it was also alleged that
they were all, or nearly all, duly qualified,
and were entitled to their seats. Besides
all this, it was declared that the Legis-
lature, as constituted, intended to accept
the fifteenth amendment, if it was left
to their discretion.
Congress would like to keep Georgia
out of the Union, and under military
government, as memorial of The war.
They will do this if they can spare the
vote OF Georgia for the fifteenth amend
ment. This again depends upon the ac-
ton of the Ohio Legislature this winter.
Senator Sherman says that if the mem