New-York tribune., 1869-04-01
: :. THE TRUTH ABOUT GEORGIA"

Under this head, The N. Y. Times indulges
in TRADE against Gov Bullock and his friends,
which we pass over, choosing to deal directly
with the following passage:
"Tun TRBusE while blaming the Democrats substan
tally admits that the nonrafcaon OF the Amendment
Sscanse the Very men who now cite failure evidence
OF local hostility the policy OF Congress- had resolved
that it should not succeed
The TRIBUNE, to show how erroneous and
unjust are the above assertions, is lmpelled
once more to call attention to the controlling
antecedents of the recent action at Atlanta;
1. Congress passed an act or acts providing
for and prescribing terms of Reconstruction Tor
the States lately in rebellion
Q. Georgia held Convention and framed
Constitution accordingly; and the present is her
first Legislature under that Constitution.
3. That Legislature, as elected, contained
small Republican majority, whereof portion
was wholly or in part of African lineage, and
a strong Democratic minority. composed IN part
of men who, by the terms of the Reconstruc.
ton acts were disqualified by prominent partici-
patton in the Rebellion. =,
a. The Republicans waived or overruled all
objection to these disqualified Rebels, allow
ing them to sit and vote as though they
were legally qualified. BY their votes, reen-
forced by few Republicans, Messrs Hill (Re-
publican) and Miller DemocraD were chosen
II. s. Senators over Messrs. Brown and Blod-
gett. the regular Republican nominees.
6. The Democratic minority, elated by the
nomination and confidently expecting the cleo
ton of Seymour and Blair, now proposed the
expulsion of all the ColOred members, and'
aided by the treachery of some White Repub-
Hcans, carried it, thus making the Legislature
Democratic in either House.
6. The earnest Republicans mot The Iimes's
sort) regard the Legislature as invalidated by
this expulsion, and the Reconstruction OF Geor-
gia virtually overthrowD. And they desire that
Congress should in some way counteract and
render nugatory the expulsion aforesaid and
its consequences
Z. Under these circumstances, the XVth
Amendment came before that expurgated
Legislature for ratification. On its merits,
every Republican was in favor, every Demo-
crat adverse to- il. But men of either party
comprehended that it's ratification would tend
powerfully to strengthen the disposition in Con-
gress to let Georgia alone, and treat her as
finally reconstructed. Hence, some Democrats
voted to rstify, hoping thus 10 fortify their
domestic position; while some Republicans
voted not to ratfy, and Others refused
to vote at all, for reasons identical
with those which, impelled some Demo-
Gratis s1las aforesaid) to vote Yea. And,
though The Times roundy asserts that " the
ratification Of the Amendment would have
" had no effect whatever upon the Democratic
1" members, their present position, or their
"chances in the future" I'VE submit that legis-
lators in Georgia were probably quite as COM
petent Judges on that point as any editor in
New York can be.
| In saying this. we by no means intimate that
the greater number of Republicans who voted
| for Ratification, as of Democrats who voted
against it, were less shrewd or less earnest
than their dissenting brethren 1t was case
wherein the members of each party were called
| TO make what they considered choice OF
evils and some decided one way. some an
other Time must decide who were the wiser
and more discerning.
We have thus succinctly set forth all the
material facts in the case. They seem to us
to refute most emphatically the assumptions of
| The Times. The responsible authors, in our
view, of the present interregnum in Georgia
are those Democrats who. nearly year since,
expelled the colored members from their seats
in the Legislature. That was the root of Bit
terness whence springs all that is now anoma-
lous and tantalizng in the condition of that
State. Let that great wrong be redressed or
receded from. and the XVIII Amendment will
forthwith be ratified, whether any Democrats
shall see fit to vote for it or not, and the State
will be fully restored to representation in Con-
gress and to her proper place in the Union.