Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1870-04-06

: Legislature of the State of Georgia.
e These very men, to whom the Repub
2 lican party extended all the rights anC
privileges of citizenship, whom they
| were empowered, if deemed expedi
2 ent, TO cut off forever from such bene-
= ticent grants, were the men to deny
| political equality to a large majority
> of their fellow citizens. In the month
= OfSeptember, 1865, ,twenty-eight mem.
} bers of the Legislature were expelled
! from that body, and upon the as.
= sumption of the strange and startling
r hypothesis just mentioned they con-
, tinued TO legislate in open violation OF
the constitution. That constitution
required by its provisions the estab-
lishment of a system of free schools.
Such provisions were wholly abOrtive,
indeed a dead letter, for none were
established. The courts of law, at
least so far as cOlored men were re-
} garded, were q shameless mOckery of
Justice. And here an illustration,
perhaps, will the better give point to
my last remark. A case in which was
involved the question whether or not
n colored man was eligible to one of
the county offices was taken before the
superior court, and the judge upon the
bench rendered as his judicial opinion
that a man of color was not entitled
to hold office. / am told, sir, that the
cOlOred man in question is a graduate
of Oberlin, Ohio, and served with
honor as commissioned officer in the
Union Army during the late war
Is any comment needed in this body
upon such a condition of affairs in the
| State of Georgia. Sir, / trust not.
Then, again, these facts were pre-
sented for the calm consideration of
/ Congress in the following December,
and the result of their deliberatiOn
may be seen in the report of the COM
mittee on the Judiciary toward the
close of January of last year. Con-
gress took no action to remedy this
state of affairs and aid the people of
| Georgia in obtaining the rights clear
/ ly guaranteed to them by the provis-
| ions of their State Constitution.
In December last, at the earnest
recommendation of the President, the
act of the 22d of that month was
adopted. 1t provided for the reas-
sembling of the parties declared to
have been elected by the General COM
manding that district, the restoration
of the expelled persons of the Legis-
lature, and the rejoicing of disquali-
fled persons by that body. The pres
ent Legislature of Georgia has adOp-
ted the fourteenth and fifteenth
amendments to the Constitution of the
United States and the fundamental
conditions required by the act of June
-, 1868. The reconstructed State of
Georgia now offers herself, through
the cOnstitutionally elected Senators,
as meet and fit for the recognition and
admission by this Congress.
have thus rapidly gone over the
history of events which have trans
Dired i'm the State of Georgia, till l
have come to the legislation of the
present time. The committee on Re
construction in the other House pre-
pared and presented a bill providing
for the admission of the State on SINH
lar grounds to those on which my
own State and Virginia were allowed
to take their places in the Union
An amendment, however, was pro-
posed in the House and adopted, the
aim and purport of which Is to legal
ize the organization of 1868, and de-
clared that the terms of the members
of the Legislature, who have so re-
Gently qualified for fair and just rec
Ognition by Congress, shall expire be-
fore they have completed their full
term of two years under the COnstitu-
tion. Again, this amendment seeks
to retain in office, whether approved
by the Legislature of the State or not,
the Judges who have declared, in op-
-,
law, that in the State of Georgia, at /
least, there exists distinction as to }
race and color, so far as civil and poll /
teal rights are concerned. If there I
be any meaning in the words of the |
Constitution of that State, no such |
class distincting as this exists; and, 4
sir, am not at a loss to determine 4
upon what grounds we are called upon
TO hedge in, by Congressional enact
ment, any public servant who may
still give utterance to such doctrines,
which are part and parcel of the eflete
civilization of our Republic. If the
Legislature of Georgia thinks it right
and proper to place in positions of
trust ard responsibility men of this
school of political thought, certainly
/ shall not offer one objection. But
let the Legislature assume the risk, as
it is its true province, and let it also
bear the consequences.
do not believe that it can be prov
ed that the State of Georgia has ever
been beyond the control of Congress,
nor that she has ever become fully ad-
mitted into the Union or entitled to
since her impOtent
efforts to promote rebellion; and that
therefore, when the act now under /
and properly amended
shall have been adopted, the govern
ment of that State and the Legisla-
lure of that State will enter upon the
.erms of office, will assume the pow
ars for good and right and Justice !
which are prescribed in the constitu-
ion of that State, and that under the |
the Senate Will not de-
~ to the loyal men of Georgia the /
'ecognitiOn of their recent victory.
And now, sir, protest in the name |
If truth and human rights, against
my and every attempt to fetter the
lands of one hundred white and col
red citizens of the State of Georgia. ,
Sir, now leave this question to the !
of this body, and | wish
ny last words upon the great issues
involved in the bill before us to be
ny solemn and earnest demand for Il
ull and prompt protection for the
helpless loyal people of Georgia.
/ appeal to the legislative enact l
nents of this Congress, and ask if 5
low, in the hour when a reconstruct .
d State most needs support, this I
enate, which has hitherto done so
obly, will not give it such legislation E
g it needs.
Mr.. Morton. Mr.. President, con- :,
ratulate the Senate that the Senator :,
rom Mississippi Mr.. Revelsl has so Z
yell vindicated the ability and the =
Intelligence of his race, that he has =
D we'll vindicated the cause of liberty :,
nd shown 10 the country that in re- y
ewing him in exchange for Jeffer- =
On Davis the Senate has lost nothing =
1 intelligence while it has gained .
luch in patriotism and loyalty. ;,
The Star Spangled Banner. W
The first American flag, according a
the design and approval of Con- o.
ress, was made by Mrs. Elizabeth II