The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-06-25
THE GEoRqIA BUSINESS

THE GEORGIA BUSINESS
IT was on the 18th of May, month after
! the latest action of the Senate in the matter,
that the Reconstruction Committee of the
House instructed General Butler to report a
certain bill for the restoration of Georgia to
representation in Congress. Butler was him
self the author of the bill, but it did not meet
his views altogether, and so he quietly poe
keted it and awaited developments. Subse-
quently the committee voted to attach the
Bingham proviso to the bill but in this shape
it was even more Objectionable 10 the chair
man, and another delay was the result. Then,
on the 10th of June, Butler succeeded in get
ting authority from the committee to report
the bill without this proviso. and substan-
TALLY the same as in the case of Virginia,
Mississippi, and Texas, with an amendment
repeating the law prohibiting the raising of
militia forces in certain Southern States. 1t
was not, however, until the 23d that General
Butler condescended to report the bill in this
shape, and yesterday afternoon the House
came to vote and the question was put at
rest
The Senate substitute for the original
House bill provided practically for remandng
the State to military rule, until an election
could be held on the 18th of November next
The measure which received the assent of the
House yesterday simply declares that 'the
State of Georgia is entitled to representation
in Congress" but with the proviso that
nothing in the act shall be construed to
deprive the people of the State of the right
to participate in an election for members of
fIa of firha fva1 hD fha
present constitution Tackled on to this is a
provision repeating the acts which prohibit
the organization of the militia in the States
of Georgia, Mississippi, Texas, and Virginia.
In this shape-which was combination of
substitute for the bill as reported by the
Reconstruction Committee offered by
Mr.. Dawes, and certain amendments
thereto proposed by Messrs Farnsworth and
Dickey-the bill commanded the assent of
the House, and the approval even of Butler
himself. The latter gentleman at last yielded
to the general sentiment of the House, for
the sake of Cancellation, as he claimed; and
as the State constitution provides for an cleo
tion next fall, the Bingham proviso has prac-
tically prevailed and Butler sustained an out
and-out defeat. The measure thus agreed
than technical points of disagreement with
that sent to the House by the Senate in April
last and the concurrence of the latter is
almost a matter of certainty. The only cause
for regret is the trihing manner in which
General Butler has acted throughout the
whole business, which could and should have
been settled as it was yesterday full two
months ago.
And now, supposing that the Senate acts
promptly and favorably upon the bill, the
question arises as to the manner in which
Georgia will be restored to representation in
Congress. Two sets of Senators are ready to
claim seats in the upper house-Hon.
Joshua Hill and Hon. Homer V. Miller,
elected by the Legislature after the negro
members had been cast out; and r. H.
Whitley (for the term ending March 4, 1870,
Foster Blodget (for the term commencing at
that date, and H. P. Farron for the term end
ing March 4, 1879. elected in February last,
after the State government had been second
time reconstructed. During the Fortieth
Congress, although the Senate refused to
admit Messrs. Hill and Miller to seats, the
House did admit those who claimed to be
elected, and they retained their seats until
| the end of the term. Claiming to have been
elected also for the full term succeeding, they
applied for admission to the Forty-irst Con-
gress and were refused. 1t is probable that
| they will again present their claims to seats
on this basis, but the chances are that the
| House will hold them to have been elected for
the short term only, and that Georgia will be
without a voice in the lower house of Con-
gress until another election can be held.