Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1870-05-23
(ADvERTIsEMENT.l
ADvERTIsEMENT.
Letter From Rufus II. Bullock. Of
Georgia, 20 the Rep9bitcanS aterS
Sustain the RecooS18ucti01 Acls. =

CBgreSS icho SESfdtn the RecoHsfrsefiOa Aas =
GENTLEMEN: 1 regret thsf duty 70 my sci person.
ally, and to my Official position. requires that 4
should address myself in this manner 70 those with
whom am politically associ.ted. My reasons for 30
doing are found in the following extract from q
speech made BY the honorable Senator from Connee-
ticut' MT Ferry, On the nth Instant: "But ffo say
that bad Georgia for the last years been in the
haucs neut high Atriotisn if ii had been in the
hands Of men who looking 20 the welfare OF the
nation inssesd OF their own pecunfary
we might have bad difsrsnt state OF things there
froui vhat<.ists TO-DAY y And also IN the conclu
sion arrived at by four Republicans and one Demo
cratic member of the Judiciary Connittee Of fhe
Senate thstfn paying d. O. forney, the publisher OF
the ChrcnieIs, bills as rendered for printing pam
phets, extracts and speeches on the Georgia aues-
tion, did "use improper means 20 influence tn,
vote Of Senators upon the Georgia ausstionp
Were these the production Of Democrats, neither
my voice my pen would be raisei to notice them
cemns from Republican sources, they are worthy Of
notice. -s.---.. r#..s.. r. t- d
In noticing first the allegation Of Senator Ferry,
that had Georgia for the hast two years been In the
hands Of men Of high patriotism. II Ii had been in
hands OF men who were looking TO the welfare Of the
nation instead Of their own peeaniary advancement,
We might have had difereat state OF things there
from vbat exists to-day" would say that from my
stand point 1 can fully concur with the Senator Ia
this statement from the fact that for the last two
years, at least until the 9th Of January hast,
Georgia has been In the hands of rtbel Democ ratio
legislative But the remark Is evident
b intended to apply to the Republicans OF that State
and TO myself, the head of the State government
shall refer to few historical facts for the purpose
Of estabishins the Injustice the midest form
Of expression, which is done by the Senator to the
Republicans Of our State and TO myself BY his re-
mark. 49, n
On the Attn day Of July, 1907, convention usst in
Atlanta to organize Republican party in State
IN op position that kind OF Republicanism which
claimed Andrew johnson as its chief. That conven-
ton resolved to sustain che reconstruction acts of
Congress, and to endeayor to establish government
for the State under and by virtue OF those acts
~as a small beginning, and the men who partici-
pa;ed in that organization were surrounded BY Ali
tbenaignity Of rebel hste, infamed and embittered
by the OF the convention in favor of the
tnfraneh isement Of the colored men lately their
slaves And the little band who thus bravely met
we're threatened on all Sides aid their lives were by
NO means secure. .-...
In November Of the same year an election wa, had
to decide by vote whether 9 convention under the
reconstruction acts should be called and at the same
time for the election of delegates to the cony enton
should its call be ratified. In this election the Be
publicans Of the State were successful The CON
vention called, and during the winter of 1857
q constitution Was framed, i'm which there was no
sign Of prescription, test eaths dist ranchise
ment. All men Of sound mind, who have not been
convicted Of felony and who twenty one years of
age and residents Of the State rnder it entitled
TO vote and to hold Office.
In April lS6S, the constitution submitted to a
vote of the people, and at the time, under an
ordinance of the convention election held for
the officers provided for the con stit,,ion-a
Governor and members Of the General Assembly
who, by virtue Of the ordinance, were declared to
be provisional officers, and who, if authorized by
the commander Of the district, were to enter upon
the discharge Of their duties such, and were tn
continue provisional until the State restored to
the Union, then they would enter upon their term,
of Office as prescribed in the constitution This earn,
paien resulted in the ratification OF the Constitution
aud in the election Of myself and a General Assam
bly, whose members, elected, were very evenly
divided between the r. publican party, the party
fayorDs the reconstruction acts, and the Democratic
party, the party opposing those acts.
Under and by virtue of the act Of June 25 1863 .e
General Assembly ccnvened the 9Th of July of the
" ar. Among those eected by the opposite
party there at least thirty who were especially
prohibited by the act OF June ., and by preyiou.
acts from holding Office they being disqualified nv
the 81 section of the fourteenth amendment Tbi.
fact earnestly pressed upon the attention of the
Commanding general by myself, as will be shown by
the published report Of the military commanders and
of the Judiciary Committee OF the Senate Notyth-
Standing this presentation of facts, however the
commanding general deemed il wise t. make no Oh
yecjiCn TO those members retaining their seats and
the Legislature thus gained in violation OF law
having gone through the form of adopting the con-
dions then required in the reconstruction acts the
State, by military order, was Yefnanded to the civil
government thus established.
In September Of the same year this Legislative or
ganizafion excluded from their seats some twenty
eight OF its members who were OF Africa an descent
At this point the contest originating from the
enfranchi.einent of the colored men was renewed
with all its bitterness. While the question OF this
expulsion was being considered by the Leg stature,
/, in an official communication, impressed upon
1
using, the great wrong which vas about 1, be per-
betrated, and, Of course, thereby stimulated re-
new al of oar political anmosiies. Earnest appeals
were made to me BY frightened and discouraged Re-
pubcans to acquiesce in this outrage, and offers of
hiah political preferment and advancement were
indirectly rendered 10 me by the opposite party to
effect the same object, accompanied by threats of
the vengeance that would be vsi ell upon me If did
not accept their terms.
Upon this state OF facts 1 submit to th- honorable
Senator from Connecticut, and to the Repu Of
Congress who have sustained th- reconstruction
policy, to whether 'high patriotism" and the
welfare Of the nation" or my 'own pecuniary ai-
yaneement," the moving cau.es in this Political
situation. rr-r..
Notwithstanding my protests and appeals, how.
ever, the Legislature persisted In maintaining the
expulsion Of the colored members And Information
fact that the reconstruction acts hal been
garded In the organization of the Legislature by al
lowing thirty more disqualified members to b
seated, and the evil results which had followed this
failure to execute the law in the ex puison Of the
cOlored members from the Organization, was trans.
United by myself In . formal manner to Senator
Morgan and Representative Schenck, in whose
hands left the question of session Of Congress
between its adjournment in July and it, regular as
semblng In December, with the request that should
. session in the meantime be had the matter should
be laid before Congress. As Is we'll known, no ses-
sion took place, but ON the assembling Of Congress
in December formally presented the facts heret,-
fore rcferredto. And from that hour until, upon the
Recommendation Of our firm and patriotic President
ths act q December q was passed by which this de-
6ance Of reconstruction laws was rebuked aud the
outrases perpetrated under cover OF il redressed.
i have been instant in and out Of season in
using every proper means within my power and con.
Ol 20 bring facts bearing upon the matter to the at
tehtion Of Congress .l-.8 -ta " go
During this terrible struggle Of nearly two years.
when delegations Of men from Who had been
true 10 the Union men native and the manor born
have presented themselves and their grievances
here at the feet Of Congress, surrounded - thcy
we're at home by threats Of vengeance and OF vio-
hence, their assassination publicly recommended in
the newspapers, the hope published that they might