Evening star., 1870-03-02

THE RECEPTION OF MRS. GRANT, yesterday
afternoon, like the preceding Tuesday afternoon
levees, was brilliant affair, and attended by
the elite of Washington society. Mrs. Grant
was assisted in receiving her friends by Mrs.
Senator Patterson, Miss Wildman, Miss Rosa
Sands, Mrs. Senator Sprague, Mrs. DR.. Sharpe.
Mrs Senator Hamlin, Mrs. Judge Dent, Mrs.
Powell, and Mrs. Coleman and Mrs. Brown,
guests of the Presidents family, from California
Among those present were the Secretary of
War and Mrs. Belknap, the Secretary of the
treasury and Mrs. Boutwell,, the Secretary of
State and Mrs. Fish, Senior Don Ignacio Maris-
cal, Mexican Minister; Rear Admiral Hoff, Rear
Admiral Shubrick, Mrs. Colonel X. f.. Craw
ford, Tenn; Mrs. A. b. Garburri, Miss Van
Aernam, Mrs. William Brown, Ky.: Mrs
Speaker Blaine, Mrs. Senator Pomeroy. Can
tain AmmOn, Colonel Webster, General and
Mrs. Humphreys, Mrs. General o. o. Howard.
Mrs. Edward 7. Dickinson, Judge Fisher, lady
and daughter; Mr.. and Mime. de Potestad.
General Babcock and lady, General Porter and
lady, General Badeau, and others.
THE GEORGIA LReIsLArURE-REpoRr OF
THE SENATE JUDICIARY CoMMITrKE.-In com
pliance with resolutions Of the Senate instruct
ing the judiciary Committee to inquire and re-
port whether the Legislature OF Georgia has
been recognized in accordance with the pro
visions of the act parse at the present session
to promote the reconstruction Of that State, an
whether any further legislation is necessar .
visional Legislature in Georgia, the COMMITTEE
this morning made report. which was pre-
sented by Mir. Edmunds.
The report recItes the manner of the orpani-
ZatiOn OF the Provisional State Government H.
1868; the fact of its approval by the Military
Commander of the district; the subsequent ex
pulsiOn of negro members OF the Legislature
and the consequent passage by Congress of th
act of Dec. %, 1869, comforting upon the Gen
eral Assembly Of the State the exclusive power
toperfect its organization. There being no room
for inference or construction comforting sucIi
authority either upon the Governor Nifftary
Commander under this act, the Goykrnor O.
Georgia summoned the persons ele9fed to tn
Gen. Meade, to assemble at Atlanta on JaAuar,
10, 1870, and quorum Of the Se4ate todk tht
oaths prescribed, and organized al provided by
the act. -
The report details the circumstances attend
ing the organization Of the House Of Repre-
sentatives and the part taken "by one Harris,
not a member or officer, but who had been deS-
ignated to call the body together by the Gov
ernOr, and calls attention to the fact that Har-
Iis continued to preside, and to adjourn the bod,
consulting the House. He also determined wha
persons who had appeared as members should
be permitted from day to day to take the pre-
scribed Oaths and take their seats. This pro
ceedng was ratified by the general in command
at Atlanta, who. subsequent to the passage of
the act Of Dec. q, 1869, had been appointed to
under the act Of March ?, 1861. ' '''-'o'
A statement is then made of the action
of General Terry in directing the exclu-
sion OF certain persons from the Legislature
until their cases should be favOrably reported
upon by q military commission he organized.
Three members elect were thus excluded, and
until they should be relieved from their po-
litical disabilities. Upon this history the com
mittee is constrained to say that in its opinion
the before mentioned action of the military
authorities was not authorized by law. The
Legislature elected in Georgia was intended by
Congress to take the place of the Provisional
Government s,t as ape permanent M one. This seems
by the General of the Army in his order to
General Meade of March I'd, 1868. The correc-
ton of any mlsapIrehenSslon ne S OF the act Of Con-
military. .-.|..'
The committee argue further in support Of
this view, but add, at is due to the Genera,
tify the committee in reporting that his whole
conduct in the affair was under the sin
cere belief that he was acting within the
scope Of his lawful authority, and that nn-
and delicacy he conducted affairs, although
outside of the law, in such manner as TO COM
mand the personal respect and confidence of all
parties concerned. The committee also believe
that the persons excluded who desired to qualify
would have violated the act by taking the oath,
SO that there was no actual injustice done.
The action Of the House, in afterwards ad-
mitting persons who had been candidates
against the persons SO excluded but received
only minority OF the votes cast, is considered
by the committee unwarranted by law, and the
persons then admitted were not lawfully en-
titled to seats in the Georgia Legislature. The
committee therefore report under the first reSO-
luton, that in the following respects, the or
ganizafion Of said Legislature has not been war
LIST. In NJ the control and direction of its pro-
ceedings by Harris.
2d. In the exclusion from taking the Oaths and
from seats OF three members elect who offered
to swear in.
Sd. In the seating of the persons not having a
majority of the votes of the election.
In respect to the second resolution calling
upon the &C Cmmittee to report whether any fur
ther legislation is necessary IN respect to the
organization of the Georgia Legislature, the
committee reports that q full hearing has been
given to both sides in the controversy, and after
making an argument on the subject they say in
conclusion that they feel Justified In emitting to
recomme nd any further legislation on the sub
ject.
The CHINESE MIssION.-The Senate Com
mittee on Foreign Relations yesterday decided
against the proposition to raise the Chinese mis-
sion to a first-ciass one The House Committee
took similar action early In the session, which
oouivoIov< 10 syosi nj o. nj the matter.