Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-03-11

The proclamation declaring the final ratiti-
cation of the fifteenth amendment. On
the 18th the registration commences. for
the April election IN Connecticut, and the /
are DESTROYS to obtain several
hundred negro voters by virtue of the
amendment, for even with them il is adj
mitted that the contest viii be close.
The Governors of Connecticut, who is the |
Republican candidate for reelection, is in
Washington urging the Immediate pas
sage of the bills. admitting Georgia and
Texas. The bill to admit Georgia makes
a new election for State officers, except
Governor and the Legislature next fall /
necessary, and practically .disposes of
Foster Blodgett for it is in effect
a decision that the present lie
gislature has not theright to elect United |
States Senator for the term beginning
March 4, 1871. That duty win deyolye on
the Legislature to be elected next fall. The
Washington correspondent of the Cincin-
natl Gazette (RadicaD writes, March s:
s0The Georgia question is settled SO far
as the House is concerned. The struggle
among Republicans was over the idea en-
bodied in Bingham's amendment. Gov.
Bullock and his friends had set up and
argued before the Judiciary and Recon
struction Committees that the terms of of
fee to which persons were elected in the
fall of 1868, would not begin till the
present bill, or one of similar kind, be-
came q law; or, in other words, that no
service in Office up TO this time
should be counted. Bingham's amend
ment was a denial of this claim,
and provided that there shall be
no extension of the term of Office beyond
the period fixed in the Constitution, and
that a new Legislature shall be chosen at
the proper date next fall. Gen. Butler
and the Reconstruction Committee were
beaten on this issue, and the House, by a
vote of ia to 70, sustained Bingham's
position-the afimatives being made up
of 81 Democrats and GO Republicans.
The bill was then passed by party diyis-
ion. Mr.. Bullock and his friends, a con-
siderable number of whom are here, are
a good deal disguised at the adoption of
Bingham's proposition, and will probably
! try to defeat it in the Senate, but their
chances for success there arc not favor
| able. -
| The rascality attempted to be practiced
| by Gov. Bullock and his henchmen under
this reconstruction movement, was thor
oughly exposed by Mr.. Farnsworth, of
Illinois, (Radical,) in his speech in the
House of Representatives on the 9TH
inst. He said:
The constitution of Georgia provides
| for the election of members of the Legis-
lature every tao years, and that the cleo
| ton shall take place in November. The
| voters of Georgia on the first Tuesday of
November next will be able to proceed to
| elect members of her Legislature, por-
| ton of the Senators holding over for four
years. 1t is now proposed by the gentle
| man from Massachusetts, Mr.. Butler to
| extend that election until November, 1921
| Was there ever a more impundent assump-
| ton attempted to be exercised than that
/ The constitution which we have approved,
/ which has been adopted by the voters of
| Georgia, thus to be extended so that these
| men may have further lease of power
| Why not, as some gentleman says, make
| your constitution, and in it declare that
this Mr.. Bullock shall be Governor for six
/ years, and that the present Legislature, a
/ portion of which was never elected in the
| world, minority candidates Illegally sworn
into the Legislature, shall have lease of
| power for two years longerY II is mon
strous, and more monstrous, too, in the
face and eyes of the facl that this Gov
ernor is charged by the Treasurer of the
State, himself sound, loyal Republican,
with Incorporating the money of the
State. But, say some gentlemen, we are
| afraid we will lose the State. Is that a
| good excuse am afraid we VIII lose
| New York at the next election.
Mr.. Stevenson-Can the gentleman tell
us how we are to save New York?
| Mr.. Farnsworth-Yes sir, make law,
as you propose to do for Georgia, that
shall inaugurate government and install
/ State officers whose tenure of Office shall
be for life ! That is the surest and easiest
mode of maintaining our ascendancy in
the nation, much surer and easier than by
holding elections. If that is to be the
rule, then maintain your ascendancy by
act of Congress! Such is the new rule
| of the gentleman from Massachusetts, and
| if we pass a few more such bills as this
one Of the gentleman from Massachusetts
l fear it is the only mode by which we can
| perpetuate our ascendancy. Mr.. Speaker,
when they had fair election in the State
| on the adoption of the Constitution, they
elected a Republican ticket by largema-
| jority They have the same registered
voters now as then, and but for the I'M
| lawful and bad acts of some of the Off
GERS in that Slate that ascendancy would
have been maintained and the party solidi-
| fed and made unit. But that is not
| good reason why we should attempt to
| perpetuate the reign of these men, and
especially when it is charged they are pur-
Joining and appropriating to their own use
/ the funds belonging to the State.
| The gentleman from Massachusetts,
halloos 'Murderl" Whenever he wants
to put anything through of this sort, you
| will find the gentleman from Massachu-
sets rise and with flaming nostrils and
raised arms yell out at the top of his voice,
'Murder! murderl" There have been
| disorders in Georgia, l know, but in my
| judgment they have been grossly exag-
| gerated. have always noticed, the mo-
ment Georgia affairs are to come up, we
read in the Chronicle of tfis city of out
RACES; then we have Gov. Bullock and his
/ staff here with more outrages; then an
act of Congress.
remember the doings of gentleman,
a very clever fellow, man whose poll
tics are those of the reigning dynasty
| always-who was a Democrat before the
| war, and terrible war man during the
war; a johnson man during the johnson
| administration, and Grant man now
who in the winter of l860--61 had sold
arms to the people of Georgia, had sold
them arms with which to shoot down our
/ boys. This man went down to Georgia,
| and with the assistance of Gov. Bullock
got committee appointed to examine the
case, and so manipulated the committee
| that they reported in favor of the State
| paying for these arms. The Legislature,
however, refused to adopt the report of
| the committee, and would not pay the
money. That man came back TO Wash
| ingtO full of sorrOw-oh, how sorrowful
his heart wrung to the very depths,
with tears in his eyes, over the terrible
persecution of the negro and loyal men in
the State of Georgia. He was in favor of
the reconstruction of that State at once
| What was his touchstone2 1t was that