Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-01-21
WHY GEORGIA is TO BE RECON
SrRUCTED.


had excluded the negro members of that
body was made the pretext for reconstruct
ING that State but evidence accumulates
every day that it was only prete1t, and
that the real reason was to place the State,
With ats offices and patronage, under the
control Of the Radicals. Congress had
no higher aim than this in IFS usurpation
Of power to destroy State Of the Union
Ia confirmation of this, we copy from the
Washington correspondent of the Cincin-
natl Gazette, (Radical,) who writes,
Jan. is, as follows
several private kilograms have been
received here to-day from Georgia, one
of them from a member of the Legislature,
a Republican, formerly from the North,
was in substance as follows Bryant
and Caldwell have openly united with the
Democrats, and are working to disorgan-
i2e our party and throw the Legislature
into the hands of ex-rebels. 1t is report
ed here that money has been sent down
from the North TO defeat tie fifteenth
amendment Our party is fully united,
and sustains Terry and Bullock. We
hope the President and Gen. Sherman viii
stand by Terry's action. If they do, Re
pubIicanism is safe in Georgia. The
Democrats have been hoping to
get control of the Legislature by
false swearing, being assured by
their friends that they can not be con
hof n &c ord nNba
charges they make against Terry are to
cover up their own wickedness.' In ex-
PLANTATION Of this dispatch it may be said
that Bryant and Caldwell were elected as
Republicans. Bryant telegraphs that lie
is still of that political faith and opposed
TO nothing but Bullock's schemes and
Vaccinations. They both charge that he
means to get himself elected to the United
States Senate. A telegram from another
| Republican now visiting Atlanta is in sub
stance as follows: Bullock assures me
that he is not now, and never has been,
candidate for the Senate and would not
accept if nominated. The orders he has
issued concerning the organization of the
Legislature, have been approved by Gen.
Terry. Those who ought TO know say
the Republican party has never been
so well united as now, and the defec-
ton is confined to a few men. The
question, now foremost seems to me to be
whether the State shall be controlled by
those who have been and are friends of
the national government or be turned
over to those who have opposed it from
the first. In comment on this dispatch it
must be said it is now learned for the first
time that Bullock don't want to come to
the Senate. 1t was asserted over and
over again during the Georgia debate in
Congress that this was his ambition, but
none Of his friends then denied the asseT-
ton, and the Democrats and others OPP
posed to him have been writing and tele-
graphing here for the last ten days that
one of the chief sources of trouble in
Georgia was on this account. 1t is
proper, however, that he should have the
benefit of the denial or declination.
| The correspondent of the Gazette, in
reproducing the dispatches from Atlanta,
exposes, unintentionally perhaps, the true
nature of this war upon Georgia. The
hope is openly expressed by ga Repub-
lican, formerly from the North, that
"the President and Gen. Sherman will
stand by Terry's action" not that right
and justice may prevail, but that a politi-
cal party may triumph. I" If they do, "
says this correspondent, "Republicanism
is safe in Georgia :" "Another Republi-
can now visiting Atlanta" confesses that
"the question now foremost seems to
him to be whether the State shall be
controlled" by the Radicals or those who
are not and have not been Radicals. 1t is
thus made clear by the confessions Of these
two Republicans, " that this Congressional
raid upon Georgia is simply a struggle for
political supremacy. In the times before
| the war an appeal of this character was
made through the ballot-bOx TO the people
Of a State, and the losing party submitted
with the dignity and grace of high-minded,
| honorable men. Now when the Radicals
are defeated in such q contest IN any of
the Southern States, they appeal to Con-
grcss to reconstruct such State so as to
place them again in power. Georgia is
not the only instance. We find strong
effort being made to induce Congress to
commit such an outrage upon Tennessee.
These movements originate in an utter
disregard Of law and Of the plighted faith
of Congress. 1t is clear from the confes-
sion of the two Republicans" quoted by
the Gusette'8 correspondent that this raid
upon Georgia means simply to prevent the
citizens of that State, the men who pos
sess the wealth and intelligence and pay
the taxes necessary to carry on the State
government, from obtaining the control
of the State, which is inevitable under
ordinary circumstances. This movement
has no higher aim, no nObler object.
ANY Slate in the South viii remain undis-
turbed by Congress just as long as the
people will elect Radicals to the important
and responsible Offices, but just as soon
as they assert their independence and as
sumo the control Of their internal affairs
of State, Congress will assert and exercise
the right to keep its plant tools in power.
| THE :, yubof Congressional reconstruction