, 1870-08-15


III the officers and people Of Georgia been
laborirK under ssupsadoua mistako2 Con-
cede, for the sAke Of Argument, thAt the goS-
eEnlneut has besn pruTfRionat, hts that word
any magic poison fatal to conatitutional ife7
May not ! provisional government still be =
constitutional gpvemment7 The only detlni.
our czas IL found in tho Reconstruction act Of
March, 9. 1867, which, deciafcs that " Until the
people Of said 1absl States ah1fl 10 by Law
admitted to representation In tho Congress
Of tho United 6tstea, an! ctvl guveEnmauts
which may exist therein shah b. deemed pro
visional, only, and 10 III respects subject TO
The paramount authority Of tho United
States 1t any TINE to nbolshh, modify control,
OF c,porsede the same.~ A provisional gov
e1n1nent, then, Is one which uoay, 1t MY tine,
b. Abolished, modided, controlled, OF super
ssded by The p1f.9onnt anshanty y;,.sa! o. me
exercised by the National Legislature, has hsd
Georgia under saions consideration for the
last two years, and has thought proper to
AHeet her civil government In important par
ticulArs but it has NOT destroyed her conata-
xution. prime reason Tor It's sction Has
departure BY the Legislative bodies Of tho stsso
nom that very constitution IN tho exclusion
Of the colorrd members. Concede, then.
that Congress has had right to de-
atroy thaa constitution. Ihe right has
not teen exercised, and the conattu-
ton has stood, and still stands, in force. Does
the constitution require IN election next tau
It provides that tho Sen1tors chosen At the
Hfet election from the twenty-five odd dis
tric,s BhAll ouly hold their office for two years,
and that the members Of the House OF Repre-
aentAtives shall he elected for two yearu~ II
Assembly shall bo within ninety dayn after the
adjournment OF the convention which framed
the constitution, 20 that tho Senators who
ere to hold their Office for only two years,
and tbs Representatives who Were to hold
their office for TWO ynara, we're to belong to
from the 11th day Of March, 1858. The pras-
tnt Leg,s]atu1e did 10 assemble, ana no other
boof pretending to be L Legts!aturo Of thAt
State did the Same. 4 special ordinance OF the
convention added to tho first to1uaa thosnmatn-
ing portion Of tho year 1868. but in no other
Ut tho meu who were elected in April, l865, -
memhess ot our GenerA Assembly, and who
wore AxoEn ~ such to support that constllu-
ton in july. lsG9, have eyet since eaan acting
ss such. They have passed laws ~ such;
ciio4en certain ofacars Is such taxed the
now it ,s claimed by come thas these gentle
men may, by their own Acf, extend their terms
two years longer, tax the people two yesrs
longer, and receive pay II mtmbefa two Josts
longer. There is not one Of these represent
atiSes or Senators from the old districts who
Ia candidate in April, 1868, he sup
posed that he was to serve by virtue
Of that election after 1870: or inst
one Of tho men who voted for him
expecicd him to ecrve sitter 1870. Not one Of
lie Seu.tors from the even diatricta will Say
to ae.ya after 1872, BY virtue Of that olcctian,
Or that one Of his constituents e1pecsod him
70 10 ecrye. Can it : be right in republican
government TO oreHeach the peopls IN 10 ma
;o,isl concern? From what source do these
gentlemen derive thsT power7 OF courso,
I 5csrs men Ing delesatien from ths peopls to
servo them after 187of Have tho four Jeafs
men xny delegation from the people to setve
them aeter l8727 Tbs TitAls OF Republican,
lsm are in tho doctrine that isgisla-
sora are the agents Of the people, Il two
serses after 1870. he will not b. serving
Ia the agent Of the people, but b virtue
OF IN unprecedented usurpation OF hia own.
II the government has been provisional Ill the
while, By whose fault is it Il the Legisla-
ture was impIopc1lr organized IN July. 1868,
parpetrated in September, 1868, In excluding
The colnred membars; il the n2tion ~as
| aroused By that outrage to : stern indignation
sgainht the powers who thuh got control Of
the Georgia Legislature, BY whose fault was
It II onr State has remained in Al anoms'
lous condition. # our people have been il
painful suspense and uncertainty, u the whole
| country has bean Offended and pezplexed By
the state Of things in Georgia, by vhoss fault
has it beons The answor must be. By
tho fault Of the Legislature Of Geor
g. And shall that Lesislatqgrt g1t
prolonging its own e1issenee7 Shall thoea
who have g1ievously offended be special.
privileged because OF that very offence Somt
draw N argument for pzolongation, from th'
provisions In the constitution that tho ueners
Assembly m,y eh,nse the ths tin, TIM te,s 9t eleet,sn
sora arc elected and qualified. That at1anger
to Geo.gix politics ahould be misled by thi
language il perhaps not very wonderful, b1t
when IN Intelligent Georgian uaas II for sucl
purpose dnd it hard to believe him serious
Every such man must know that conssitu
Ill parts Of 1t can stand together. and ths
the above provisions were not intended -
rapea1 Of the other provisions which lirul
the terms to two and fonr years =
must know tho principle which 1t woul
establish will demand the doubling OF th
ever, in = case OF contested election, 4 mer,
Der lawfully chosen shx1l be found to hAv
been kept out Of his seat for ftne--an Ok
cur.enc. It almost evaty session Of avet
Legislature, national or State; that the fin
OF The aloFe PROVISIONS was intended neral
70 gtvc the Legislature ! discretion to chang
the dry Of election il another day shonld
, found more Convenient, but neveE 10
; change it ~ to Anect the constitutional term.
and the othar Was intended to give the ol
, members right to sit II l session should b
!, held in the interval tetween .ha election m
times made that tho terms ougl
. to te extended in osler to do full 5ust,e
| to tho colored members who weEo shut OF
, from September, 1865, until JannArs, l61o~
is, cali it, = anaall argument. for its consuu
,, mate rettinc3s will a{pear upon slight .,
. 4riuztior. Less than thirty men we're aA1
I out Of 4 Legislature to which they lawful
. belonged, tharefo1s ens hundred and uinel
/, men, In addition 70 the thirty, must b a1lowe
, TO mako 1Ars for the people two yeass lonSt
. than the people have given them authokit,
q because the people wars for \ seasou deprive
: Of tho services Of about one-seventa Of tt
= men who bad been chosen to represent thar
!, Therefor, they roust submit to tho zenainit
. si1-aeventha for tTo yeaEa longer th4o tho ~
I iho1ixed period. Decause the people..hAFe eet
!. wronged IN one-seyenth they must, thetolot
= | be vronged for two years on hix-serenths- I
state these propositions il enough to sho
q I their absurdttv. Whatever rights to cornpe
3 cation the excluded naembers hid hare Be.
d satis6ed By pay for the period during whit
8 they did not actually serve:. Whatever CIR
t could have been corrected By the body sin
. de resumption of their lawful places.
!, neither 1usticeto tho excluded members, a
. injustice to the State, requires that the lsgi
e lAture should BE- kept in oeing two yeass Ion
u ez On their account- They md their injur'
n constituents have received Ill tho Just repAt
., tion which the nature OF things allows. 7,
+ arc iii Republicans, and, therefore, I will g
awozd to you Of the party aspects Of tho m,
" ter- An apprehension h.s been g
It prossed that va shall loso t
q, State II IN election Is bald NJ
Il fail. We may better lose tho Stats than ke
l. it vrongfully. II We lose the stats in = I,
8, election. though i may be disagEee.ble, J
We kl.ll have no right to complain. It i 0
=, Of t1eemans privileges 10 vote pazve1s,
d uhen 80 minded; and il tho majority choe
,n 20 to vote the rest Of us must submit for t
I. tune, snI trust that reflection and sxpasier
" vii br1ng them in the and to sounder polh
- do not SEQ bow xe Gan lose the s&sse G.
ot crument wholly. Hllr Of tho Senate will
~ man fo1 two yeArs louger, md most Of
= haN ara Republicans ABepuhlioan Gore1t
in vii hold Ms ofsce two years longer. and I
,oteEpose biz constitutional check to P
To ! nici,na 1eoislatian. But He hhAu