Saint Mary's beacon., 1875-05-27

THR PmLADKLPHIA CExx8N1tAL--
We have been struggling for some tine
/, get ourselves up to proper degree
sf enthuainsm u behalf Of the coming |
Centennial at Philadelphia. and had
unccseded IN esuAping the milk and va-I
ser feeling With which We had original
" regarded il, when our spronting pa
tr;oti,m vas arrested and 'tsot back
by the declaration of Mr.. Secretary
Fish, that the Centennial ID not for such
az we and that no "rebef' 10 70 be ale
lowed to enjoy this blessing unless he
FIRST supplies himself with the iroo-ciad
oath a. . passport and condition prece-
dent. And the whole rebel South u in
the same boat with all unhappy Mary
landers ike ourselves. But, If We can
not ..centennialize" upon the terms ex-
acted, there il one thing we eas do.
We can stay at home and make mouths
at Mr.. Fish and theSsa Spangled Ban
ner. Gov. Smith, Of Georgia, viii tell
the balance of the story.
SrArR oYGA., EXECUTIVE DxPARrxEST,
e-er ATLANTA, March 10. 1874.
Hon. Hamitoa Fish, Secretary ef State,
Waskisgtos, ID. c.:
SrR: I have the honor to acknowl-
edge the receipt Of your communication
of the 10th instant, enclosing the ap-
pointment of Mr.. George Hillyer as
Commissioner TO represent the State OF
Georgia in celebrating the Centennial
Anniversary of American Independence
at the city Of Philadelphia, in the year
1875. Accompanying the Presidents
commission is an open letter from your
self to Mr. Hlllyer, advising him Of his
appointment, together with the printed
form Of an oath, which, in the event of
his acceptance, you direct him to exc
cute and return, that the same may be
placed on file in the State Department.
A portion Of the oath referred to Is rs
follows:
Il, do solemnly swear that have
never voluntarily borne arms againe4
the United States since I have been a
citizen thereof; that have volunta-
rily given no aid, countenanee, counsel
or encouragement to persons engaged
in armed hostility thereto; that have
never sought, nor accepted, nor attemp-
ted to exercise the functions of any Of
fee whatever under any authority, or
pretended authority, in hostility to the
United States; that l have not yielded
q voluntary support to any pretended
Government, authority, power, or Con-
stitution within the United States, hos
tile or inimical thereto"
By requiring Commissioners to take
this oath, the Southern States are, in
effect, excluded from all voice or parti-
cipation in the celebration referred to.
1t must be known to the President that
almost the entire body Of the white peo-
pie at the South were engaged, actively
or otherwise, in behalf of their own Sec
tion, in the late war betweenthe States,
and that they can take no part in the
Exposition under the requirements now
made of them. Indeed, If the Commits
sioners, or official representatives of the
States, are required TO take obnoxious
oaths, I see no reason why the exhibi-
tors, and even the visitors at the exhi-
bition, may not be called upon to do the
same thing.
know of no provision of law which
requires any such oath to be taken by
the Commissioners, and what good is
expected to be accomplished by going
beyond the requirements of the law in
this regard I am at loss to imagine.
I may be pardoned for suggesting, at
this point, that Georgia was one of the
thirteen States which revolted against
British authority, and that she has the
same interest and the same right to eel
citrate the one hundredth anniversary
of American Independence that Penn
sylvania or New York has. Her dele
gates signed the Declaration Of Inde.
pendence, and / have vet to learn if her
sons have ever hesitated to make any
sacrifice necessary to maintain the great
principles enunciated in that Declara-
ton. And yet it is now proposed, not
only TO tax her reople, in order to meet
the expenses attending the celebration
of American Independence, but to ex-
act an oath which practically excludes
them from all participation therein.
Candor constrains me to say that il
this gratuitous and wanton requirement
is insisted upon, the people Of Georgia
will not, with my consent, take any part
whatever in the proposed partisan Gel.
ebration at Philadelphia. had sup.
posed that the people of all the States
were expected to take part on the JOY.
Gus occasion, and that not only the peo
pie of these States, of every creed, color
and condition, but the lovers of liberty
throughout the civilized world woult
be cordially invited and welcomed, with
out preliminary oaths or exactions o1
any kind. II in this have been mis-
taken, and if, as it now seems, only
a partisan celebration by the dominan
political party Of the country is contem
plated, then, I regret to say, that !,
great opportunity has been lost, ant
neither the Governor nor the people o
Georgia will be responsible for tha
misfortune.
/ must ask to be pardoned for hav
ing troubled the President to appoin
q Commissioner for this State. NJ,
desire was that Georgia should be rep
resented at the celebration BY q native
born citizen, but candor compels me +
say that / am not acquainted with
native fit to represent the State VIII
could or would take the oath required
Certainly Mr.. Hillyer cannot take il