The New York herald., 1876-01-21
MIR. Hin. OF Georgia.

| Mr. Hill, of Georgia. !,
There is a natural desire among people in
this section of the country to know some
thing more than they do of the history of
Mr.. Benjamin HI. Hill, of Atlanta, Ga, who
cut such conspicuous and unlucky figure
in the recent amnesty debate in the House
of Representatives. His name does not
appear in any biographical dictionary ex-
cept the brief compendium in the Congress
sional Directory for this session, which
informs us that he was born in Central
Georgia in 1923. received liberal education,
became a lawyer, was a member of the
Georgia Legislature in 1851 and 1859, and
afterwards Senator of the Confederate States
We are able to supplement this meagre
biography with some political exploits which
intervened between his receiving his seat in
the Legislature and his Senatorial career
We compile them from one of the few existing
copies of the secret journals of the Georgia
Secession Convention.
The Secession Convention of Georgia met
at Miiledgeville on January 16, 1861, and Mr..
Benjamin H. Hill appeared in it as q dele
gate from Troup county, which lies i'll the
western part of that State. On January 18
the Convention voted that its sessions should
be secret, and Immediately afterward Mr.. L.
A. Nisbet delegate from Bibb county,
offered resolution that lit is the right and
duty of Georgia to secede from the present
Union and cooperate with such of the other
States as do the same for the purpose of
forming Southern Confederacy," and for
the appointment of committee of seventeen
to draft an ordinance of secession. Mr.. Alex
ander II. Stephens led the opposition to this
resolution, and Mr.. Benjamin HI. Hill also
took part in the debate. The resolution was
adopted by vote of 166 to 130. The vote of
Mr.. Hill was recorded, with Mr. Stephens,
against its adoption. Mr.. Henry R. Harris,
democratic colleague of Mr.. Hill in the
present Congress of the United States, was
fellow member of the Convention, but was
absent at the time of the balloting The
next day he obtained leave to record his vote
for the resolution. The Committee of Seven
| teen was forthwith announced by the Chair
man, and Mr.. Stephens and Mr.. Hill were
both appointed upon it, and q resolve was
adopted, without dissenting vote, from Mr..
Hill highly approving the energetic and
patriotic conduct of Governor Brown in TAX
ing possession of Fort Pulaski"
| The next day, January 10, in secret ses-
sion, the Committee of Seventeen reported
the ordinance of secession, whereupon Mr..
Hill moved to substitute very long set of
resolutions, which were drawn by Herschel
! " johnson, once Senator of the United
| States. These resolutions averred that
Georgia sis attached to the Union, and
desires to preserve it if it can be done con-
| sistently with her rights and safety" but
that this was not possible without new and
ample security" in the matter of slavery, and
| Georgia would not 'abide permanently in
the Union" without such security; that, how
ever, Georgia was not disposed to secede
precipitately, and invoked consultation with
her Southern confederates" for the purpose
| of securing her rights sin the Union, if pos
sible, or protecting them ''out of the Union,
if necessary" and that, therefore, she in
vited Congress of the slave States remain
ing in the Union together with the '.inde-
pendent republics of South Carolina, Flor
] luh, hltDhtIih anu nAlSSlbSlppl, W dbfcc Oh "
common course of action. They then went
on to specify at great length the guarantees
which Georgia regarded as 'indispen-
sable amendments of the constitution Of
the United States" and it is sufficient to say
thaa they included the most extreme de-
mands of the most ardent shareholders
recognition of slavery as o national institu-
tion, the prohibition of its abolition in the
national territory, the right of shareholders
to take and hold their slaves in the so-called
free States, the repeal of all the personal
liberty laws of those States, and the payment
! by the United States to slave owners of the
value of rescued fugitive slaves. They also
approved the seizure of Fort Pulaski, and
4 pledged Georgia to defend with all her re-
sources any of the seeding States if the
United States should attempt to coerce them.
The vote upon Mr.. Hills motion wasyeas
1873, nays 16l. Mr.. Stephens, Mr. Harris
and Mr.. Hill voted together in the affirma-
tive. The question then coming up on the
passage of the ordinance Of secession, it was
passed by vote of POS yeas to 80 nays.
Messrs Hill and Harris voting with the
majority for the ordinance, and Mr.. Stephens