Claiborne guardian. [volume] (Homer, La.) 1877-188?, 1877-09-19
Georgla's Organic Law.
THE NEW CONSTITUTIONAL RRIEp
RESUME OF TIE INSTRUMENT.

uit Is tue pest message thattht
south has sent to the North in
many day. 1t is full of sweet and
strong assurances of good faith, and
closes out the distressing issues of
the war; said Senator Hill to. night.
as the reading of the new constitu.
ton OF Georgia was completed.
-" hen President Hayes he con.
tlnued, "withdrew his troops from
the South and left us to manage our
own affairs, even to taking the trus.
teeship OF the negro, it was held by
'aahy Northern presses and po!iti.
ciahs that we would betray his con.
lldence. But here We see Georgia
Democrats meeting in convention
without single negro or Rcpubli.
eau ana framing constitution that
Tie negroes themselves must, as
PRESIDENT Jenkins says, regard as
the palladium of their rights and
liberties.-
Inc unusual amount of discussion
that has been given to the work of
the convention makes it important
That the people of the North should
De Informed at once of what has
really been done. .--.
III the bill of rights the conven.
tion struck out the word, "rebel.-
winch was used in a stigmatizing
sense III the old constitution. An
attempt to insert clause declaring
tue State sovereign and possessing
the right to change it's torn of gov, |
ernment at will, was voted down
iecislvely, Senator Hill leading the
oojectors to it. The constitution of
the United States is in terms recop.
hized as. the supreme law.
Inc negro vote is protected in its
fullest rights and privileges. 1t is
prescribed that the social status of
me citizen shall never Ike the sub.
ect OF legislation. The whining.
post and imprisonment for debt is
prohibited. All laws are made to
operate on all races alike. The
u school system, by , which
5000 colored children are educated
with white taxes. the
'esroes paying hardly enough to .
chool 1000 children, is continued
,ith increased appropriations. In
III details of franchise or public
nstlce the negro is zealously pro.
ected, and the negroes, perfectly
ailsned with the constitution, will
Old "A ratification meeting in At. }
inta next week. y
The convention was governed
throughout with spirit of retrench.
lent that resulted in the cutting
own of s2S2,OOO per annum of ex.
enses. Every salary in the State
as reduced. The governor is O,
hittled down to $4,000, the su. -
'eme court judges to o., 500, the =,
'perlor court judges to 81 500; the h,
easurer, attorney general aud -,
mptroller to $1,000, without per. q,
'isltes. The legislative per diem
reduced from o. to o., and bien. -,
al sessions are ordered instead of .;
hual sessions. The appropriation y"
executive clerks is about halvetl. IT,
u everything else is retrenched i'm m
opOrtiOn. "
a general movement toward popu. gr
elections was noticeable. The
vernon was stripped of his ap.
lntive power, and his cabinet il
reafter to be elected by the people on
direct vote. The supreme and re-,
'erlor court judges, formerly an. of
hted By him, are to be elected by
legislature, composed of over no
members. The terms of all the ex
GERS from the governor down are
from four years to two.
All the anti.railroad measures
re passed by large majorities. 1t
prescribed that the State should
'er more grant a perpetual char. ou'
containing any special privileges ~
mmunities to any corporation; and tns
Their, that the Legislature should mo
a freight and passenger tariff for P.o
roads which should be uniform Vi
fixed at so much per mile. The oe'
nance prohibits the slightest 70
OF discrimination, and the price
,ll freight carriage can be reach. tne
by multiplying the number of am
Is by the rate per mile. The rail. P"o
men are very indignant, and as
own *6O,OOO,OOO of property
work about $4,000 hands, they
make a strong fight against rati
ton,
he convention passed strict laws "
inst dueling, making it a felony exc
ccept, send or carry a challenge. top
State is prohibited from lend. air.
its aid to any sort of eaterprise NAL
the bonds of any com. has
y. Lobbying is made q crime. A
y larceny is made a disfranchis. poe
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