Year: 1865




a better disposition on the part Of tho people TO
conform TO the regulations prescribed, TO enable
you to establish republican form OF government Now
lar to discharge yours and remove the obstacles which
may be in the way of receiving the amnesty OATH
and to prepare yourselves to become voters for dele
gates TO a convention of the people OF Georgia and
then to vote for these delegates This convention,
when thus assembled Will ropress.' eSs I'll, me masses
Jurisdiction Of the judges and limit their powers
Itis called for the purpose Of enabling you TO establish
free government Whom this convention has assembled
it will adopt constitution that shall provide when the
Governor and members each branch OF the General
Assembly shall be elecod, how the STATE snai oe as
troted in order to be in Congress- thus put
ting in operation the whole machinery oil government
When under their order the Governor ana members
OF the Legislature shall be elected, 'hen s inc inc
government OF the State Georgia will then
bo once more invested with all the rights ana
bound declare to you thing which you must recog
nize accomplished; and the sooner you know IL ana
s you or ~ % It's
restoration under FORM is utterly out OF the ques
tion Those who indulge hopes to the contrary are apor
ing under deluson In order to convince you OF this
will call attention to certain facts which have areaoy
transpred Twenty five States in the Union have already
accepted the proposed amendment to the constitution OF
the United States by which amendment il il declared
that slavery Involuntary servitude shall no longer
exist in the United States and that Congress- may make
laws to carry this into effect Twenty five States have
ratified and adopted this proposed amendment only TWO
wanting to pass 1t by constitutional majority and





two will be obtained There is possibility OF defeating
It, And when shall have been DONE the constitution
will declare that slavery in the United states no longer
exists But furthermore slavery has been extinguished
by the operations OF the late do not propose, IN
this connection to enter upon lengthy argument to
prove 1t. l simply state what is universally acknowl
edged by all writer's on national law that belgercnts
have the right to make captures OF and property
and that they may make what disposition they please
of the property captured The vanquished are at
the disposition Of the conquerors and may be dis
posed OF as they think proper Such Is war
it should bo waged We must submit to the result
Of the war; Congress, by the constitution of the
United States has the power to give to the President the
the exercise OF this power given to him by the const
tuition and by Consress issued his proclamation dsposng
Of their captures declaring that all the negroes who were
slaves in the revoted States should by virtue Of that
proclamation, become emancipated. Such is, In my
Judgment the law, and believe that the supreme Court
will so decide to another point The constitu-
ton which the people Of Georgia shall adopt in con
venion will be required to recognize this fact
amendment to the constitution that slavery shall no
longer exist in these States They will be called upon to
decide this before their restoration to the unon IN order


that this quarrel about slavery, which has existed from
the beginning OF tho government to the present time
shall be revived and in order that there may be
dispute among the people of this State on the subject
you to-day IL you wish to be admitted into the Unon
this convention of the people of Georgia must be com:
posed of such material as will recognize the iact OF
the extinction of slavery in Georgia, and agree
to the amendment to the constitution OF the United
States which will extinguish slavery throushout the
view you may take OF the subject slavery Is exngushed
1t is gon 1T is gone forever have heard complaints
upon this point fellow that in passing from the
state in which have been into the order OF things
great many difficulties and Inconvenience will arise
Nothing else could have been expected II is SAID he
negroes will straggle through the country commit depre
datons many of thom be mpuden All this may be true
But for purpose of rectfyng these evils We must
have Legislature that will make laws to punish them,
and punish them severely, for the commission of crime.
That is your remedy; complaining will not do any good
And not only that but 1t Is claimed Dy some that inc ne
gr0es will work. know that those who have been
driven off the farms do not work. because they have no
opportunity of working and Of them viii not work
where they have been driven OIL For this latter
class the Legislature make laws declaring them va
grants and punshing them nsi such The negro Will not
work How do yon know they will not? saw ihom
have been 1t is true they sometimes commit crimes
in those places and they punished for it, They must
What the dfcultyS DO not the people have to work
in Germany, in France, In New York. IN Obioy What Is
the they will not work? tell you they will
work; and must say that, under the peculiar crcum.
people over behaved better than they have
done. Those who tell you they will not work
mnion over thom They will Work under contracts OF
hire and If they fail they become vagrants and may be
punished exiled the laws OF the State may direct
lie, the Legislature meet and pass the necdful laws Tor
their regulation and everything will move smoothly on
Let them be employed by men OF humanity and have
fair compensation given them, and In my judgment no
difficulty will lie In the way We have lost our capital IN
negro property. 1t is gone. We are reduced as q
people to bankruptcy. We have been In afhuence and
our riches have flown away. But who Is to bamef
From what that rcsulty II ID from the var
it is one of the penalties we must pay It was war o.
our own seeking and such has been the result Of It, We
made the war As Southern man am bound to say,
and history will say, we fred the first gun The result OF
have been mpoyer shed by folly, and such will ever
be the result of stupendous folly But while say these
things this point think some ADVANTAGES VIII result
from this war in the future. Whilst have been hur,
and the present. yet let US remember that
may accumulate property in the future and all our sur
plus capital instead of being laid out In negroes Will D.
expended In permanent improvements increasing the
comforts Of our hOus manurinS our LANDS, planting
orchards, building permanent fences and III manulac
lures of all kinds Attracted to this land immigrants
from 9th parts Of the world, and from the North viii
come tile amongst us, because we have As good
,ine "a any under the sun Our towns and villages IN
of go ng decay will improve and arts and sci
will flourish among US. Such believe, VIII %
one of the results Of this wal. And not only that
there is another advantage we % nave oesI
very sensitive people. We allowed
no man to think that slavery moral social or po


cal evil and il any thought thus he was deemed
unsound and arraigned before vigilance committees
Even when Lord John Russell In England, took occasion
TO say that he hoped slavery would be abolished by h
revolution, our people commenced abusing hlm a. u nc
when they differed with u.s. and wc carried our opposition
TO mems thinking they pleased to such an extreme
that among who dared to diner from US on TINS
subject were gned by law before legal tribu
nal Bat before vigant societies, and personally abused
Civilization was almost driven from the iand-law and





we can look s land and pray ns Solomon did, that
all of Adams may be elevated to dignity and happi
ness Now every may, in the exercise OF his con
sutonal rights advocate slavery or dcnounce IT,, sur
rounded US he by the power Of the government Of the
United states which protects us fully in the enjoyment
of these rights But, fellow citizens as before remark
ed we have severely suffered from this Our towns
have been burned and destroyed, our fields have
been laid waste, our homes and cattle have beer
taken from u.s. and children have fallen bloody
fields But Notwithstanding this, there is hope II seems
TO be the order Of Provid nee In dealing with nation
He deals with individuals that they shall be perfected
by suTeringo We shall out OF this controversy
more glorious and happy people. The presence Of lib
erty will be well guarded among We shall remain
free and united people In looking down the vista o.
time I see Georgia ten-fold more prosperous, ant
when ali our sectional prejudccs shall have died
away, we shall meet together, North and South al
brethren, rejoicing under our government ant
marching the glorious destiny which Ii before us
Not only will Georgia increase in wealth and popula
ton, but the whole southern country will be more
prosperous in arts manufactures wealth and cviliza
ton | see them marching on in this new order o
things The whole country, united In the bonds o
charity and love- must 20 prosperng until this grea
nation shall be unequalled by any power on earth
This In country these are her prospects To thi
standard invite you 10 rally.