340 



GEORGIA. 



voter in the county of the election ; but all persons 

 not duly qualified to vote are, and shall continue to 

 be, subject to all the pains and penalties fixed by law 

 in case they vote illegally. 



No provision, however, is made for the detec- 

 tion of fraudulent voters. Ample powers are 

 given to the managers to prevent riots and 

 disturbances, and all sheriffs, constables, and 

 police officers, are for the time being made sub- 

 ject to their orders. They have power by 

 parole to order arrests, and the officers under 

 their direction are required to make such 

 arrests without warrants. Full directions are 

 given for receiving and counting the ballots. 



SEC. 12. It shall be the duty of said managers to De- 

 ceive each ballot and deposit the same in a ballot-box ; 

 and it shall not be lawful for either of them, or for any 

 clerk, to open any closed ballot until the polls are 

 closed and the counting of the votes is commenced. 



SEC. 18. It shall be the duty of said managers to 

 prevent any person, except themselves and the three 

 clerks by them to be appointed and sworn, to remain 

 in the room when the ballots are received, so near the 

 ballot-box or the polling-place as to examine the tick- 

 ets or to handle any ticket, and they shall have the 

 same power to enforce this as other duties herein cast 

 upon them. 



SEC. 14. The said managers may select three com- 

 petent persons to act as clerks in keeping the list of 

 voters and tally-sheets, but said clerks shall not be 

 permitted to handle any ballot or examine the same. 



SEO. 15. One of said managers shall receive the bal- 

 lots from the voters and hand them to a second, who 

 shall deposit the same in the box, and at no time shall 

 any vote be received unless there be at least three of 

 said managers present. 



SEO. 16. Said managers, clerks, and officers, except 

 police officers actually on duty, shall receive from the 

 county treasurer three dollars for each day's duty at 

 said election. 



SEC. 17. It shall be in the power of said managers, or 

 any three of them, to fine any sheriff, deputy sheriff, 

 marshal, or police officer, not more than one hundred 

 dollars, as for contempt, if he fail to obey any lawful 

 order of said managers, or either of them, for the en- 

 forcement of the laws for keeping the peace, preserv- 

 ing order, and protecting the freedom of election, on 

 the day of the election. 



An oath is to be taken that these duties will 

 be faithfully performed, and every fraudulent 

 practice on the part of the managers is made a 

 misdemeanor and punishable as such. 



The financial condition of the State also 

 required considerable attention in the Legis- 

 lature. It was not such as to give any ap- 

 prehension as to the solvency of the Treasury, 

 but the quarrels between the Governor and 

 Treasurer, and the uncertainty which existed 

 with regard to the actual treatment of the 

 public funds and the State debt, had un- 

 doubtedly injured the credit of the Com- 

 monwealth. Moreover, the action of the Le- 

 gislature since the war had not served to in- 

 crease the satisfaction of the people with the 

 management of the public finances, or the con- 

 fidence of others in the soundness of their 

 condition. The debt amounted to only $6,014,- 

 500, and had not been increased since 1867, 

 while, the State possessed available assets, 

 which, according to the statement of the Gov- 

 ernor, would sell at public auction for more 

 than $12,000,000; but a portion of this in- 



debtedness was overdue, with no provision for 

 its payment, and the greater part consisted of 

 currency bonds bearing seven percent, currency 

 interest, and carrying a special mortgage on the 

 Western and Atlantic Eailroad. In accordance 

 with a recommendation of the Governor, an act 

 was now passed to authorize the issue of new 

 bonds, to redeem those which had fallen due, 

 and to fund the old currency bonds. These 

 new bonds bear seven per cent, interest in gold, 

 payable quarterly, and are redeemable in gold 

 at the end of twenty years. This act may be 

 said to place the finances of the State on a solid 

 basis. No official statement has been made of 

 the receipts and expenditures of the govern- 

 ment for 1870, but in 1869 the former amount- 

 ed to $2,183,900.61 and the latter to $1,857,- 

 825.98. On the 16th of January, 1870, there 

 was a balance on hand of $441,960.18. The 

 Legislature during its session provided for levy- 

 ing and collecting a tax for the support of the 

 government for the year 1870. It also author- 

 ized alease of the State Kailroad, known as the 

 Atlantic and Western, at a monthly rental of 

 not less than $25,000. 



Toward the close of the session an act was 

 passed providing that, " in all suits pending 

 or hereafter brought in or before any court in 

 this State, founded upon any debt or contract 

 made or implied before the first day of June, 

 1865, or upon any debt or contract in renewal 

 thereof, it shall not be lawful for the plaintiff 

 to have a verdict or judgment in his favor until 

 he has made it clearly appear, to the tribunal 

 trying the same, that all the legal taxes charge- 

 able upon the same have been duly paid for each 

 year since the making or implying of said debt 

 or contract;" and that, "in all suits now pend- 

 ing, or hereafter to be brought in any court in 

 this State, founded on any such contract, or upon 

 any debt in renewal thereof, it shall be lawful 

 for the defendant to plead and prove in de- 

 fence, and as an offset to the same, any losses 

 the said defendant may have suffered by or in 

 consequence of the late war against the Uni- 

 ted States, by the people of this and other 

 States, whether said losses be from the eman- 

 cipation of slaves, the destruction or deprecia- 

 tion of property, or in any other way be fairly 

 caused by said war and the results thereof." 



Another important matter, disposed of by 

 the Legislature during this session, was that 

 of establishing a system of public education. 

 First of all, an investigation was ordered re- 

 specting the condition of the school-fund, and 

 it was ascertained that that fund amounted to 

 $242,000 and was secured by $268,000 of seven 

 per cent, bonds. An act was then passed, set- 

 ting apart and securing this amount to the 

 sole purpose of promoting popular education. 

 This was followed by a bill "to establish a sys- 

 tem of public instruction." This provides for a 

 State Board of Education, to consist of the 

 Governor, Attorney-General, Secretary of 

 State, Comptroller-General, and State School 

 Commissioner, which is to hold meetings at 



