364 



GEORGIA. 



hold your office by permission of the United States 

 Government ; I hold mine, as do thousands of others, 

 both civil and military, by substantially the same 

 tenure. Custom, old enough to be law itself, restricts 

 us in conversation and action, precisely as paragraph 

 3 of my order restricts you. 



There is a very simple mode of freeing ourselves 

 from such restrictions when they become too oppres- 

 sive. 



In conclusion, Governor, it seems necessary for me 

 to say in general reply to the latter portion of your 

 letter, that the paragraph of -my order to which you 

 object was very carefully considered ; that it means 

 precisely what it says, and that to the full extent of 

 my power it will be strictly enforced. 



My great respect for your personal character has 

 made it painful to me to write you this letter, but as 

 a fair and full understanding between us is absolutely 

 essential to any thing like harmonious relations, I 

 have thought it necessary, even at the risk of giving 

 offence, to acquaint you fully with my understanding 

 of my duty, and of the status of the civil officers of 

 the provisional State governments under the late Acts 

 of Congress. 



I again assure you that it shall be my study, as it 

 will be my pleasure, to preserve unimpaired friendly 

 and harmonious relations with you, and I trust that 

 our views on the subject of this correspondence may 

 be made to harmonize sufficiently to secure this re- 

 sult. I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 



JOHN POPE, 

 Major-General Commanding. 



On the next day General Pope issued an 

 order republishing paragraph 3 of Order No. 

 1, with the following interpretation and direc- 

 tions with regard to its execution : 



The words " shall not use any influence what- 1 

 ever " shall be interpreted in their widest sense, and 

 held to mean advice, verbal or written, given to in- 

 dividuals, committees, or the public. 



All officers in this military district are directed, and 

 citizens are requested, to give immediate information 

 of any infraction of this order ; and to prevent mis- 

 understanding ' on the subject, -it is distinctly an- 

 nounced that any civil official (State or municipal) 

 within this district, who violates the above order, 

 will be deposed from his office and held accountable 

 in such other manner as the nature of the case de- 

 mands. 



General Pope had occasion to exercise the 

 power of removing and appointing civil officers 

 but sparingly. On the 30th of April, how- 

 ever, lie appointed a mayor and Board of Al- 

 dermen for the city of Augusta on the expira- 

 tion of the term of office of the former in- 

 cumbents. On the 14th of May the sheriff and 

 deputy-sheriff of Bartow County were re- 

 moved for "gross neglect of duty," in conse- 

 quence of which " criminals have escaped, and 

 loyal men have been unable to secure justice 

 through their negligence or connivance." 



In the District of Georgia the use of the 

 "chain-gang," as a mode of legal punishment, 

 except in case of prisoners sentenced to the 

 penitentiary, was discontinued from the 1st of 

 May. 



The order announcing the regulations to be 

 observed, in accomplishing the registration of 

 persons entitled to vote in the Thfrd Military 

 District, was published on the 21st of May, fol- 

 lowed on the 1st of June by instructions to the 

 registrars. (See ALABAMA.) Special instruc- 

 tions to the Boards of Eeristration in Georgia 



were published on the 17th of June, designat- 

 ing the classes of persons entitled to vote, and 

 those who were disqualified under the law. 



The United States District Attorney at Sa- 

 vannah being applied to for his opinion on the 

 question, "whether or not a citizen pardoned 

 by the President, for his participation in the 

 rebellion, before the passage of the Acts, can 

 be legally included among the disfranchised," 

 declared it to be his belief that such a citizen 

 was entitled to register his name and cast his 

 vote at the election. A few days after this 

 opinion of the District Attorney was published, 

 an announcement appeared in one of the Savan- 

 nah papers, over the signature of the president 

 of the Board of Eegistration for that city, 

 stating that instructions had been received to 

 register all persons who would take the pre- 

 scribed oath, and giving notice, that if the per- 

 sons who had called at the office with their 

 pardons, would repeat the visit, they would 

 receive prompt attention. This advertisement 

 called forth the following from headquarters : 



To Henry S. Wetmore, President Board Registration, 

 Savannah, Ga. : 



No such instructions are authorized as you announce 

 in the Savannah papers. You will be guided by the 

 law and previous printed instructions. Kecall vour 

 advertisement. By order of Major-General POPE. 



J. N. MELINE, General Inspector Eegistration. 



The Fourth of July was very generally cele- 

 brated in the State. At Atlanta there was a 

 Eepublican "State Mass Convention," dele- 

 gates to which were chosen without distinction 

 of color. In their resolutions they adopted -the 

 name of the Union Eepublican party of Georgia, 

 and declared themselves in alliance with the 

 National Eepublican party. They pledge their 

 hearty support to the reconstruction measures 

 of Congress, favor a general system of free 

 schools, and declare the principles of the Ee- 

 publican party to be identified with the in- 

 terests of the laboring class in society and the 

 equal rights of all men. Finally, they express 

 their admiration and esteem for General Pope, 

 and indorse "his wise, patriotic, and 'states- 

 manlike administration of the Eeconstruction 

 Laws," with assurances that he will have the 

 " encouragement and support of the Union Ee- 

 publican party of Georgia, in. his further en- 

 deavors to institute a loyal and legal govern- 

 ment for our beloved State." 



While registration was going on in the State, 

 the public discussions on the political situation 

 indicated three classes among the citizens: those 

 who favored a hearty support of the military 

 .reconstruction plan; those who recommended 

 entire inaction under the operation of the laws; 

 and those who counselled a general registration, 

 to be followed by a vote against holding a con- 

 vention. Prominent amongst those who ad- 

 vised the last-named course was ex-Governor 

 Herschel V. Johnson. After reviewing the 

 situation and the terms offered for the recon- 

 struction of the Southern States, in a letter to 

 several gentlemen of Atlanta, who had request- 



