366 



GEOEGIA. 



district are such as I consider necessary to the 

 execution of the reconstruction Acts." 



The registration of voters in the State of 

 Georgia was completed before the 19th of Sep- 

 tember, on which day the order was issued 

 directing the election to be held, commencing 

 on Tuesday, the 29th of October, and continu- 

 ing three days. The whole number registered 

 was 188,647, the whites being in the majority 

 by about 2,000 names. 



The provisions of the election order are near- 

 ly identical with those previously issued for the 

 State of Alabama. (See ALABAMA.) The 166 

 delegates were apportioned among the sena- 

 torial districts of the State. Instructions were 

 issued by the superintendent of registration to 

 the various boards throughout the State on the 

 1st of October, giving specific directions as to 

 the manner of taking the vote. The election, 

 which was ordered for the last three days of 

 October, was continued, by military order No. 

 83, on the 1st and 2d of November ; 106,410 

 votes were cast, of which 102,283 were "for a 

 convention," and 4,127 " against a convention." 

 A very large proportion of the whites abstained 

 from voting, though 36,000 are reported to 

 have voted in favor of holding the convention. 

 Of the delegates chosen, 133 were whites and 

 33 blacks. 



An order was published , on the 19th of No- 

 vember announcing the names of the delegates, 

 and directing them to assemble in convention 

 at Atlanta, on Monday, the 9th day of Decem- 

 ber, and proceed to frame a constitution and 

 civil government for the State of Georgia. 



Before the assembling of the delegates 

 chosen by qualified voters to frame the new 

 constitution, the Conservatives of the State 

 held a convention at Macon, in which nearly 

 every county was represented. This body met 

 on the 5th of December, and chose the Hon. 

 B. H. Hill president of the convention by ac- 

 clamation. On taking the chair, Mr. Hill con- 

 gratulated the assembly on the auspicious occa- 

 sion of the meeting, and dwelt at length on the 

 sacred obligation of the Federal Constitution. 

 " Your duty," he said, " is as manifest as ex- 

 istence and as important as life. It is summed 

 up in one sentence: Hold on, hold on, hold on, 

 at all hazards, and through all sacrifices, to the 

 Constitution of your fathers." He expressed 

 his belief that a large portion of the people of 

 the North did not desire to do them injustice, 

 and there would yet be a reaction in their 

 favor. 



The following are the principal resolutions 

 adopted by the convention : 



Resolved, That we recognize the duty to sustain law 

 and order, and support cheerfully all constitutional 

 measures of the United States Government, and 

 maintain the rights of all classes under enlightened 

 and liberal laws. 



Resolved, That the people of Georgia accept in good 

 faith the legitimate results of the late war, and renew 

 their expressions of allegiance to the Union of the 

 States ; and reiterate their determination to maintain 

 inviolate the Constitution framed by their fathers. 



Resolved^ That we protest, dispassionately, yet 

 firmly, against what are known as the Reconstruction 

 Acts of Congress, and against the vindictive and par- 

 tisan administration of those acts, as wrong in' prin- 

 ciple, oppressive in action, and ruinous to the States 

 of the South, as well as hurtful to the true welfare of 

 every portion of our common country, and leading 

 directly, if not intentionally, to the permanent su- 

 premacy of the negro race in all those States where 

 those laws are now being enforced. 



Resolved, That we protest in like spirit and manner 

 against the policy of the dominant party in Congress, 

 which seeks to inflict upon the States of the South 

 permanent bad government, as wrong not only to all 

 races in the South, and to the people of all parts of 

 the Union, but a crime against civilization which it is 

 the duty of all right-minded men everywhere to dis- 

 countenance and condemn. 



Itesolved, That we enter on record, in the name and 

 behalf of the people of this State, this our solemn 

 protest against the assembling of a convention, which 

 we affirm, with evidence before us, has been ordered 

 under pretence of votes which were illegally author- 

 ized, forcibly procured, fraudulently received, and 

 falsely counted, as we believe. And, in view of the 

 solemn responsibilities of the issues involved, we do 

 hereby declare that we will forever hold the work of 

 framing a constitution by such authority, with intent 

 to be forced by military power on the tree people of 

 this ancient Commonwealth, as a crime against our 

 people, against the continuance of free government, 

 against the peace of society, against the purity of the 

 ballot-box, and against the dignity and character of 

 representative institutions. 



The remaining resolutions provide for the 

 appointment of a Central Executive Commit- 

 tee, and the organization of the party in the 

 various counties ; appoint a committee, among 

 which were Herschel V. Johnson and B. H. 

 Hill, to prepare and publish an address to the 

 people of Georgia and of the United States, 

 setting forth the true sentiments of the white 

 race in the State; and finally express the 

 thanks of the convention to the Conservatives 

 of the North for their support of the ' ; Consti- 

 tution of our fathers and the supremacy of the 

 white race." The following was also unani- 

 mously adopted : 



Resolved. That our warmest gratitude and most 

 heartfelt thanks are hereby tendered to the benevo- 

 lent friends, at the North and West, who sent their 

 contributions so generously to our suffering people 

 during the past and present year, and we pray that a 

 gracious Providence will vouchsafe that they may 



father up their bread thus cast upon the waters a 

 undred-fold in days to come. 



The Constitutional Convention met in the 

 city hall, at Atlanta, on the 9th of December, 

 in accordance with the order of General Pope, 

 and was called to order by G. "W. Ashburn. 

 On the following day a permanent organization 

 was effected, and the Hon. J. E. Parrott was 

 chosen president. The convention stood ad- 

 journed from the 23d of December to the 8th 

 of January, 1868. During the twelve days in 

 which the convention sat in the month of De- 

 cember, its action was mostly of a legislative 

 character. 



The question of relief to debtors was one 

 which occupied the attention of the people at 

 the time, and on the 12th the following ordi- 

 nance was adopted : 



