GEORGIA. 



^icution of affording some n-l'u t' to 



l.'ii of in. I. -I.U-. l- 



i.!!,' tin-in is liki-ly to bo 



...'iition :it xome future day; 



/<t, Large amounts of property arc now \Q\ Md 



: iMivil at sheriff *B silk- ; and 

 1'iic d.-btors in such cases should 



\\hu-li nui> l.i- conferred on 

 ra l>y the future action of this convention ; 



';,:! by th, jieopUof Georyia in convention 

 ' / OrdaitH <l by nut li<irit ji of th>' 



jitl after the passage of this ordi- 

 uhit-li ha\e been or may be made, 



;inii issued from aii\ t-ourt of this State, 



shall l.t- >a-|.riidi'd untH this oonventioo shall have 

 ill have ivfiisi'd t<> take, final action upon 

 f relief; and that all sales under execu- 

 tion of this ordinance shall bo null, void, 



and of no eli'eet. 



On the 13th a resolution was adopted pro- 

 noimeiiiir 1 the successful culture of cotton essen- 

 tial to tin- prosperity of the State, and praying 

 the repeal of tin- tax thereon. On the 1'Jth 

 the follow iii|,' was adopted: 



We, the representatives of the people of Georgia, 



assembled in convention under the authority of the 



esa of tin- I'nited States, with a desire to ro- 



yalty, harmony, and tranquillity among the 



people, "and to secure for our State her proper place 



in the I'nion l.y representation in Congress, respect- 



fully represent to the general commanding this dis- 



trii-t, th;:t, to insure those great blessings for our- 



and our posterity, it is essential that the 



otlieiaU .\ li" iMToise the civil functions of the provi- 



i iiment of the State of Georgia, as recog- 



'iigress, shall be loyal to the Government 



of the United States, and acceptable to the majority 



of the people of the State. 



V> .-. the representatives of that majority, are now 



striving to overcome the obstacle in the patn of resto- 



ration to civil law, and, therefore, respectfully peti- 



tion the general commanding this district, that a pro- 



1 L'overnor be appointed who will assist in this 



great work, and do recommend for that appointment 



u. K. B. Bulloch, of Richmond County. 



indefinitely postponed all ordinances 

 of a legislative character, except those "touch- 

 ing the general relief of the people," and pro- 

 hibited any future consideration of such meas- 

 ure-. and baying made provision for the pay- 

 ment to members of the salary and mileage 

 allowed t< members of the State Assembly in 

 former times, the convention adjourned into 

 the year 1868 without having considered any 

 of the provisions of the future constitution of 

 the State. 



One of the first acts of General Meade, who 

 was appointed to relieve General Pope from 

 tin- command of the Third Military District on 

 the 13th day of January, 18G8, was to remove 

 Governor Jenkins from office and appoint 

 Brevet Major-General Thomas II. linger, colo- 

 nel of the Third Infantry, to be Governor in 

 his stead, and in like manner to supersede the 

 Treasurer. The convention had adopted 

 an ordinance before its adjournment making it 

 the duty of the Comptroller to levy a tax to 

 pay the expenses of the convention, and direct- 

 in- the State Treasurer to advance $40,000 for 

 the pay and mileage of members up to the 23d 



of December, 1867. This ordinance was for- 

 warded to Mr. .lolin Join-, tin- '1 .' . 

 the State, indnr-rd witli instruction- In.!:. 

 era! 1'ope to pay the Sum ile-i^nated to the. 

 disbursing officer of the convention. Thi- Mr. 

 .li.in - refused to do, declaring that h- held his 

 olhce under tin; constitution of (ieor-ia. adopt- 

 ed in 1865, and was forbidden, by the provi- 

 sions of that instrument, to pay mont-\ out of 

 the Treasury except upon warrant of tin 

 eruor and sanction of the Comptroller-! Jeiieral. 

 Aftt-r the change of military commanders had 

 been made, General Meade wrote to Governor 

 Jenkins on the 7th of January, 1868, communi- 

 cating the ordinance of the convention and the 

 reply of the Treasurer, and requesting the Gov- 

 ernor to issue an executive warrant on the 

 Si. -it i Treasurer for the payment of the sum 

 specified. Mr. Jenkins declining to comply 

 with this request, on the ground that he was 

 sworn to support the constitution, which for- 

 bade any money to be drawn from the Treasury 

 except by appropriation made by law, the re- 

 moval was made, as stated above, on the 13th 

 of January, 1868. Accompanying the order 

 making the removal was the following letter : 



HEADQUARTERS THIRD MILITARY DISTRICT ) 



(GEORGIA, ALABAMA, AND FLORIDA), V 



ATLANTA, GA., January 13, 18C8. ) 



Charles J. Jenkins, Milledgemlle, Ga. : 



SIK : I have received, with profound regret, your 

 communication of the 10th instant, in which you de- 

 cline to accede to the request made in mine of the 7th 

 instant. As I cannot but consider your action as a 

 failure to cooperate with me in executing the laws 

 known as the Reconstruction Laws of Congress, and, 

 as I am further advised, you have declined to pav the 

 salary of M. S. Bigby, Solicitor-General of the Talla- 

 poosa Circuit, on the ground that, said officer having 

 been appointed by the military commander of the 

 Third Military District, you cannot recognize the 

 validity of his appointment, I am forced, most reluc- 

 tantly, to view your actions as obstructions to the ex- 

 ecution of the Reconstruction Laws, and have no 

 alternative but to remove you from your office, as you 

 will see I have done by the enclosed order. I do not 

 deem myself called upon to answer the arguments of 

 your letter. The issue is very plain between us. I 

 must require the acknowledgment of the validitv of 

 the Reconstruction Laws, and you plainly deny them 

 as having any binding force on your actions. Both 

 of us are acting from a conscientious sense of duty, 

 but the issue is so plain and direct that all hope of 

 harmonious cooperation must be abandoned. 



With feelings of high personal respect, and with 

 sincere regret for the course I feel myself compelled 

 to take, I remain, most respectfully, vour obedient 

 servant, GEORGE G. MEADE, 



Major-General Commanding. 



Owing to the want of any settled system of 

 labor since the abolition of slavery, to an unfa- 

 vorable season for the crops in 1867, and to a 

 universal lack of pecuniary capital, Georgia, in 

 common with the neighboring States, suffered 

 from scarcity of food in the early part of the 

 year, but, through timely supplies from other 

 parts of the country, escaped extreme destitu- 

 tion until the harvests of the year came in, 

 which, though not very abundant, showed 

 the average production of cotton and the 

 grains. 



