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Dr. James Thomas Ellis was a Georgia State Representative
(1868-1870).
GRIFFIN SEMI WEEKLY STAR
Tuesday, March 23, 1869
LETTER FROM DR. ELLIS
To the
Citizens of Spalding County:
Having returned last night from
Atlanta, where I have been sojourning for the last two months,
representing as I supposed the interests of my county; and finding
there was a diversity of opinion in reference to the course I
pursued. I deemed it but just that I should give the motives that
prompted me to pursue the course I did on this occasion.
It is remembered, I presume, by all
who were at the courthouse the day I was nominated, that I accepted
the nomination, not for office (especially.) but to beat in Spalding
the Radical constitution, framed by the Radical convention in
Atlanta. This I honestly and earnestly strove to do - this I know,
all who witnessed the election will testify to. The constitution,
however was carried in the state, and I was required before taking a
seat in the Legislature to swear to support that Constituition and
the Constitution of the United States. Now it is clear and apparent
to all honest, fair minded men that I could not run the same
schedule, after having taken an oath to support said consitution;
and then I had to carry principles and doctrines I had sought to
defeat. This, I thought all knew and fully appreciated; but, it
would seem some are disposed to find fault. I have many faults I
would like to be free from, but in the condition of our country, I
look on the 15th amendment as being decidedly more in favor of the
South than the North; because the 14h amendment has fastened in my
judgment, Negro suffrage as firmly on us as the 15th amendment will
fasten it on the North. Indeed, there is nothing in the 15th that
will alter in the slightest status on the suffrage question in
Georgia. Again, I believed it right to support the 15th amendment,
because Gov. Bullock and his friends were opposed to it thinking if
it was rejected they could have entire control of the affairs of the
state and replace the Negroes in the Legislature - this, I trust
will not come yet. I have strong reasons to fear it will.
Our senators and representatives
urged the adoption of the 15th amendment as our last chance to
sustain the government of Georgia, and many of our wisest and best
men at home said adopt it by all means, and nearly all the
Democrats that voted against it wanted it adopted. I did come to
Griffin twice and spoke of it; I found but few who seemed opposed to
it. Editors and newpapers have been almost silent on the
impropriety of its adoption, and I had to be governed by the facts
as I saw them from my standpoint, which are these:
1st. Negro suffrage was already
fastened by the 14th amendment, and the State constitution, on us;
therefore, we had nothing to loose by the adoption of the amendment,
and fastening it on the other States who had fastened on us with the
14th amendment.
2nd. If we had have adopted it, we
should doubtless have succeeded in maintaining our State government,
and kept Bullock and his friends in their place.
3d. If we had everything to win and
nothing to lose the game was a good one, and I fear the Rads will
make us rue the day it was rejected.
4th. I supported it, because ultra
Radicals sought to destroy it.
Now fellow citizens these are my
reasons for supporting that which is not in accord with our former
politics. These things I accept as necessary evils, growing out of
the fact of the surrender of General Lee at Appomatox. As your
representative, I have done the best I could for you and my county.
I take the advice of friends, but will not give my conscience to the
keeping of any man, or set of men. I have attained in all things
that have come before me in Legislative matters in a way that I
thought the greatest amount of good would occur to the greatest
number of people. If these reasons and policies suit you, all is
well, if not, your remedy is in your own hands. I am ready any day,
and at all times to lay at your feet the trust, for it is not an
office you confided in me, and if I cannot serve you untrammelled, I
will not serve you at all. The facts are before you, you do as you
see fit, and be assured of one fact, I will never seek to dictate to
any man I give my suffrage to, nor will I wear dog-block on my
conscience when there is a chance to shed it.
James T. Ellis
Transcribed by
Linda Ellis
2/12/1996
GA Archives
Griffin
Newspapers (Griffin Semi-Weekly Star)
Dr. 193, Box 64
(submitted by Linda Ellis,
October 4, 2005)
GRIFFIN
SEMI WEEKLY STAR
April 6, 1869
COMMUNICATED
EDITORS STAR - "Syphax,"
wanting, or, rather needing ideas and arguments, make makes a fling
at Dr. Ellis' late communication in regard to "its exquisite
grammar, and mudiness of ideas." Of course, S means
to set himself up as a standard of grammatical correctness and
clearness of ideas, but how does he stand in orthography? By m-u-d-i-n-e-s-s,
he means muddiness - two d's instead of one. By eminate,
he meant emanate - an a instead of an i.
Speaking of the article in the Star, he uses these expressions:
"When compared with the editor's own article" and, "The Dr.,
however, has adopted it as his own." In the former phrase, the word
"own" is tautological, and worse than useless; and in the latter
phrase, better taste would have been shown had "Syphax" left out the
three words, "as his own." It was enough to have written, "The Dr.,
however, has adopted it;" then the sentence and the sense would have
been complete. If the Dr. did adopt it, he did not adopt it for any
one but himself, and this critical Syphax does the Dr. injustice by
intimating (as he does by the expression, "as his own") that the Dr.
might have been induced to adopt it for some one else.
Syphax is equally unhappy in
his classical quotations. There is no such Latin phrase as "fidus
achatese." "Fidus Achates" is the expression that Syphax
should have written. Achates, being a proper name, should have
commenced with a capital A, and the e at the end of
the word, in the article of Syphax, is an error. Where, Syphax, in
any language do find the word "disputandem?" Let me correct you
again: "De gustibus, disputandum" is the "classical phrase,"
after which you were reaching, and if you had inserted a u in
the place of that e, you would have been "all right," as the
Dr. has it. In the effort to make an exhibition of your
familiarity with the classics, you have fallen a little short, and
have only made an exhibition of your ignorance of them. But this
is a small matter, as nine-tenths of those who have read, or may
ever read your communication, will not be aware of these errors,
unless they are pointed out. These may seem trifles to you, and I
should not have noticed them, had you not selected our
Representative as a proper subject for criticism, to enable you to
display your superior learning and more finished education. There
are graver errors in your reasoning than in your orthography, or
classical quotations, which errors I propose to point out to you in
the Star of next Friday. There are many other erros in your
article, some in orthography, and some in punctuation, that causes a
"mudiness" of ideas; but the foregoing are enough, to be noticed
now; and this is done, in order that I may suggest to you that it
might seem a trifle less fastidious and hypercritical, if you would
look at the matter and not the manner of articles
published in a village newpaper. In the elegant words of Dooner -
"So along" until Friday.
Very Respectfully,
RUF.
Transcribed by
Linda Ellis, 2/6/1996
GA Archives
Griffin, GA,
Newspapers (Griffin SemiWeekly Star)
Dr. 193, Box 64
(submitted by Linda Ellis,
October 4, 2005)
GRIFFIN SEMI
WEEKLY STAR
April 6, 1869
SYPHAX AND THE MIDDLE GEORGIAN
We have no time nor inclination
to notice long winded anonymous scribblings, of the character above
alluded to; and have already paid more attention to this ambuscade
than its weak logic and contemptible personalities deserve. But for
two reasons we should have mad no response whatever to "Syphax."
Dr. Ellis, we think unwisedly, has seen proper to publish a card in
vindication of his course - which card was drawn out in part by
Syphax, thus giving a degree of importance to the communication
which it would not have had. In the second "labor" of Syphax
- which was evidently a painful one - the writer seems to take great
pleasure in biting at the Editor of the Star over Dr. Ellis'
shoulders. We can assure him he is "gnawing" at the hardest kind of
a "file," when he throws up "Yankee" to us. We know his "sort."
The climax, and in fact, the warp and filling of such insect's
argument with men of northern birth is, "you're a 'Yankee;' "
"nothing good can come of a 'Yankee;' " ergo, "nothing good
can come from you." We have no ammunition to waste on such
hard-headed idiots as this.
But our main reason for
noticing Syphax at all is, the medium through which his
article obtains publicity, and the animus manifested by our
contemporary.
We regret extremely that the
proprietor of the Middle Georgian takes the same narrow views of
business as some of his predecessors have, to wit: to build up his
paper by trying to pull down the "Star." We are aware that
the old type in his office has been for years dripping with the gall
of hate toward the Star; simply because our paper was a
success, and the other a failure. The late of the Herald should be
a warning to the Georgian. He can never build himself up by
endeavoring to pull us down, nor by lending a helping hand to those
would abuse us, or excite low and groveling prejudices against us.
The way to make the Georgian a success, is to make it a good
paper. Until he does that, the Star will continue to be,
as heretofore, the only paper in Griffin. We have treated the
Georgian with the utmost courtesy and kindness, and intended to
continue to do so. We want it to keep running, for if it breaks
down, some paper will come here that might run us a close rivalry;
from the Georgian we have nought to fear. Our decided preference is
for "peace," but if this paper desires war, it can have it.
We only ask of it a fair open fight, and not a sneaking ambuscade
behind a nom de plume. Let him pick up the cudgel as soon as
he pleases, we are ready. The foolish charge that we have
exercised undue influence over Dr. Ellis, is unworthy of notice;
nobody believes it. As to assisting him in defending himself from
such rude and unmanly attacks as those of Syphax, he needs no
aid of ours, but is amply able to cope with such antagonists single
handed. The lack of elegant "grammar," over which Syphax grows so
witty, will be more than counter-balanced by the amount of good
sense in what he does, says and writes. He may not be heavy
on thread-bare Latin phrases, but he always succeeds in making
himself understood in his honest mother tongue.
Transcribed by
Linda Ellis GA
Archives Dr. 193, Box 64
2/12/1996 Griffin
Newspapers (Griffin Semi-Weekly Star)
(submitted by Linda Ellis,
October 4, 2005)
GRIFFIN SEMI-WEEKLY STAR
Tuesday, March 23, 1869
DR. ELLIS AND THE 15TH AMENDMENT
The Middle Georgian of the 19th
instant contains an anonymous letter addressed to our present
Representative and intended to be a somewhat sever criticism upon
Dr. Ellis' course in voting for the 15th Amendment.
We have known Dr. Ellis a
number of years, and have closely watched his course in the
Legislature. We know his position in the country and also know how
he came to be in the Legislature. . . He never sought the office.
He is no politician nor office seeker. He is one of our largest,
most intelligent, and most successful farmers. His character for
integrity is above suspicion, and he went to the Legislature at a
great personal sacrifice, and at the earnest solicitation of many of
the best citizens of the county. He is not dependent upon the votes
of the people for anything, and in our opinion, he would not hold
his present position one hour longer., if he believed the people of
the county did not endorse his course. We do not know the author of
the article in the Georgian, as he prudently disguises his real name
under an assumed one; but we take him to be of that class of hard
headed, small politicians, who never learn any new thing in
politics, but stick to the old exploded dogmas of the past with a
tenacity that death alone can soften. These people don't know that
there has been any war. They don't know that slavery is
abolished,. They don't know, nor in their honest Rip Van Wrinkle
dreams do they imagine that this nation has entirely changed its
principles of government, and has the power to enforce the new
theory.
They talk of State Rights, as
if there was such a thing left us; and speak of State sovereignty as
of a living practical principle. They can be taught no new
political tactics, and it is not with such an idea that we write
this article; our object being only to do an act of justice toward
our representative, and at the same time, present some views for the
contemplation of candid and liberal minded men.
Among the Democrats of this
Legislature, a large number believed it best for the interests of
the State to adopt the Amendment at once. Not because it was right
in itself; but, because the conquering and ruling power of the
nation demanded it; and they believed that its adoption would
alone cut the reconstruction business in Georgia, and leave the
people at rest, and at liberty to pursue their customary avocations
without further molestation -- leaving our State government in the
hands mostly of its real friends. Among the Democrats who thus
believed, were the wisest, coolest, most sagacious members of the
General Assembly; men of high character at home, who enjoyed the
confidence of the people--such men in the House, as Shumate, Haper
of terrell, Hudson, Price, Anderson, Dr. Ellis and others. And in
the Senate, such as Welburn and Nisbit. -- These men argued that
Georgia already had the same thing in her constitution which the
15th Amendment required, to wit, negro suffrage; and the Omnibus
bill restoring Georgia to position in the Union, expressly declared
that she should never take negro suffrage out of her
constitution. -- The adoption of the 15th Amendment would not
change our status one particle on the suffrage question, but would
extend negro suffrage all over the North. It was know that Grant
desired it, and our Democratic members in Congress advised it. -- It
was hoped, and confidently believed, that the adoption would
terminate the reconstruction business in Georgia, and give us
quietude. Under these views, these Democrats, determined to
vote for the Amendment. We believe they did so with the purest of
motives, and we are not now prepared to condemn their actions. On
the other side, strange bed-fellows were made on this occasion. The
most hot headed Democrats joined hands, with the ultra Radicals;
Burns united with old Higbee, and Hinton joined fortunes with that
old miscegenator, Adkins, and Ben Conley, Bullock's right bower,
gave the casting vote which defeated the Amendment.
The very men who call most
lustily for more reconstruction of our people voted against the
Amendment. And why?
Obviously for the purpose of upsetting our present State government,
and re inaugurating the carnival of provisional government and
carpet bag rule. We hope for the best, but we are strongly of the
opinion that in less than thirty days Congress will pass a law
authorizing Gov. Bullock to reassemble the Legislature, put back the
negroes and apply the 14th Amendment oath. This will place the
State entirely under radical rule. And the Democrats that are in
the Legislature then, might as well resign, for any good they can
do. I f the Amendment had passed, the same results might
have occurred in the long run, but it still left us room for hope.
After all, we do not consider it a matter of such vital importance,
which way the cat jumped on this occasion. The 15th Amendment will
be eventually adopted. It is part and parcel of the original scheme
to complete our subjugation, and the conqueror will enforce the
edict. It may be the last link in the chain of oppression, and it
may not. We first abolished slavery in obedience to orders from
Washington. Some men fought it, but fought in vain. We next
adopted the 14th Amendment under the same pressure, and measure
infinitely more degrading than the 15th is. The same bower forced
us to the adoption of our present State constitution, negro
suffrage, and all; and the same irresistible power will force upon
us the 15th Amendment. We therefore, cannot condemn the Democrats
who preferred accepting it under Democratic auspices, rather than
give the Georgia Radical party another chance to get control of the
State, on the strength of this Amendment.
We have surrendered to Grant on
the battlefield and at the ballot box, because compelled to
do it. We see no good likely to accrue by a powerless opposition to
his policy. Whenever the time arrives that his party splits up, we
shall be ready to help the side that promises the South the most
advantages. Till then, our voice is for quiet acquiescence in the
inevitable. -- Above all, let all true friends of the South bind
themselves together with hooks of steel, and if they differ in
opinion about matters of policy, discuss those differences in a
spirit of friendship, and not, by appeals to passion and prejudice,
stir up strife and contention among ourselves.
Transcribed by
Linda Ellis
2/12/1996
GA Archives,
M/F Dr. 193, Box 64
Griffin, GA
Newspapers (Griffin Semi-Weekly Star)
(submitted by Linda Ellis,
October 4, 2005)
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