A bill had been introduced into Congress soon after the opening of the session beginning March 4th, 1869, dealing with the subject. It was claimed in the preamble of this bill that the Georgia legislature had not purged itself of disloyal members as required by the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, that it had violated the constitution of Georgia and the Constitution of the United States and the fundamental principles of the Reconstruction Acts by expelling the negro members for ineligibility, and that the civil authorities in the "State" could not, or did not, protect the loyal citizens in the enjoyment of their rights and liberties or even in their persons. The bill proposed to meet these difficulties by providing that the Governor of Georgia should reconvene the originally elected members of the legislature, reseat the expelled negro members, and expel such members as could not swear that they were not disqualified by the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. It may be remarked here in passing that the Fourteenth Amendment does not disqualify anybody, in express language, from being a member of a "State" legislature. It disqualifies all persons who have engaged in rebellion after having taken an oath, as a member of Congress or of a "State" legislature, or as a United States or a "State" officer, to support the Constitution of the United States, from holding a seat in Congress or from being an officer of the United States or of a "State," _but not from holding a seat in a "State" legislature_. The word officer in the public {237} jurisprudence of this country does not include membership in a legislative body. But to return to the bill. It provided finally for making United States troops in Georgia subject to the Governor's call for assistance. This bill was so seriously opposed by the Democrats and the conservative Republicans that it did not pass, and during this session Congress did nothing further for the restoration of Georgia. [Sidenote: The case of White and Clements.]