After the swearing in of members had gone on in the house of representatives, as we have said, it was believed by the Radicals that some Conservatives were acting upon the judge's interpretation and disregarding the attorney general's, and that others had sworn or intended to swear falsely who were debarred even by the former. Ordinarily, if a man intends to swear falsely to a test oath there is no way of preventing him. In the existing state of public opinion, prosecution for perjury after the oath of office was taken was impossible. But Georgia had a military governor. By issuing orders he could prevent men whom he believed ineligible from swearing and could unseat those whom he believed to have sworn falsely. This Terry decided to do. On January 13 he detailed a board of soldiers to investigate the cases of twenty-one members elect whose eligibility was questioned.[224] This board sat for two weeks, and found five men ineligible[225] and eleven eligible.[226] Terry accordingly forbade the five, and ordered the eleven, to be sworn in. The remaining five of the twenty-one, together with nineteen others, confessed ineligibility by filing with Bullock application for the removal of their disabilities by Congress. These also Terry forbade to be sworn in.[227] The actions and the decision of the board of inquiry were pronounced fair and honorable even by the Conservatives.[228] The nineteen applications for Congressional grace were said to have been procured by the Radicals through intimidation and fraud.[229] If the applicants were in fact ineligible but intended nevertheless to take the oath, then we must admire the cleverness of the Radicals in dissuading them, by whatever means they did it. If they used intimidation and fraud, their means were no worse than the end sought by their victims--the frustration of a law by perjury. On the other hand, if nineteen Conservatives who were eligible were induced by Radicals to petition for the removal of ineligibility, the fact may excite disapproval of the Radicals, but hardly pity for the Conservatives.