his advice for the protection of the public morals, and to prevent the desecration of the Sabbath by the general preparation for elections on Monday, changed the general election day to Wednesday.

At the session of 1860, the Governor took the following bold position which, however, he could not adhere to because the demands of a war of invasion made it wholly impracticable :

"The step taken at the last session for the protection of the Sabbath against desecration is highly commendable and praiseworthy. Another still more important remains to be taken. The railroad companies of this State are in the habit of running their regular passenger trains on the Sabbath day. This is generally excused on the supposed necessity of carrying the mails on that day. I do not think the excuse is a sufficient one, nor do I think any great public necessity requires that mail service should be performed on the Sabbath day. The mail facilities which we enjoy on the other days of the week are much greater than they were a few years since, and are, in my opinion, quite sufficient for all the actual necessities of the country. I have permitted the mail trains to run on the State road, on the Sabbath day, in conformity to the general usage of the railroad companies of this State, and in obedience to the requirements of a contract with the post-office department which was made prior to my term in office, and which continued in existence the greater portion of the time since I have been charged with the management of the road. The practice of running trains on the Sabbath should, in my opinion, be prohibited by law. If it is wrong for the government of the State to permit the trains to run on the State road on that day, it is equally wrong to allow them to run on any company road in the State. The General Assembly have full power to prevent this practice in the future. I therefore recommend the enactment of a law subjecting the superintendent of each and every railroad in this State to indictment for misdemeanor, in the superior court of the county in which the offence is committed; and on conviction to fine or imprisonment, or both, at the discretion of the court, for each and every engine, or train, which shall, with his knowledge or consent, be permitted to run upon the road under his control, on the Sabbath day. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy,' is addressed alike to the legislator and to the private citizen."

6

RETRENCHMENT AND ECONOMY.

These were the ruling tenets of the civil administration of Governor Brown, adhered to with a moral courage

that, in the face of the then potent opposition and often biting criticisms by political foes, and not unfrequently by men he displeased in his own party, rose to the height of sublimity, and heroic firmness.

Not a leak at which unlawful drainage from the public treasury had been tolerated, no matter how respectable the beneficiaries, or honored the custom by age and use, could escape his sleepless ken, or his bold efforts to stop and suppress. And many things that tended to a waste. of the public money that were authorized by law were assailed, and reform demanded of the Legislature; even to the reduction of the members and officers of that large and unwieldy body. In this direction he was hide-bound and impervious to sympathy, charity, love, affection, or any other method of approach to the public Treasury.

In the opposite direction of using the public money and credit to aid and advance all and every enterprise or method of benefit and improvement to the State and people, which after mature and critical examination met the approval of his judgment, he was liberal, not to say profuse.

MILITARY ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR BROWN.

This extends over a period of several years of peace. prior to the revolt of the Confederate States, and through the four years of war that ensued.

When he was first inaugurated, like his predecessors he was by the Constitution of the State invested with the power of Commander-in-chief of the army and navy without anything that bore the resemblance or name of either to command in any emergency that might have arisen, or that he could call into action for the protection of the State against invasion from without or disorder within.

He was also by authority of the Constitution Commander-in-chief of the Militia of the State which was in a state of non-user and general neglect, without any pretended organization, officers, means of instruction in drill and tactics, or the duties of a soldier in service, and therefore wholly inefficient if not useless in case any occasion should have arisen that required the Governor to call the citizen soldiers to protect the State, preserve public order, or to execute the public laws. The State almost literally had no division, brigade, regimental battalion, or company officers, and no rolls of men liable to do military duty. Public drills and musters vaguely remembered as the subject of ridicule, and barren of good results as to military order and instruction, had in almost every part of the State been wholly discontinued, and nothing had been introduced to supply the want, leaving the Commander-in-chief without a force to protect the State except the civil officers and the posse comitatus, which in many places were not reliable for even local emergencies had they arisen.

The great State of Georgia was virtually dependent, not on any power the Governor could have wielded, or any organized force for self-protection, but was dependent on the chances of continued peace and order without force; or upon the prompt voluntary action of her people for her protection and defence through the few amateur volunteer companies in the towns and cities.

Finding the State in this condition, and looking forward to the possibility of things that were precipitated soon after, he began to press upon the people of the State, through the Legislature, the importance of reforms and changes in the militia system, and the preparation of the citizen soldiery for the public service. Into this, as

many other reforms and proposed changes, he carried his zeal and energy, guided by his usual forecast and sagacity. The magic influence was felt throughout the State as the early culminating dangers began to be seen in the distance; and the grand result was, that Georgia sent early to the field of carnage, when war had been inaugurated, an excess in number according to white population over all the States, north and south; and the annals of battle and marches, and of suffering and heroic endurance, place her troops in the front rank among her sister confederates from the beginning to the end of the strife.

He pressed the importance of the State's military school at Marietta, and urged its re-organization and such public appropriations as were needed to make it a success, and enlarge its usefulness in training the young men of the country to arms.

He also urged the Legislature to change the militia laws, and to put the State in a situation to protect herself, in the following strong terms:

"For the purpose of giving new life and energy to our military system which is now almost entirely neglected, the importance of affording to a portion of the youth of our State a thorough military education cannot be too highly appreciated. The people of many of the States of this Union are falling behind most of the civilized nations of the earth in military training. Within the last twenty years the more powerful nations of Europe have probably advanced more in military science and skill, and in all the arts of war, than they had during any previous century. It is believed that no one will doubt the correctness of this remark who has observed attentively the late struggles between the contending powers in the Crimea and in Italy.

"There is not a more brave and patriotic people on earth than those of the United States; and there is probably no nation whose militia is so reliable on the field of battle; yet in this day of constant advancement in military science, those who depend alone upon patriotism and valor enter the field, even in their own defence, under great disadvantage. Should our country be invaded by any of the great powers of the other hemisphere, our people would be found at the commencement of the struggle to be almost destitute of military training. Until this deficiency could be supplied, they might be

unable to contend with the disciplined troops of a regular army without great loss of life and much detriment to our national character.

"There is probably no State in the Union, certainly not one of the old thirteen, in which military training is more neglected than in our own. We know not how soon we may be brought to the practical test of defending ourselves against the assaults of foreign ambition, or the more unnatural attacks of those who ought to be our brethren, but whose fanaticism is prompting them to a course which is daily weakening the ties that bind us together as one people. The father of his country has admonished us to prepare for war in time of peace. If we would profit by his advice it is necessary that we reorganize our military system. I do not hesitate to say, that the State should offer every reasonable inducement for the organization and training of volunteer military corps, as the best and most efficient mode of reviving the military spirit among our people. This cannot be done until she has made provision for arming such companies. At present, the only provision for this purpose is the distribution of the small quota of arms which the State receives annually from the General Government, and which is wholly inadequate to the demand. The consequence is, that many of our volunteer companies are without arms, while many others would be organized were it known that they could be supplied with suitable arms.

"Frequent applications are made to this department for arms with a view to the organization of new volunteer companies; and when those who apply are informed that they cannot be supplied, all further attempts to organize such companies are abandoned.

"For the purpose of encouraging the organization of volunteer corps, I recommend that all laws now in force requiring the performance of military service other than that performed by volunteer corps be suspended, except in case of insurrection or invasion; and that a commutation tax be assessed and collected from each person of twenty-one years of age, or upwards, who is subject to do military duty in the State, and who is not a member of an organized volunteer corps which drilled at least once a month throughout the year preceding the collection of the tax. This tax should be large enough to raise a sum sufficient to arm the entire volunteer force of the State with the latest and most approved style of arms. As soon as a sufficient sum shall be collected in this way, I recommend, as a means of procuring the contemplated arms, that it be expended in the erection at some suitable location in the State of a State foundry for the manufacture of arms and other munitions of war. This would make the State much more independent in case of emergency. The God of nature has supplied us, in rich profusion, with all the materials necessary to the accomplishment of this purpose.

"If ample provision were made for arming our volunteers, they would exhibit much military pride; and the young gentlemen educated at our State military institute would, in all probability, be elected to the command of