The Sun.
London, England, 1868-01-04 00:00:00

tion it has framed for the States as a fundamental
law, such as any American State might well be satis-
fied to own :—" It sets apart for the education of
all the children of the State between five years old
and twenty-one, not only the proceeds of all the
lands which the United States has granted or may
grant to the State for educational purposes, and of
all swamp lands, and of all property left by intes-
tates without heirs, but also devotes to the support
of schools one-fifth of the total revenue of the State.
Furthermore, the General Assembly may permit the
school district authorities to levy a poll-tax on the
inhabitants of the district in aid. of the general
school fund. It is made the duty of an incorpo-
rated Board of Education of the State to establish
in each school district one or more schools. Lett us
hope that hereafter a majority of white 'citizens of
Alabama may know how to write their names. The
rest of the Coustitaion— r.,3 the clauses relating to
imprisonment for debt, to tile right of men of any
colour to bear arms, and so on—are of equally
enlightened a character. The illiberality of the
disfranchising clauses is more in the reports
in regard to them than in fact. They for-
bid registry as voters to all persons who, during
the war, maimed or in any way inflicted unusual or
cruel punishment on persons in the employ of the
United States ; and, secondly, to persons whom
Congress or the Constitution (Art. XIV.) has dis-
franchised. But it gives to the General Assembly
power to remove the disabilities of the second class,
and there is little doubt that it will be, in the truest
sense of the word, the fault of the obstinate seces-
sionists if within three years they are not voting."
We sincerely hope the Nation may be right, but
there are strong grounds for considering its opinion
as altogether too favourable, and that it is so is seen
by the silence of the Republican papers on the sub-
ject, or their condemnation of it generally when they
do allude to it. The Test Oath, in which men are
made to accept the political and civil equality of all
men, and to agree not to deprive any one on ac-
count of colour, race, or previous condition of any
political or civil right, will disfranchise a numerous
body. The New York Evening Post thinks that
Congress will be compelled to correct the narrow-
ness of the Constitution's proscription. "As the
controlling classes of Southern society—the men of
character and leadership—they need to be recon-
ciled, not repulSed." General Pope doubtless en-
deavoured to moderate its action, holding that its
proceedings were doing incalculable harm to Re-
construction. The party leaders at 'Washington
have also bestirred themselves in this direc-
tion ; and whatever may be the merit of the
Constitution proposed —to their exertions and
strong hostile criticism it will in no small
measure be due. If the Montgomery Adver-
tiser be correct there are other emissaries than
those who urge to good. A man named Shorter
was arrested, who claimed to be the agent of certain
Illinois Republicans, but who appeared to be more
a sort of negro Fenian. A letter was found in his
pocket decreeing death to the Treasurer of the
revolutionary Government, directing the sentence
to be carried out by Jeff. M'Call, who was to raise
regular bands of troops for the purpose. The Con-
servatives of the State, at whose head are twenty
members of the Convention, are rallying to defeat
the Constitution. They are holding public meetings,
and have issued au address, which is said to be
powerfully written. There is also a negro element
against the Constitution, headed by the Negro
Union League, in Montgomery, who consider that
it will, " if ratified, inevitably result in the debase-
ment of the 1% hite race and the destruction of the
black race." A negro party has been formed under
its auspices " to cultivate a spirit of mutual confi-
dence and good feeling between the two races of
the South." Whatever may be the case in Alabama,
there can be little doubt that the strong feeling
raised by the negro proceedings in Richmond has
had a powerful effect in quieting the tone of Mr.
Hunnicutt and his followers. The members of the
Convention have voted themselves $8 a day. In
the opening prayer the ex-Confederates are included
as well as loyal men, and the Convention has ended
a discussion on the subject by concluding not to
take an oath.
The Convention enjoyed the advantage of being
near the seat of Government, and was therefore
more controlled by such men as Senator Wilson, and
others who earnestly desire to elevate the negro race.
In RiAnnond also there is a strong Conservative
opposition, a Convention attended by 3,000 dele-
gates, having been in session for some days, which
did not adjourn till the 12th December. Alexander
11. 11. Stuart was elected president, and among the
vice-presidents were Robert M. T. Hunter, John
Thomas S. Bocock, John R. Tucker,
LT eh ehtocmars,
S. Flournoy, R. T. Preston, William
Macfarland, and several distinguished Virginians.
The resolutions adopted by the Convention declare
that slavery is abolished, and the people of Vir-
ginia do not desire again to reduce to slavery the
emancipated freedmen ; assert the right of Virginia
to be restored to the Union ; protest against the
present military government of the State ; and de-
flounce the system that would reduce the people of
Virginia to the rale of a race just emerged from
slavery. An address to the people of the United
States asking for their sympathy and support is to
be prepared, and a committee was authorised to
test in the United States' Courts the legality of the
Congressional system of Reconstruction. As about
a third of the regular Convention are Conservatives,
so powerful an opposition aids moderation. Louisi-
ana is the State in which the negro element so pre-
dominates that there will be difficulty in controlling
their legislative absurdities. One delegate offered
a resolution that no other Convention should be
called for seventy years after the present one;
another fixing eight hours as a day's work ; a third
guaranteeing lawyers' fees at a
e minimumti33
aovfislit.o
per cent. on collections and doctors .
They were almost unanimous in fixing
etheletretpioaoy
or
$8 a day, to begin from the date of t
appointment,' giving as a reason that
slaves so long they now desire to somehaving
o beenf
enjoythe
luxuries of freedom. The Georgia Convention met
otinv INsl osnucicac ye
e,
dtehde 9i
ot h
electing December, j .
P.
and
Parrott,he C oonf s eßar-
low, President, over J. 1
L.
M. Shelley, of
ofA Atlanta,
a
, by
a vote of 103 to 46. P.
member of the Loyal League, was elected secre-
tary, and A. E. Marshall, of Monroe, assistant sec-
retary. A white man was chosen sergeant-at-arms,
with negroes for door keeper and messenger. The
Convention has recommended Gen. Pope to remove
Governor Jenkins.—Anglo-American Times.

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