Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1867-10-25
The constitutional Convention.


South Carolina has ended, and these
several dignitaries have returned to their
homes, we may expect in few days to re-
ceive an order from the former designating
q day or days for holding an election for
Convention under the Reconstruction Acts
of Congress, and also to elect delegates TO
the same. Whether our readers are IN
favor of, or opposed to, the calling OF
Convention. it is important that they should
have a clear understanding Of the Acts
hearing directly upon this question, IN Or
der to use their efforts most lntelIgently
and effectively to accomplish their pur-
pose.
Two errors have crept into the common
Instrumentation of the Acts, occasiOned by
basty perusals and too great indifference
as to their import. The one is that 1t re-
ouires majority of all tie 0oteS registered
to call Convention, and the other IS that
only a majority of the rotes cast are neces-
sary to decide the question. The third
section of the Congressional Supplemental
Reconstruction Act, which bears directly
upon this matter, reads as follows
ssThat at said election the registered voters OF
zach State shall vote for OF against ConFehIoil
to form Constitution therGIor ullrcL ,,7 in
Those voting in favor of such convention Slidll
have written or printed on their ballots py "InGll
they vote for delegates as aforesaid tile "o.u9
For Convention those vQoI9 s,'fo3 on
such ballots the words Against convention.
Persons appointed to superntend SAD clec:IoI i
and to make return OF votes gwen IoI ai!'t a.,
whom the same shall have been returned, shali
ascertain and declare the total vote IN cach ''e2
for and against a Convention. u "'&jo'"y y
The 7Otes GiCert that question: ShG1 ot Jo' S"I
9,e,tjOr Then such COnCe}ttOit StdH Oe htGk, as
hereinafter D9'OUjied; blu y q I'yoTHy q S'|'
U0tes shall he against CO5s0el!oh, utelt "a" S,tcn
/onrenfjo2 shall be held aI13GeT HlS act PROVIDED
TIT eT-CU CONVENTION sHAILNoT BE HELD UNLESS
A MAJORITY OF ALI. SUCH REGISTERED VOTERS sIALl'
HAVE VOTED ON THE QUESTION OF HOLDING SCCh :
CONVENTION.
It will thus be- seen that it does not re-
uuire majority of all the votes registered
to be cast for Convention to insure its
call: nor. on the other hand, will MAORI
ty merely of the votes cast suffice to do So,
unless the aggregate vote amounts to a ma
io,itv of the registered names. In other
words, no C0nuentiOn can be held unless a
uaiority Of the registered votes shall be
y
cast on the question of holding a Conven-
ton, and majority of that majority vote
in favor Of Convention.
With this explanation, we think all Tot'
ers can act and vote understandln8ly. u
course. such as desire the call Of a Conven
ton will vote ''For q Convention" bu1 OF
the other hand, we do not think it is The
policy of those of contrary view to vote
against q Convention" as is contempla
ed by the Act. The object OF the leglsla
ton evidently was to appear to get the ap
proval of the loyal people of the SoutI
in the nefarious schemes inaugurated t.
Radicalize this section, and as the entf
LOYALTY of the Southern States, by act
CONGRESS. is embodied in the reglstere
voters. the assent of n majority OF thes
would be regarded as giving sanction
LEGISLATION 'soutside ofthe Constitution.
not voting upon the question Of ConVeI
ton, the voter not only gets the benefit c
O. vote against it, but reaps the advantae
of the Indifference Of the friends of Il
question who remain away from the poll
There are now returns, by official coun
in this State, of one hundred andsiXty tho
sand nine hun dred and twenty-three vote
of which ninety two thousand one hundrc
and twenty-seyen are whites, and sl1t.
eight thousand seven hundred and nlnet
three blacks. The remaining six COUNT
otheard from will increase the total to OF
hundred and sixty-six thousand, requlrl1
eighty three thousand and one votes to
cast for and against the question OF q 20
yention to make a valid election. +
some cause or other, i'll Louisiana and Al
bama, the negroes who were unanimous
or nearly so, for q Convention, did not Vo
two-thirds of their registered strenGt
This may be accounted for, i'll part, by the
ignorance, change of locality, and bel
registered in more than one place 1t
hardly be attributable to an indifference
take advantage of their newly-acqulr
franchise. We take it, therefore, that IL
causes, whatever they may have result
from, will operate upon them IN this 0ta
and that forty-fve thousand will COY
their voting strength. Ii this surm
be correct, it will then require at LEI
thirty-eight thousand white votes
be given in favor of Convention
call it, if those opposed do not vote
even if all the negroes vote IN the
frmative, which is barely possible. 1t
therefore be more difficult to defeat
Convention by a direct vote against
than it will be to prevent majority fr(
voting on the question by remaining sllel
We think it will be found, when the
official returns are received from the ell
ton in Alabama, that had the votes CIV
AGAINST the Convention not been cast. t
question would have been settled adverse
by default. But the aggregate OF Yot
being ma ority of the whole number reg
tered, and most of those cast being ''Fo
Convention" the Act of Congress has be
fully complied with, and the Convent
will be held in accordance Herewith.
The refusal to vote for or against a Ct
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