Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-11-14
Aniuu aud 9ispatfh.
Largest Circulation in City ana State.
JACORIN REOANSTRICTI0N.

the people OF AlaDama =" no one attempts
TO deny; even its members, admit that they
have been elected by minority of the
population of the State In the Southern
counties, where the blacks predominate, the
Freedmen's Burean, OF course, is omnipo-
tent and in the northern part of the State,
where the white vote il larger, the election
Of Radical delegates was secured by flooding
the doubtful counties with temporary colo
nies Of loyal blacks.' This was however,
necessary in a very few eAses.. The whites
at the very outset saw that fhe election was
TO be decided against them by fair or foul
means, and, disgusted at the open assistance
given tothe Radicals by the military author
tiles, withdrew from the contest and declined
TO vote. In many of the counties not
dozen white men voted. In Montgomery
county, with fifty thousand inhabitants,
only hundred whites cast their ballots !;
in Russell county, only two in Mobile
county, containing eighty thousand per-
Sons, only hundred; in Lowndes, only
three; in Dallas, only six white men
voted, and in Lee, the vote was wholly and
purely black. The negores were everywhere
driven TO the polls by the chiefs Of the
Union League councils. The day before
election, Radical agents travelled through
Montgomery county and summoned the
blacks to come to the city and vote, telling
them that General SWayne had ordered
them to do so, and would punish them if
they did not. On the afternoon of the day
before election, thousands of negroes
marched into Montgomery in regularlyor-
ganized regiments, each man bearing arms
and at night they camped around the city
like besieging army. The danger of a
disturbance was so great that the military
authorities ordered them TO be disarmed.
Ten per cent. of the negroes who voted
could not now tell, and indeed never
knew, the name on the ballot which they
deposited in the box; they acted simply
in obedience to the instructions Of the Bu-
reau agents, and without the faintest glim-
mering of an idea of what they were
doing.
About half of the delegates elected are
claimed by the Radicals TO be natives of
the State, but this is ridiculed by everybody
else as preposterously false. The conven-
ton is made mp chiefly of men who are
entirely unknown to the people of the
State, and most of those who are known at
all are known to be men of Indifferent
character There ia undoubtedly small
minority Of respectable men in the conven-
ton. These are men of property, who
have never held any strong political
| opinions, and who are desirous of a settle
ment on any basis. They do not particu-
larly like the system just inauguarated,
but they prefer that to no settlement at all.
The large majority of the convention con-
sists Of adventurers Of all kinds, from the
South and North both, who care not how
or by what means, so long as they receive
the honors and emoluments Of Office.
! The Northern settlers around Montgomery
Of property and respcctability are almost
to a man Conservative, and the Southern
| people do not claim that the mass Of
| Northern settlers are hostile to them
Several Of the delegates hold Offices az
agents Of the bureau, aud some others arC
elected for districts in which they have
never resided, and in which they do no
own an acre Of land. The colored brigade
in the convention is composed, with on,
exception, of emancipated slaves. Th'
one exception, however, is their leader
and he is undoubtedly the ablest maj
among them. His name is Gregory, anC
he has made a very comfortable little for
tune by selling cigars in Mobile.
THE ORGANIZATION.
| As soon as the President had resumeI
his seat, motion was offered and adoptet
that the delegates register their names
| About half Of the colored members beinJ
unable to write, their names were placed
on the roll by the clerk, and the usua
formula in such cases of afxing a eros
and the words ''his mark gone through
Captain Robert Barbour, until recently Al
agent of the Freedmens Bureau, wa
appointed Secretary of the convention
Another candidate having been nominate
for the position, the calling Of the roll wa
demanded. In doing this, the first hitc
in the convention took place. Second o
the list was the name of Z. Alexander,
colored representative from Green county
Who instead of expressing his opinio
upon the claims of the various candidate
bv saying Barbour" or Patrick" persist
ed in shouting out "here." The CLERK
anxious TO avoid the necessity Of exposin
the ignorance of the sable delegate KEEP
repeating his name, but this only made th
fact yet more absurdly apparent, as tn
"colored gentleman" only reiterated eac
time in louder and more sonorous ton
the extremely vague and indi6nite respons
"here" At length the situation becam
altogether too comic; the few white pee
pie in the gallery began to litter, and th
Caucasian members Of the convention
anxious "a they were TO preserve both the
gravity and the good will of their politics
brother, began TO litter also. The Pres
dent then explained TO the "gentlema
from Green" and the other colored deli
gates that it was necessary TO say BarboT
or Patrick, according TO the opinio
they might entertain as TO the fitne
or otherwise Of the candidates for the pos
ton Of secretary. He added, in order
avoid any mistake, that by saying BarboI
they would indicate preference for tn
gentleman, whereas if they said PatriC
they would be understood to give their vo
for him. After this clear and lucid anal,
sis Of the situation matters progressed vel
smoothly, and the fact that none of q
other colored delegates fell into a simil:
error, ought 10 he recognized as 4 satisfa
tory refutation of the theory still dominal
ia the minds of the non-republican viii
population OF Alabama, that the Africa
race IL unconqGerably stupid.
As vet no person of color had been 81
pointed an officer Of the convention, bat
all the delegates had been elected BY blsC
voters it was felt proper that some conce
eious should be made to the all-powerf
race. One Of the assistant secretaryshil
, and the post Of doorkeeper, were thereto
given to negroes; and there was further
( tacit understanding that the messenger
7 the pages, and the fireman, the appointmei
Q of whom was vested in the secretary, shou
s all be (more or less) colored. Some refra
tory white delegates, however attempted
run white candidate for doorkeeper, AZ
: a ballot had TO be taken. The vote "
i taken by count, and was found to be
, draw. On the President announcing Ii
state Of affairs, a negro delegate started u
and looking at the clerk, said
Nou's gust made a mistake, sab. Y,
counted in dat dar man dar Shaking /
finger, which was adorned with two bog
n iewelry rings, at the innocent cause of {
error; he ws'n't votin he war only j.
q standin' dar."
The vote was then again taken and
suited in the triumphant sucoess of
darkey candidate.
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