The New York herald., 1867-11-29
RECONSTRUCTION.


General Characrer Of the Dciegates-Thciu
Standing as Men Of Preperty-rhc Parties
In the Convention and Their Leaders-Ths
CeIored Elcment-The SnnraGe Question.
MONTGOMERY, Ala, Nos. II, 1867
The Convention has now got fairly under way, and
IN ton days Il viii probably have completed the work
which General Pope convened Il 70 accomplish. In
known tho majority OF the delegates whom they
came Montgomery, their anteoedsnts rcspsctxbily
and general standing in The community have nov bsen
pretty clearly made out while the political complexion
of the Convention has been defined by the shapes and
most unmistakabs Of tests-he test OF vote on most
Of the important questions which agitaing the
State OF Alabama, and indeed, the eutirs South Al
this Convention is probably fair specimen Of the 70
construction conventions which shortly to assemble
in many Of the Other Stases statements These
heads fuller than could BE- given at tho outset may no,
be devoid Of general interest
have been pains 70 discover rs nearly as Dos
sbe ths Of property represented by the dsezaea
Thi xn BY no an easy task, owing to tho con-
star in the value Of real estate and the gen.
ersi now attaching % all other property, In
oonsequence Of the restless and unsettled feeling uni
vsrsaly existing IN this section OF the country This
dmculty however has been greatly diminished BY the
Ac that thresfourhs Of the delegates arc men pos
sessed Of scarcely any property and In many Of
no property at all The negroes are. with excsp-
ton. penness. some Of them having worked prior 10
day ana mileage IS sd hands On cotton psntstons a.
ten dollars month The one exception Gregory, was
tree negro befors the war, and has ade money
q the white dssgatssat least two-thirdsare North
men, who have settled In the State subsequs to
che mott ' part almost impssanoaa % Tns few hundred
dollars they had when they came down horp they have
" sns
eancs since having, Ike the Of tho inhabitants OF
the State. prospersd we'll II in these days OF ruin and
Twelve Of this clas Of Bureau agents but these
iof course are comparatively rich Four OF them are
senanlca ne worxng rof y wages while good many
doing nothing at ALL The remaining third Of the whites
consists either Of Aabamians most Of whom came from
southern States who have settled prior to tho war;
IN this class may be included with tew exceptions
fase and rational delegates all men Of any property or
social standing in the Convention. Certainly ali the
lawyers, with one = two exceptions to be- found in
that body come from this section or 1t Some
OF these men, like Mr. Hayes were men OF very
large fortune before the war and ss mon OF consd
have been ruined BY the rebellion and now ind them
selves destitute OF any ready money Of any prospect
4 res 8 'no, our osr =.
while sems have never been anything more important
financially than small farmers in such OF the counties
the employment Of slave labor. From an estimate,
which have mnde up with care, ind that there
m0u IN tno CONVENTION VINO are accounted
By the people Of the counties In which thew rssde a
possessed Of than thousand dollars: that there
are not thirteen who are worth I'VE thousand and that
1he rest are believed to be worth-nothing
In social standing ths Convention ranks q about the
and even during the WARRIOR it escaped almost entirely
mo devastation inflicted upon other cities N the
southwss the most fashionable city in ths stats and
YET here nearly all the delegates are unknown, even
their names being strange and unfamiliar. since the
Convention has met however, good deal Of light has
OF the whose namss for obvious reason forbear 10
MENTION, have bsen recognized - ex-bushwhAcksra
ana finally carried on var On their own private ACCOUNT
aad Tor their own personal advantage and benefit One
Of thess same gsntssa y also stated to b now un-
One Of the delegates from MONTGOMERY county
has oesn recently sasd a. delinquent in the
forced 70 pay up. Concerning two moro, letter was
70 Boston paper and subsequently reached here
charges q fraud sg.n, them to the extsnt Of
was day occupied In listening to personal explana-
lions upon thia head Another member is wsl known
In this city the sako OF her money But these a-s
only specimens Of the which nearly every county
tsnton Some Of thsss stories srs. very likely ths
result Of what Y known robel malignity" but the
, :s S & sss, sUS = 8,
able poruon of the community, whether rsbe Or Union
certainly speaks badly for The aosu Of the Convention
81 General Pope from jail 70 attend ths Convsntion
esss shs more Respectable portea Of the convsnon
Che silt Of that enlightened body the men upon whom
calunny would waste It's breath, ana who are above
: sshs moderass&" There may b sxcspttons but u
ls undoubtedly the case that al the men who
rsputssor cling . The mors violent and s5rsns
wing: while the other hand Captain Speed cousin
@ s :'s GENERA Sn
ton 3 New Yorker and an ex-onRadier general IN the
Union arny Major sempls. late Of The rebel army and
lawyer Of considerable standing in the Stao and men
sof that m !" form Ihe uOnproscriptvs and temperate
perty in the Convent The violent faction s not, in.
q sS rns Dss
numbers in voting strength the opposite party, GER
sainy represents very much smaller proportion Of the
rsspsssAoility and Of shs pscuniay interests o. the
Having thus gvsa - truihfully possible and with
eompsxion Of the Convsution shall proceed 70 sketch
out its political linsamsns First OF course, comes the
eeorsd brigsds numhs,ng some sixteen wooiy headed
Ehs white leaders Two Of them are influenced BY
odorss men, and the remaining fourteen implicitly fol-
tsins Thsy srs, without exception, simply auto
mata be put In notion not By their own votion,
but ~ he will q ssnsisnt bsingso many cosn,s .
Convsnnon. The whites in the Convention may bc
divided politically into thrse classes which are vsry
modcrate men, and men Who auctuats TO whichever
sids seems koly to Be strongest and most success
ful In the StatA Inc extreme men consiss u
shs Bureau ofllcias all OF whom are. Of course,
Interested IN preserving The existing systsm Of
thing, and from dozen 70 twenty men.
shsr nature or because they only attain 70 any
prominsncs BY their extravaganza 70 be reckless vio
lent fanatics. Thcss headed BY Bingham and Grhn
both Of whom ngursd extenavey n the North as year
- '4oushsrs loyssts." a man named JcneA Of
Coneouh county, who was "bung By the rsbeis" few
months ago according y shs radical newspapsr 10 also
q prominent member of ths hctsoa- Blnghams record
a an extreney dubious ora Ascending 70 his own
statement dvsn cot Of The STATE early in the
for hs DEVOTION 70 the Union but people whs are NOS
his political frenda even mea In The Convention, say
shsi whsn ths rebellion broke cut he sstvs IN
rAisang and drilling rsosl companies although he nsver
70 The 'front.' - he " now bitter and unspaxing n
hls dsnunciatoa Of thopo whom he tsrms ''tho hell
hounds Of secession" His psnoaA appearance, al
though that has u courss no sennecion with his poli
al % private cnsrscteEs maesisxy repusNe ne "
nov some ssxty ycan u aga ~ some misfortune he
has est roof Of his mouth, which mses his utter
ascs extremely ncistnck defect s further aggravated
~ the weakness Of HE voice Then ~ 10 nearly bald.
drifnu hssls originally fron Georgia pus hAs lived In
- nw4~- rxfw -