The Portland daily press., 1867-12-03

PORTLAND.
Tuesday Morning. December 8, 1867.


While the Southern Republicans are busly
engaged in building States and bringing Or
der, justice and equality out of chaos, their
Democratic neighbors are wholly given over
to whining remonstrance, to unmanly ap-
peals Tor protection against regro supremacy,
and to supercilious comment upon the rude
but successful essays at craftsmanship on the
part of their late chattels. Your modern
Democrat is but fortuitous concurrence
ties with objections. With them he is cloth
ell as with garment. He offers no solution
for political problems, but files general re
monstrance to whatever has been, is, or may
hereafter be done in the way of rehabitating
his ruined commonwealth. But the South
ern Republican, ON the other hand, whatever
the color of his cuticle, whatever his facial
angle or length of heel, is rather sprightly
specimen of the membership of party that
has done good deal OF hard work in the
twelve years of Its existence. 1t is now
hardly nine months since the first recon-
struction act passed. Aided by the United
States, but opposed by the stupid inertia or
savage threats of x-slavebolders, the South
ern Republicans have completed registration
in all the States but Texas; they have voted
on the subject of a convention in nine States,
and succeeded in getting out votes enough
to authorize the meeting Of such body in
all but South Carolina and Arkansas; their
conventions are in session in Alabama and
+ a,,I that nf will
BILE to-day, and that of Georgia next Monday.
Meanwhile the Southern Conservatives
have exhausted whatever powers of originat-
ing anything they may possess in fabricating
the most atrocious falsehoods. They have
claimed that immense numbers of whites
were disfranchised by the acts of Congress;
the fact is that in Virginia, their most popu-
lous State, that class numbers only $500.
They aver that reconstruction on the Con-
gressonal basis is acceptable only to the
blacks; but the returns from North Carolina
show that thirty.four thousand aohites voted
for convention. They charge that the ne
groes are disposed to claim monopoly of Of
fees; but in Louisiana they are largely in
the minority in the Convention, in North
Carolina they have but ten or twelve out of
140, and in Alabama but eighteen out of
hundred, delegates; the highest officer of
their race yet elevated to power is the Secre-
tary of the Louisiana Convention, and there
is no possible objection TO him except that
his skin is black. t
The ma.contents have reached the acme Of
mendacity in treating of the Alabama Con-
vention. This was the first constitutional
body composed of dele gates from both races
that had assembled, and it became absolutely
necess lry for the Conservatives to render it
ridiculous in order to destroy the moral effect
of its success. They accordingly began 10
make exact inventories Oft the number of clean
shirts in the body, a statement of the nick
names conferred upon members at any period
of their history, an a6measurement of the
thickness OF the lips of the eighteen negro
members, a critical examination of the ante
cedents Of each delegate, criticisms of the
style of chirography adopted by the trainers
of ordinances and resolutions, dlsquisitions
upon the grammatical blunders made in the
course of debate-but on the sublime specta-
Gle of a free State rising upon the ruins Of a
hateful slave oligarchy throug h the labors of
these same despised legislators they said not
a word. They saw only the soiled linen and
the black faces. Happily we are not without
authentic information of the true character
| of that body. Thomas w. Conway, writing
from Montgomery under date of Nov. 23d,
saws. "The Alahama Convention is a fine
body of men. was greatly relieved ON en-
tering the Capitol and finding so creditable
a representation OF the Radical party, may
| say that it will compare favorably with any
similar body have ever seen. The business
| of the convention is conducted with great har-
| mony, and the kindest spirit prevails
| Everyone knows, who has read of this
Conventions proceedings, that it evnces no
disposition whatever to adopt those harsh
proscriptive measures, which its detractors
are aching to have it adopt The first South
ern Constitutional Convention is decided
and surprising success. The work of build
ing Republic goes ON apace; and il will soon
be consummated and firmly established by the
approval and acceptance of the national Leg
islature We shall then have the judgmentot
the world ON the question whether clean
shirts are OF the essence of craftsmanship. 1t
| will be decided who are the most deserving
citizens,-those who have framed constitu-
tions in accordance with the spirit Of modern
civilization, or those who studied only TO
throw obstacles in the way of progress.