The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-10-23
Conservative Measurements in Regard
TO DisfrancbisementU Under the Recon-
afructiOn Laws.

sGructiOn Laws.
A CONSERVATIVE contemporary, in speaking of
the late election in Alabama, at which, by an
overwhelming majority, her people voted for a
Convention, says that Every few white men
voted, the most of them having been disfranchtSed
by Congress"
Now that the elections are over, we had
hoped that there would no longer be any occa-
sion for indulging in such gross perversions Of
the truth as that contained in the portion of
the above extract which we have italicized.
Every intelligent man knows, or ought to
know, that the Reconstruction acts, so far
from disfranchising "the most" of the white
citizens of the late Rebel States, really reach
to only very small class of those citizens. 1t
has universallyebeen conceded by all, except
the most rampant Copperheads, that the
leaders of the late Rebellion ought to be ex-
Cluded from taking part in the great work Of
reconstruction. Andrew Johnson never uttered
q truer or more popular sentiment than when
he said that traitors must be made to take a
back seat in this business, and that the work
Of reconstruction must be confded to loyal
hands. That he himself has proved treache-
rous to his own avOwed principles
does not render them the less true.
The loyal sentiment of the country
would have sustained Congress in going much
farther in the work of disfranchising Rebels
than it saw fit to go; but Congress was liberal,
and In a spirit of wise craftsmanship sought
to strengthen the basis of the new political
communities of the South by enfranchisement,
rather than by disfranchisement. It recognized
the fact that the Rebel masses were, to a great
extent, the tools and victims of their un-
scrupulOus leaders, and it exercised towards
those masses generous clemency. 1t dis
franchised none of the common people. 1t
excluded only those who from their position
in society, could properly be called leaders,;
and even of them it disfranchised only those
who, having ia some official capacity taken a
solemn oath to support and defend the Consti-
tuition of the United States, afterwards broke
that oath by engaging in the Rebellion.
Now, just here let us pause moment to
inquire whether this exclusion be not just
and wise. What loyal man will say that
these Southern leaders, who for years and
years had been plotting the Rebellion, and
pa
to do so over their own broken and discarded
oaths, ought not to be excluded from the i'm
pOrtant work of reconstruction Ought they
not to be made "to take back seat, - as
Andrew Johnson said If so, what is all this
conservative clamor about
But to return. The number of persons
thus disfranchised is necessarily very small
compared with the whole bulk of the COM
munity. 1t is the few, and not the many,
who hold Office. To say, therefore, that Con-
gress has disfranchised ''the most' of the
white people of the South is absurdly false.
1t has done no such thing. The vast majo-
rity Of the people are as free to go to the
polls and vote as they ever were. A Richmond
Ietter-writer in the New York Herald, who
does not conceal his hostility to the Recon
struction acts, estimates that in the whole
State of Virginia not more than five thou
sand persons are disfranchised by the law,
and his estimate accOrds with that made by
Governor Perpont and other responsible
Southern authorities. The registration returns
themselves show that the masses of the white
people are not disfranchised. If it be OBJ
jected that the number Of white voters regis
tered is not as large as might have been
anticipated from the population the sufficient
answer is that such result is due to the
fact that many of the Rebels have doggedly re-
fused Ito be registered. They had the opportunity
to be enrolled, but they refused to embrace it.
If they are not voters, therefore, it is their
own fault, and they are not entitled to a par
tcle of sympathy. The man who will not
take the trouble to conform to the require
ments of the law and become duly registered
as voter, does not deserve to vote The fact
that this refusal to register was in accordance
with the advice of Northern Rebel sympathizers
shows the hollowness of this cry of disfran-
chisement' Suppose that the Democratic
leaders in New York should urge their party
followers not to register themselves for the
coming election, could they then turn round
after the time for registration had passed. and
charge that they had been disfrancbisad ~,
Manifestly not. Neither can those Rebel NAL
contents at the South who have stubbornlv y
refused to be registered, now complain if thew
are not allowed to vote
The truth is, it is not Rebel disfranohise
nent but loyal eajfaachisemem that troubles
these conservative crOakers. They behold il
that great measure of practical statesmanshi
the downfall of the partisan oligarchy whic
has hitherto ruled and ruined the South