New-York tribune., 1868-02-19
The ALABAMA ELECTION !


| pat into the boxA VIII lack some 900 or 1000 az a
majority OF all those horne on the registration list
Ia many counties the deep mud and snow prevented
voters from getting to the p,s but the chief CAUSE
of the small vote is to be Souna IN the fierce denun
citation Of all who dared to openly support the Con-
stitution. At nearly every poll in tie State men
stood in 1860 armed to the teeth, jeering hootng
cufsing aud threatening all white men who voted.
and when intimidation failed to keep away coloeed
men, their votes would be challenged the voter sworn
cautioned at great length against false swearing.
and badgered with all manner of irrelevant ques-
| tions to consume the time, while hundreds
| in the rain and cold waited for their turn.
The printed lists OF voters miseraby defective.
and it can hardly be supposed that the proofs wero
ever corrected. Every wrongly printed was
rejected, and many votes thus lost in every
county. WherevaT new registers had been appointed
by the present head of the registration Office men
hostile to reconstruction installed officers OF
the election and every obstacle that could be devised
was thrown in the way of the ratification OF the
Constitution At Livingston, in Sumter County the
polls are said to have been broken Open the ballot
box destroyed, and the tickets lost. In Lowndes
County, which, on a fair ballot, would cast $500
votes for the Constitution, but poll was opened
during the first four days of the election and voters
had to swim the waters of Big Swamp to get to the
voting place Many did actually swim through the
lev water and one man was drowned.
On the last day box was carried across these
waters and second poll opened but when the cleo
ton closed the Sheriff took the ballotboxes, and al
lowed them to be stolen from his possession. in
Montgomery County, every white man who dared to
vote was eered threatened and cursed by the rough
necIs who surrounded the polls. This county was
unfortunate in having had last Summer register
who is partially deaf and he wrote down the names
of voters as he heard them, making many errors.
such as Watson for Watts, Bunch for Burcb. Lings
for Sings &C. All these voters wero lost In many
hundreds of cases the names given by the voters
when they came to register translated by those
who wrote them down, and when the voter gave his
name as Sy it was likely to be Cyrus, or Isaiah.
or Josiah on the list and his vote was lost In tina
county alone we lost not less than 200 voters in this
way the polls closing Saturday night with humid
reds of voters waiting their turn to get to the boxes
many of whom had been waiting five days for THAI
purpose.
Such an unfair election could not be equalod any
where and it is not to be wondered at that the re-
suits fall short Of our expectations There Is no
doubt in the minds of any fair that there Is to-
day in Alabama q majority of 1900 registered voters
in favor of the Constitution, but the voting shows
minority of votes cast. What Congress will do IN
the matter is problematca but Of the utmost impor-
tance to all lovers Of the Union who live in Alabama
III the CONSTITUTION siS ""
loyal Government established under it, no Union
man can live in the State. The name OF every
white man who voted for it is paraded
in the Rebel newspapers with the foulest abuse, In
order to injure him here and abroad, and to destroy
his business Threats Of exile are plenty and those
Who have lived here since the war ended know fun
well that the desperadoes who do the dirty work Of
the Conssyygjys party will stop at nothing 70 drys
those from the State who oppose their claim 10 run
the Government and oppress the negroes. III jeers
and abuse will make Northern men leave, they viii
jeer and abuse; il threats are needed they VIII
threaten and il violence is required they are ready
to maltreat aud murder This seems severe but ono
| look at gang of them around poll. with their
trowsers in their boots, their broad-brimmed hats
half covering their faces, the reyolvers In their
belts and the bowie-lnives in their boscms. 3
viii satisfy the most incredulous. The same
reign of terror which cowed Union men in 1853
and brought about Secession exists at this time in
Alabama. and only the knowledge that Federal bay
onets may be brought into requision restrains ac-
tua violence in the large towns and cities. In the
country places away from troops Union men re-
Trained from voting rather than run the risk OF en-
countering these banded assassins. At present the
case stands thus Convention, elected under the
Reconstruction acts has made Constitution which
has been submitted to popular vote. Seventy
thousand and upward Of votes have been cast for It,
and none against it, Under ordinary circumstances.
it would be declared ratified and the Union menoi
the State claim that it is so ratified now.
Judge Peck the President Of the Convention an
old and able jurist Griffin of Mobile Keer of Mont
gomery, and other leading minds Of the Convention.
always contended that the Reconstruction acts dd
not REQUIRE the ratification of the Constitution by
majority of the whole number Of registered voters
This construction would seem TO be correct to any
lawyer, but it is questionable whether Congress. In
considering the recent Supplemental bill with view
of declaring that majority OF all the registered
voters need not vote in favor of the ratification. has
not estopped itself from adopting this as the proper
construction of the law.
Taking all tbe Reconstruction aets together. 10
appears from the frst act which has not been
repealed. that when the people Of any one OF
the said Rebel States shall have formed constita-
ton of government in conformity with the Consttu
ton of the United States in all respects &C., and
"when such constitution shall be ratified by ma
jorty of the persons voting upon such question OF
ratification who qualified electors of delegates.
and when such constitution shall have been submit
ted to Congress for examination and approval, and
Congress shall have approved the same" and when
the Legislature elected under said constitution shall
have adopted the 14th amendment to the United
States Constitution and that article become part Of
that Constitution the said State shall be declared
entitled to representation, &c, and the preceding
sections of the act shall be imperative in said State
The third section of the supplemented BILL pro-
viding In detail for the election Of Convention has
this plain language: "such Convention shall not be
held unless majority Of all such registered voters
shall have voted on the question Of holding sncn Con-
vention" The fifth section says that IT, according
to said returns the Constitution shall be ratified by
majority of the votes Of the registered electors