The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1868-03-11

ate Africa at st. Thomas will seize the
American ship Alice Ball, which is load
ing guns and ammunition, tho cargo OF
the bark Patmos, even if her papers
show she is bound to New York. "
..H
Recommendation for the Admission OF
Alabama. 49,.
WASHINGTON, d. c., March lO.-The
COMMITTEES on Reconstruction, to whom
was referred the application of Ala
hama. asking for admission into the
Union as a sovereign State, reported
this morning as follows: s,s. /
That it is the intention to pursue the
spirit if not the letter of the law OF
March 93d, 1867, entitled au act sup
plementary to an act entitled an act 20
proyide for more efficient government
of rebel States, passed March I'd, 1867,
and TO facilitate reconstruction, they
especially entered to enforce the
spirit of that law when there
seems to be any conflict IN
the facts l in -sr evidence be-
tween the spirit and the letter. Such
is the true principle, laid down by moral
iurists for the government of judges.
By the act twe-thirds were evidently
intended, one was to admit Alabama as
a State if, after full registration, with
time for deliberation, q majority OF
perons should favor admission. The
other was to prevent hasty and precipi-
tate legislation, before the people
should have duly examined the subject,
hence the law provided. that not only
III he
tory should have all her legal voters
thus registered, and cast their votes in
favor of Constitution. A convention
should be ordered for the purpose of
framing one, but if majority of all
the registered voters, by either their own
yolitiOn or casualty, should not be cast
against a constitution, they should
still be counted in the negative, which is
a most unusual provision in our own. or
any other government, but III ordln-
ary times it would have but little
effect TO keep, in SO far as remov-
ais and deaths took place between
the time of registration and the
time of voting. On the day of the Ala
bama election most extraordinary and
unexpected state of things existed in q
very large portion of the State, espc
cially in the Republican portion. A
very severe storm ragged from morning
till night. The streams were swollen
to such an impossible degree that 1t Is
testified by Governor Smith, then elect
cd Governor of the State, and other
respectable gentlemen, that 1t kept
from the polls a number of voters who
would otherwise have attended. In at
tempting to reach the places of election
one or more persons were drowned, which
deferred many from proceeding further.
Thus, all who chose TO stay away We're
counted as voting against the Canstltu-
ton, though if they had all gone and
voted against it it would not have
changed the result fIOm q positive ma
iority in its favor to u majority against
it. This feature alone of this unfortu-
nate election is sufficient in the opin-
ion of the committee to authorize q
large majority of the legal voters then
i'm the State who are known to have
cast their ballots for it, be-
SIDES very large proportion of
the registered voters were deferred
by the most infamous threats from
coming to the polls or when there from
casting their votes for the Constitution.
Very few white men did and very few
black men dared thus to cast their votes
least they should be deprived of food for
which they are suffering. All this is
proven by the sworn testimony OF the
most respectable portion of Alabama.
Indeed nearly two hundred labor
ers have voluntarily come forward
singly and testified to their violent
discharge since the election by their
cruel employers for having exercised
the elective franchise according to their
own will and pleasure. Acareful analy-
sis has been made rs well as could be of
the number of votes that were destroy
ed, boxes seized and thrown out of the
windows and other modes of vio-
lepce used to DESTROY them, and it
is believed from all this that the
number of votes thus destroy
ed and detained flom the polls
by violence, outrage and fraud, had
they been cast, would have Overbal-
anced all those counted against the
Constitution, whether cast or enumer-
ated as cast by reason of sickness, alb
sence or death. Some time before the
Alabama election the Convention saw
the injustice of the law and requested
Congress to restore the majority prin-
ciple. Iu the vote upon the adOp-
ton of the Constitution the House
did not hesitate to perceive its
Justice and passed the act and sent it
TO the Senate. The Senate by some I'M
accountable delay from motives which
it is hard to fathom, suffered that act to
sleep upon their files for two months,
till after the fate of the Alabama cleo
ton was announced. They then took
it up and passed it, and it has now
passed both houses of Congress. The
principle, therefore, that ma
jorityi of the votes cast should
govern, has been restored. Your
committee can see no reason why it
should not govern in the present case.
The circumstances of the almost I'M
heard of storm on the day of election,
the violence OF human passion but little
less malignant and raging, and the
wild frenzy of former masters at the
polls, together with the evident inius-
tice Of the principle in question, upon
which no one has yet acted, seems to
your committee TO demand that Ala
bama should be admitted in the Union
as one of the States thereof But
while, this free people are rebuilding
mighty nation on which there must be
no faint of despOtismr or injustice, they
have examined carefully all the provi-
sions of the Constitution, and as pre-
cedent which they hope will never be
departed from, but while. it. becomes
necessary by the injustice Of the sister
States, they have determined that no
State shall ever be- admitted into
the Union where the rights
to universal suffrage shall not be
made permanent and impossible Of vio-
lation, fearing also that cunning
schemes might be devised by which
poonage, snch as is already established
In some of the South American States
might be created, We recommend the
passage of the act for the admission of
Alabama as o State in the Union.
Reception.
New YORK, March 10.-A Herald's Ma
pies special says: Admiral Pranana. OF
the Royal Italian Navy, has extended q