The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-03-14
Report of the Kscos s.ructIon Committee o.
the Admissfoa OF Aisb ams.


The committee on Reconstruction, &c whom was
referred the application Of Alabama, asking ad-
mission into the Union & sovereign State. re-
ported on the 10Th as follows:
That il is che intention TO pursue the spirit u not
the letter Of the law Of March %, 1851. entitled
an act.supplemsntary to act entitled an act
to provide for the more efficient government o.
the rebel States, passed March 2. 1851" 10 Ia
ciliiate restoration. they especially Intend 70 en-
force the spirit of that law, when there seems 70
be any conflict in the facts 10 evidence between
the spirit and the letter. Such is the true Drinci
ple laid down by moral iurists for the government
Of judges. The laws evidently intended 70 admit
Alabama as a State it, after full registration with
time for deliberation, majority OF persons should
lie in favor Of admission. another object was
TO prevent hasiy and precipitate legislation be
fore the people should have duly examined the
Hence the laws provided that not only Ala
bams but ell the Immediate Territory, should
have all her legal voters registered by proper
officers and II a majority Of legal voters thus
registered should cast their votes in favor Of a
Constitution a convention should be ordered for
the purpose OF framing one; but, II majority OF
all the registered votes, by either their own
votion or casualty, should not be cast against
Constitution, they should still be cOuoted ia the
negatives most unusual provision in our or any
other government. But. Ia ordinary times. 1t
would have but little effect, so FAR as removals
and deaths took place between the time OF regis
fration and the time Of voting. On the day Of the
Alabama election most exFaordinary aud IN
expected state of things existed in a very large
portion Of the State, especially in the Republican
portion. very severe storm ragged from morn
ing Till night. The streams were swollen %.
such an impossible degree that il Is test
fed by Governor Smith, then elected gov
ernor Of the State, and other respectable
gentlemen, that IL kept from the polls numbers
OF voters who would otherwise have attended
In attempting to reach the places Of election, one
or more persons were drowned, which deferred
many from proceeding further. Thus all who
chose 10 stay away we're counting voting
against the Constitution, though, il they had all
gone and voted against {, it would not have
changed the result from positive majority ia its
favor 10 majority against It. This feature alone
Of this unfortunate election IL saili ;ient. Ia the
opinion Of the committee, TO authorize -depar-
tuTe from the letter Of the law. large majority
of-the legal voters then in the State are known 10
have cast their ballots for II. Besides. very
large proportion Of the registered voters we're de-
tered by the most Infamous threats, from c0m-
ing 10 The polls, or, VIXEN there, from casting
their votes for the Constitution. Bat few waite
men dared thus to cast their votes, lest they
should be deprived Of food for which they
suffering. All this Is proved by the sworn testi-
mony Of the most respectable portion OF the
people Of Alabama. Indeed nearly { IN hundred
iaborers ave voluntarily cone forWa d sing y
and testified TO their violent discharge since tue
election by their cruel employers. for having e1-
ercised the elective franchise according to their
own will and pleasure, Careful analysis has been
made, as well as could be, OF the number Of votes
of windows. and other modes Of violence used q
destroy them, and its belief from all this that the
number Of votes thus destroyed and detained fr m
the polls by violence, outrage and fraud, had they
been cast would have overbalanced all those
counted against the Constitution. whether cast OF
enumerated as cast by reason OF sickness, absence
or death.
Some time before the Alabama election. the
convention saw the injustice OF the law, and re-
Quesied Congress 20 restore the majority princi-
pie in the vote upon the adoption of the O0nsitu-
ton. The House did not hesitate TO perceive
its Justice and passed the act, aud sent Ii to the
senate. The Senate, by some unaccountable de
Law from the motives which IL is hard to fathom,
suffered that act TO sleep upon their files for two
moDths-till after the fate Of the Alabama cleo
ton was announced. They then took IL ~ aud
passed il, and it has now passed both house Of
Congress.
The principle therefore. that majority Of votes
cast should govern, has been restored, and your
committee can see no reason why II should not
govern in the present case. The circumstance OF
The almost unheard Of storm on tbs day of cleo
ton the violence Of human passion, bat little less
malignant and raging, aud the Wild frenzy OF
former masters st the polls, together with the evil
dent injustice of the principle in question upon
which no one has acted, seems to your committee
to demsnd that Alabama should be admitted Into
the Uuion as one Of the States thereof
Bat while this free people are rebuilding a
mighty nation IN which there must be no faint Of
despotism or injustice, they have examined care
fully al the provisions Of the Constitution and as
precedent which they hope will never be de-
parted from, but which becomes necessary by IN
Justice Of the sister States. they have determined
that no State shall ever be admitted into the
Union where the right 20 universal suffrage shall
not be made permanent and impossible of viola
tion. Fearing, also, that a cunning scheme might
be devised by which peonage. such as is already
established 10 some of the South Americ m States
might be created, We recommend the passage Of
the act for the admission of Alabama, as State
Ia the Union.