The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1868-02-19
THE ALABAMA G0NSTI9U-
TI0N.

At the recent election the Constitu-
ton framed by the sable Convention oil
the "trooly loil" of the State of Ala
baina was defeated because of the fail
IRE to vote of the one half of the regis
tered voters as required by law. The
Conservatives adopted the policy OF
staying away from the polls and thus
accomplished by non-action what conld
probably have been accomplished limo
other way. It is true that large
majority of the registered voters were
blacks and it was supposed that their
peculiar loyalty to. Radicalism would
have led them to attend the polls and
ratify the Constitution which has been
made for their particular benefit. But,
Notwithstanding the Herculean efforts
of the Carpet Bag gentry, in securing
the highways and the byways, the per-
sons answering to thousands of the
fantastic names on the registry could
not be found within the space of the
three days that the polls we're kept
open.7 Many of these individuals had
no existence save in the imaginaticns
of the loyal registrars whose duty it
was to register majority Of negroes
by fair or by foul means. Others have
long since discovered that politics
is by no means a lucrative trade and
that the I" forty acres and mule y are
rather too long in making their ap-
pearanee to justify any further expen-
diture of time in endeavors to obtain
them. Others, again, have had the
wool removed from their eyes, and are
beginning to see that all this recon-.
struction hnmbnggery is simply in
tended for the benefit of the Carpet
Bag adventurers for the advancement
Of whom the poor negroes are to be
used as ready tools. Hence the luke
warmness in Alabama, and the regis
trars having overdoDe their dirty work
it has recoiled upon their own heads.
RI On reading the reasons which i'm
PEELED our Alabama friends to take no
part in the election, we were, a little
amused at their simplicity and artless-
ness. If we succeed, said tley, the
whole matter of reconstruction being
in the hands Of the Radicals, they, viii
declare the Constitution adopted not
withstanding the majority which we
may cast against it. It did not seem
to occur to them that success accom-
plished BIZ non action might be thwart-
ed in similar manner. And yet this
might have easily been foreseen. The
Radicals are moving Heaven and
Earth to get at least one State admit
ted under the reconstruction acts, so
that they may claim that those acts are
not such a failure rs the Conservatives
al}ege that they are. Alabama suits
their purposes, because Alabama has
formed a Constitution in accordance
with their wishes, and has not elected
any negroes to Congress, q thing which
they especially feared as endangering
the s,lccess Of their party in the North
ern States. AS soon therefore as it
had been announced that the Constitu-
ton had failed in Alabama, Mr.. sher-
man offered resolution in the Senate
declaring the Constitution adopted
because it had received majority Of
those voting on the question. Now,
when we call to mind the fact that the
Radicals are such sticklers for obedi-
ence to the reconstruction acts, it
would seem that such o glaring viola
ton OF them as this would call forth
their loudest denunciations. But SO
far from this being the case, we doubt
not the resolution will pass by a strict
party vote. In fact the reconstruction
Acts have to be tinkered up every two
or three weeks to meet cases which it's
trainers never expected to ARISE. Ev-
cry time there appears the slightest
possibility that the Conservatives may
derive a crumb of comfort from them a
bill is passed to blast
all their hopes, until there now re-
mains only the shell of an act for be-
ing "impedimentsp to which SO many
Conservatives have been punished
The Radicals have themselves shown
that their reconstruction plan is q |
failure, and have demonstrated their
to frame a bill which shall
meet the requirements of the country.
Of course it never was intended that
the Conservatives should derive the
slightest benefit from any possible is
sue of the reconstruction bills. A Rad
ical Congress, with exclusive legisla-
ton within its own power, stands
ready to prevent any such consumma-
ton. We did not, therefore, expect
any thing better than the Sherman
Bill. But We mistake the temper of
the American people if such repeated
outrages shall produce no effect upon
them. Let them go on with their ini-
quitous legislation, and let the South
ern people continue to force them to
The necessity of it. A time for retribu-
ton will some day come, and God
grant that it may not be much longer