Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-02-04
Statesman.
& Al A B9A M A -.

;.arAaL A B "A NJ A zzs.fsqI
a ddress of lhe-Aats.C tiO0
Csnference-The People Of Ala
basna Advised not 10 Vote upon
slhe Qaestiop OF I.asisying or Re
/ jecttng She Proposed Radicail
Cou~tstusi0u. s 75srta
To The People Of Ala6ama: 81 ess Il
! The undersigned, citizenso Of Alabama,
met together in Montgomery, from
many aud distant parts Of the State. in
answer to the published call of the
Chairman of the State Executive Com
.mittee, and after a free and full confer
ence and solemn and mature considera-
ton, baving resolved that it is best for
the people of Alabama who are oppos-
ed to the Constitution proposed for adop-
ton or rejection at the election to be
held on the 4th and 5th of February
next to abstain from ootimg at said elec-
ton. BY the law of Congress, as it noU
stands, majority of the registered yo-
tiers of the State must vote in the .elec-
'tion. or the Constitution is not adopted.
There are about 167 600 registered vo-
tsrs in the State, so that it will require
$4,000 votes to adopt the Constitution. 4
We could not, under the unfair sinfl,l-
ences arrayed against us, reasonably
hope to SECURE more than $4,000 votes
against ,ths Constitution, and un-
less We do we would not accom-
|plish. more by voting, than We would
by refusing to vote. % Then the
most certain way of defeating the
constitution. as the law now stands, is
to refrain from voting. But in the event
the law is changed by Congress, and it
is enacted that the majority of the votes
cast shall decide upon the adoption or
rejection of the constitution, the Con-
gress will then have been forced to a de-
parture from the law which it has or.
Idained and the rule which it has pre-
s-nted for itself and the people of the
State in determining whether this con-
stitution should be the constitution of
Alabama, and will be compelled to ex-
hibit to the world the fact that the con-
stitution they impose is not the consti
tuition of the. people Of Alabama. but the
constitution Of the minority of the whole
people, and that negro minority. 1f|
Congress can obtain its own consent to
perpetrate such an outrage as that upon
the fundamental principle of representa-
tive republican government it will there
by prove to the world that such Con-
gress is resolved to do whatever it may
deem necessary to execute it's fell pur-
pose Of placing the 100000 of whites
in nthe ten excluded States Of the South un-
der the heel and dominion of the 4, 600. 900
Of negroes. And even our voting down the
present proposed constitution would avail
nothing with such a Congress; but on
the contrary, such a Congress would in
|ventsana devise and 7employethe means
they thought effective to carry into ef
feet its hostility. to the white race Of the
South. 1t must be kept steadily in mind
that the reconstruction measures of Con-
gress prove their authors to be- not so
much the friend of the negro as the ene-
mics Of the. white race, and that this
pretended friendship for the negro, as
well as this actual enmity to the whites.
stands upon the known fact that the
whites Of the South can never be made
the tools Of Radicalism, but that the ne
groes may be made such tools. Could
the Constitution be defeated by voting
against it. underthe assumed change in
the law of Congress, with the unpropi-
tious and hostile influence opposed to usl
We are constrained to- the opinion that
it could not be. = 6. seat .., - e.si,y bg
list. Because the negroes as body
viii vote for its adoption To this there
might be exceptions but this would be.
the rule.stss5 sis,essr1 ~ ..5aai -l.i a, is7,r
I'd. The machinery for conducting the
|registries, and the elections is in the
hands of those who favor the adoption
Of the constitution, and there is no suffi-
cient means of purging the polls or pre-
venting or detecting frauds in the regis
trition or in the management Of the
election. We have reasons to believe,
and it affords us the highest qualification
ito say to you that we do believe, that
the distinguished gentleman who, as mil
| itary commander, now, .presides over the
Sub District of Alabama, wishes to
secure fair election upon the adoption
of said constitution; but we believe the
time too short from this to the election to
secure that end. With a large majority
of negro voters, a fraudulent registration,
and irresponsible and interested or par
ltisan judges at the election, We think
that there would be but slender chances
Ito defeat the constitution, and the white
men of Alabama opposed to the consti-
tion would then be committed, as far as
voting in the election would commit
them, to the result of the election.
| Can we obtain relief from the Su-
preme Court? That august tribunal,
the appointed expaunder- of the Consti-
tuition and sentinel upon the watch-tow.
er of American liberty, is looked to with
hope assured by the conviction in our
minds that the law of Congress under
which this Constitution is attempted to
be fastened upon us, is violation Of the
Constitution of the United States, an
usurpation by Congress, and an inva-
sion of the rights of the people of the
State of Alabama. But we see that
Congress. in anticipation of-the action
of the Supreme Court, has before it a
bill to provide for new and unheard of
rule of decision by that tribunal; rule
which subordinates the Judiciary to
Congress, and degrades it from the high
position Of an independent co ordinate
department of the government and
either closes its utterance or makes it the
low and venal indorser of Congressional
usurpatiOn and participant in Congress-
ional tyranny. - Fs.a'
1t ascertain that voting down the con-
stitution now proposed would not be
treated by Congress as a final defeat of
their wicked DESIGNS VOTING II down