Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1868-02-21
Causes of the Defeat Of the Alabama
Constitution.


The Constitution IN Alabana has
certainly been defeated BY the Con-
/ servatives abBtaining from votiDa.-
We can n0t-eomplain Of that. tt was
their undQubted light 70 vote or keep
aloof iroGn the ballot. Congress IL
\ self will have to accept the result
4 Ba& unfbftuhat8 8Iy this was nos the
Z 0Eiy cause tIgt contributed to the de-
feat, The evidence lis pretty strong,
aud it viii probably become oumula-
tlZe as we get at the facts, that the
CONSERVATIVES not only refused TO vote
! themselves, but TesOrted to unWarrant-
able means 70 keep others from voting.
They gave out some weeks ego that
such freedmen as should vote for the
Constitution would be r discharged
from their employment, and such q
mark put upon them as would prevent
their obtaining employment in tho
State. The freedmen, according 20 q
letter from Montgomery, published ia
the Commercial of Monday, seem to
have been perfectly aware OF the oon-
segnences that would follow the eE-
eTclse Of the suffrage, but they voted.
Notwithstanding and however ignO-
rant they may be, however dark ia
thelT, understanding of the purpose for
which they deposited the ballot, we can
not but res pect the moral courarB dis
played. By them II marching up b the
ballot box, with such menaces hang
ing over 7theml Still there iriB no
doubt that thethEapt8 Of Abe GonseTv-
atlVes Influenced thousands of regis
tered lreednen, Who weighed the Id-
vantage Of. empl0FmenE against the
right of suffrage, and gave up the lat-
ter. Not only they the anti-COn-
serVativg whites, who favored th8
adoption Of the Conatitutiop-an
there we're thoushndB 81 them-Wers
fairly c0Wed by the farocioua threSts
made by their Conservative neighbOrB.
IL was announced that She names Of
all who voted would be Published
that social, religious and political oE-
traclsm would be unsparipg; that they
would be subjected to sueh ignomiuY
as Is reserved for felOna snd Villains.
And dark threats Of prosecutions were
not venting TO fll in the glariug pic
ture Of the future of any man who
should vote with the freedmen for the
CoRstitutious
Now il may be that the blacks are
unfit TO vote, BY reason Of their intense
ignorance but is any one prepared 10
say chat white men, no matter what
may be the measure of their intolli-
gence and culture, are &c TO exercise
the highest duty Of o freeman when
they violate the first and fundamental
principles Of republican government
By organizing q systematic tyranny
over the opinions of others, and, bY
dark threats Of persecution and re-
Venge, preventing them from the ex-
"a q Aun.nrr-errr9a Hf~rNrA -
illustration Of an often-eZ pressed opin-
ion that men born and bred among
slaves, and under the pernicious infu-
ances Of slavery law, have no clear
of what It is that gives
value to a representative government
founded upon purely Democratic prin-
eiples. They are satisfied to live un-
der sRch government only 80 long as
they can have their way, and compel
others to conform to t. Such a thing
IS liberation Of opinion, and its un-
checked expression at the ballot-boZ,
9 not knoWn, ,-Or, if known, not nm
ierstood by these people. They are
yrants By education and habit, and
he influences Of this kind Of educa-
ion are not, unhappily, 60 bo rooted
tut as easily as the Democratic
ystem out of which It sprang.
This constitutes the radical difficult
y at the bottom of reconstruction at
he South. To make men truly Dem
cratic, tolerant Of opinion, willing to
llow men to think and act for them
elves, to be freemen in fact, as we'll az
D name, is the great work before the
.eople Of the United States. II is
lore important than the success OF
allure Of any particular plan Of re-
and must be realized in
Alabama as well as iu Ohio, before
he people, either white OF black, can
q said TO be truly qualified 10 enjoy
be privileges Of the citizen Of a Re
Cincinnati Commercial