The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1868-03-11
CS


/ were counted as voting AGAINST the
| Constitution. though if they had all
gone and voted against IT,. If would
not have changed the result from
/ positive majority In its favor to a ma
jOrity against it. This. feature alone
/ of this unfortunate election. is suf-
I fcient, in the opinion of the commit.
/ tee, to authorize a new election. A
large majority of the legal voters
| then IN the State, ere known to have
cast their ballots for it; besides, a
very large proportion of the register.
ed voters were deferred by the most
infamous threats from coming to the
ing their vote for the constitution,
but a few white men did, and a very
few black men dared thus to cast their
votes, lest 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
laborers have voluntarily come for
ward, singly, and testified to their
violent discharge, since the election,
by their cruel employers, for having
exercised the elective franchise ac-
cording to their own will and pleas
ure. A careful analysis has been
made. as well as could be.
Of the number of votes that
were destroyed, boxes seized and !
thrown out Of the windows. Other
modes of violence were used to de-
stroy them, and it is believed from all |
this that the number of votes thus |
destroyed and detained from the polls |
by violence, outrage and fraud, had |
they been cast, would have over
balanced all those counted against |
the Constitution, whether cast |
or enumerated as cast by
reason of sickness, absence or
death. Some time before the Ala
bama election the Convention saw
the injustice Of the law, and request
ed Congress to restore the majority
principle. In the vote upon the
adoption 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 unaccountable delay, from mo-
hves which it is hard to fathom, suf-
fered that act to sleep upon their files
for two months, till after the fate of
the Alabama election was announced.
They then took 1t up and passed it,
and it has now passed both Houses of
Congress. The principle, therefore,
that a majority of the votes cast
should govern has been restored, and
your Committee can see 40 rea-
son why it should not govern
in the present case by the circum-
stance of the almost unheaFd of
storm on the day of election. The
violence of human passion, but little
less malignant and raging, and the
wild frenzy of the former master at
the polls, together with the evident
injustice Of the prineiplein question,
upon which none has acted, seems to
your Committee, to demand that Ala
bama should be admitted into the
Union as one of the States therco
but while this free people are
rebuilding mighty nation, in
which there must be no
faint oe despotism or injustice,
they have examined carefully all
the provisions of the Constitution,
and as a precedent which they hope
will never be departed from, but
which becomes necessary by the in
justice of the sister States, they have
determined no State shall ever be
into the Union where the
right to universal suffrage shall not
be made permanent and impossible of |
violation. Fearing, also, that cunning
schemes might be devised by which
piOnage, such 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 a State in the Union.
Gen. Grant, to-day, transmitted to ,
the House the additional correspon-
dence in relation to the removal of
certain members of the City Council =,
Of New Orleans. 1t appears from the !
papers that these members joined in !.
a memorial, in which, among other
things, they said they were removed
by a special order for having proceed
ed to hold an election for Register of !
New Orleans. in contempt Of an order
from the Headquarters of Gen. Han
cock. They remarked, when General !
Sheridan reconstructed the City Coun-
ell, he did an act of justice to the I
newly enfranchised citizens of Louis I
ANA and of the United States,
by appointing few Republicans of I
heir race as members of the Com
mon Council by removing the afore- 9
said members. Not single represent =
.ative of that numerous class of newly /
made citizens remain to defend their '
tights and interests In the govern
nent of city. to the prosperity of I
which their labor, capital and indus j
.ry so largely contributed. On the a
list of February Major General Row n
ings, chief of staff, wrote to Major S
General Hancock, by order of Gen d
Grant, acknowledging the receipt of v