The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-01-21
The ELECTION IN ALABAMA.


in Montgomery have decided to advise the
people of Alabama not to vote on the question
of the adoption of the so-called new Consti-
tuition. The Mobile Register, whilst recog-
nizing the sincerity and the prominence of
the gentlemen composing the meeting, de-
clares their action to be entirely incompre-
hensible. With all due Difference to the
Register, the matter seems to US to be sus-
ceptible of very simple explanaton-unless,
indeed, the resolution was positive in its
terms, and not dependent upon possible con-
tingencies The determination to vote on
the adoption of the Constitution seemed to
become a necessity when the first supple
mentalreconstruction bill ofthe session passed
the House of Representatives. That bill
provide that the ratification of the new re-
construction Constitutions shall be effected
by simple majority of votes cast.
Under the law as it stands it requires that
a majority of the registered vote shall be ac-
tually cast, and that of these, a majority shall
be affirmative. AS one or other Of these
plans shall rule in the election, the policy of
the Southern whites will be to vote or not to
the true policy, because the most effective
policy, will be to abstain from voting. There
is scarcely shadow of doubt that the unani-
nous refusal to vote, OF the opponents of the
new Constitution in Alabama, will achieve
the defeat of that instrument, and the conse-
quent failure of the whole radical scheme of
reconstruction as applied to that State. The
result will be more happily accomplished in
that way, than by direct vote, in which the
white people-the only legitimate voters of
the State-could consistently and honor
ably participate only under the pressure
of immediate danger. If there had been
general agreement of this kind throughout
the South, accompanied with.a fair and i'm
partial administration of the law by the mill
tary commanders, even the preliminary con-
ventions would have been defeated in almost
every State. Should the supplemental bill to
which we have referred. not pass the Senate,
the obviously proper course for the Southern
whites is to abstain from voting. That bill
can scarcely pass in time to affect the Alaba-
ma election. The Senate has not yet fixed
day for taking it up. Three days win be
consumed in passing it, even if it be not
amended. 1t will then 60 to the President
who will, probably, hold it for ten days, and
then return it without his signature An
other day at least will be required to pass it
over his veto. Thus, it cannot become a law
within less than fourteen days from this date,
even if it be taken up by the Senate to-day.
As the election takes place IN Alabama on
the 4th of Februarv tbara vvorId ba horal,, |
time, under the most favorable contingencies, |
for the bill to become a law in season to con-
troll the election in that State The proba- |
bilty is that it will not finally pass in time to
apply to Alabama and it may not pass at all. |
We presume that the Montgomery meeting
took these contingencies and probabilities into
when they resolved to advise
the people of the State to adopt the policy of
abstention. 1t is very desirable that this
matter should be thoroughly understood be.
fore hand, and that defeat be not risked by
lack of concert on election day. There should
be, on the part of the whites, either universal
or universal abstention. Ala
bama, as the first State to vote, will exercise
a very important influence on the whole scheme
Of radical reconstruction. Defeat there will be
almost mortal blow and defeat there will
be almost surely followed by defeat in the
other Southern States. We trust that our
Alabama friends will make no mistake in this
matter. We hope that they will definitively
agree on a plan of action fitted to either of
The alternative contingencies, and thus assure
-he result which they desire.