The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-05-01
ELECTIONS IN THE UNRECONSTRUCTED
STATES.
From the y. \. Hcrald.

From the NJ \. HeyGd,
Nothing can exhibit in a stronger light the
utter disregard of the party politicians and sell
fish political managers for the great material
interests of the country, than the efforts which
they are making to induce the President to APP
point distant day for the vote ON the constitu-
tons and the elections in the three unrecon-
structed States. Virginia, Mississippi, and
Texas are the three States in question. In each
of these States a constitution has been framed by
convention, and in two of them the instrument
has to be voted on by the people. The cOnsttu-
tion of Mississippi has been submitted and re-
ected by a large majority of the people of that
State not because of an objection to the instru-
ment us a whole, but because of dislike to
limited number of its provisions These the
President wisely proposes to resubmit for scpu.
rate voting, and he desires to advance the course
of legitimate reconstruction by having all three
Of the constitutions acted ON by the people of
the respective States at such time MS may be best
for their interests to hold the elections.
The great question. therefore, is, when will it
least interfere with the industry of these States
to devote the necessary time and attention to
the exciting processes of general election (?
Among the Republican politicians Of Virginia
and Texas there are bitter divisions on the qucs-
| ton of time which are entirely animated by the
respective chances of the section leaders. Those
who consider their chances for nomination and
election good are desirOus that an early day
shall be named while those who have been dis
appointed in obtaining control of the party ma
| chinery are ClamOrous for delay, that they NAV
| have more time for intrigue, management. and a
| canvass of the chances for what may turn up.
| To them the material interests of the country
are nothing when weighed in the scale AGAINST
| their petty pockets, and they will urge reasons
| for delay until they see a chance for their own
personal success, if it takes to the day Of judg-
| ment to find them.
A point which is worthy Of examination is
| the time which the conventions originally set
for these elections. The members of every CON
| vention come largely from the country, and
| they always have Il keen eye to anything which
| shall interfere with the labOrs of husbandry. 1t
| is point of marked interest that all three of
| the conventions appointed very nearly the same
| time for their respective elections. Virginia
| named the I'd of June, Mississippi the 22d Of
| June, and Texas the 9th of July. If we look
critically into the reasons which led to this har-
| mOny OF action, we shallAhnd that in each State
they are intimately connected with the labors of
| agriculture. In fact, the time selected is that
| which can best be spared by an agricultural
| people for the absorbing excitement of general
canvass and election. 1t is the time when the
| wheat crop has been harvested and the labors of
| cultivation of the Others are finished and the
| crops, to use the farmers phrase, are laid by
Throughout the three States in question ii is the
period of the summer rest and of preparation
for the great labor of the harvest.
To throw the election forward to a later
period of the year would be to throw it into the
midst of the harvest labOrs, to their grea
arrangement, or to postpone it to n still further
| date which would make 1t equivalent to post
noning practical reconstruction for another year
No man now advocates further delay of recon
struction, and if he did so he could only b'
accented as disappointed politician, who hope
TO find in further delay and confusion advantage
for his mercenary schemes. The question o
DELAY then, is the one great question:-Shal
these elections be held during the period OF TN
SUMMER rest or shall they be thrown into Tn
midst Of the harvest labors, to their great de
rangement and injury? The crops are corn
cotton and tobaccO-the great staple OF food
and the great basis of oar foreign gold exchange
! ! Anything which interteres With Ihese strIAe