The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-08-29
TEN YEARS OF ALABAMA
 1865-1874
1865-1874
No. 3O-Major General George G. Meade, Commanding

stamp of the Creators mind on the char aoter of the three children respectively.
 The election ordered by General Meade for February, 1888, upon the question For the Constitution" or Against the Con- stitution" was held, the precinct. polls being now restored the voting period an nounced for four days.
 My home and business were in the heart of the black belt of Marengo county No disturbance of any kind attended the election. No white men among the com paratively few who resided in the vi- cinity of my box voted. A bureau agent from Demopois managed the election there-Lyon's Shop. Only one negro of the vicinity was known to be able. to read and write. He applied to his employer early in the morning of the first day for permission to go to assist at the polls. The Mobile Register had just come through the mails with an eloquent ap- peal to the negroes of the state not to set themselves in opposition to the whites. handed the newspaper with the article designated to the freedman who pro- posed to assist in the election with ad- vice. He was polite, but already deter mined
 General Meade, as returning officer, re- ported to the Secretary of War: q deem it only necessary to say here that from
  caused the most thorough investigation to be made, the constitution was fairly rejected by the people, under the law re- quiring majority of the registered voters to cast their ballots for or against it" Civil Code of Alabama, 1876. p. 120)
 When news of the Exchange Hotel Conference" of January 16, 1868, reached Washington and it became evident that the new constitution would be lost as General dacat.ihA bo faa ha the House of Representatives hastily passed bill, amending the previous act. so that the majority of votes actually cast might determine the issue. Tho emergency bill was hurried to the Senate. but the dilatory habit of that body pre- vailed over it. The election was held under the original law before the Senate reached the amendatory bill.
 Upon taking command of Military District No. g." General Meade was deep ly chagrined to find the political degrada- ton. It had been ordered that an elec- ton for governor and all state and coun- ty officers should be held at the same time and places when and where the vote was taken on ratification of the con stitution. Meade proposed to Swayne still commanding the sub district of Ala bama, that the two elections should be separated. Swayne knew the motive of having both at one and the same time and objected It was this very motive that incensed Meade. The caucus of aliens who sat in the constitutional con vention had nominated most of the can didates for executive. legislative and ju dicial offices. The loyal league had nom mated others. None of the candidates for state or county offices had been nom mated by the Voters in the open conven- ton or primary method, These candi- dates in the majority of instances, could only hope to be elected by having their names on the ballot flor the constitu- tion.' Swayne finally yielded and so con sented to weaken his chances for the Senate. The. matter was submitted to General Grant and he ordered the vote on ratification of the constitution and election of state and county officers to come off the same time and places as originally arranged for. The nomina- tions by the caucus and the Loyal league were disreputable adventurers in most instances. Meade proposed to get rid of them by forcing them upon the polls on their merits as far as practicable.
 There were @ counties, three poll boxes in each. In twenty counties the voting went on the full four days and voters passed from county to county and from poll box to poll box, voting ''early and often" In 13 counties the voting con- tinucd two days. In 27 counties it went right along for five days, while in two the polls were nat opened. (Fleming).
 Alien members of the constitutional convention had boastingly announced that the instrument sent out by them would be accepted by Congress. regardless of how the vote on ratification might go If the constitution should be accepted by Congress the legislature would be put in authority that would ratify the fourteenth article of amendment and so remove the public debt and the national banks from the pending hazard of public opinion. If such a legislature came into rower it would elect radical senators and to these and to radical representatives the long barred doors Of Congress would swing open. Carpetbaggers and scalawags would fill the lucrative county offices and the reconstructed state of Alabama would never again have a William R. King. a William L. yancey, Dixon H. Lewis, Clay, Lyon. Curry or Houston in Con- gress.
 A little farther on we shall read of un- fair elections and great commotion in Congress. and at home, flushed up because of unfair elections in Alabama. General and energetic of the soldiers of the reg ular army of the United States. His skill and fidelity to his trust was as rope of sand to confine the political infamies put in motion in this state by the acts of the fra gmenf of Congress at Washington. Ice and overfowed creeks in the black belt