30 



ALABAMA. 



_It was estimated, after the election, that 

 ninety-six of the members of the convention 

 were to be designated as Eadicals, and four as 

 Conservatives. Of the ninety-six, there were 

 seventeen blacks; of the remainder, a large 

 number were comparatively strangers in Ala- 

 bama, and in no way identified with her people 

 or her prosperity; thus making nearly half of 

 the convention consist of blacks, and persons 

 from the Northern States. 



On October 18th Major-General Pope issued 

 the following orders for the convention to as- 

 semble : 



General Orders, No. 76. 

 HEADQUARTERS THIKD MILITARY DISTRICT j 

 (GEORGIA, ALABAMA, AND FLORIDA), v 

 ATLANTA, GA., October 18, 186T. ) 

 Whereas, By General Orders, No. 59, from head- 

 quarters, dated August 31, 1867, an election was 

 ordered to be held in the State of Alabama, on the 

 first, second, and third days of October, 1867, at 

 which election, in pursuance of an act of Congress, 

 entitled "An Act to provide for the more efficient 

 government of the rebel States," and the acts sup- 

 plementary thereto, the registered voters of said 

 State might vote " for a convention," or " against 

 a convention," and for delegates to constitute the 

 convention, in case a majority of the votes given on 

 that question should be for a convention, and in case 

 a majority of all the registered voters should have 

 voted on the question of a convention ; 



Whereas, At an election held in pursuance of said 

 order, and in conformity with said acts, there were 

 polled, on the question of convention, votes to the 

 'number of ninety-five thousand eight hundred and 

 sixty-six, being more than one-half of one hundred 

 and sixty-five thousand eight hundred and thirteen 

 the whole number of registered voters in said State, 

 including those registered during the five days 

 mentioned in said order; of the whole number of 

 votes polled on the question of convention, ninety 

 thousand two hundred and eighty-three, being a 

 majority of the same, were cast "for a convention ; " 

 And Whereas, At said election the following-named 

 persons were elected as delegates to said convention 

 from the respective election districts in which they 

 were chosen : 



[Here follows a list of the names.] 

 It is^ Ordered, That the persons above named do 

 meet in convention, at Montgomery, Ala., at the 

 Capitol, on Tuesday, the fifth day of November, 

 1867, and proceed to frame a constitution and civil 

 government for the State of Alabama, according to 

 the provisions of the acts above referred to, and 

 that when the same shall have been so framed, the 

 said constitution be submitted for ratification to the 

 registered voters of said State, as further required 

 by law. 



JOHN POPE, Brevet Major-General U. S. A. 



The convention, accordingly, assembled at 

 Montgomery, on November 5th. Eighty-nine 

 delegates were present, and organized by the 

 selection of E. W. Peck, of Tuscaloosa, as per- 

 manent president, and other officers. The 

 president had been a lawyer by profession, in 

 the State, for nearly thirty years, a Northern 

 man" by birth, formerly a Whig, opposed to se- 

 cession, and a Union man during the war. A 

 resolution was then adopted to take simply an 

 oath to support the Constitution, and discharge 

 their duties faithfully as members of the con- 

 vention. The business was allotted to com- 

 mittees ; General Swayne was invited to a seat 

 in the convention ; the president was instructed 



to procure two Federal flags, with which to 

 drape his seat. The following resolution was 

 offered by a colored delegate, and adopted : 



Sesolved, That this convention do memorialize 

 Congress_ to remove all the political disabilities of 

 those citizens of Alabama, at its next session, who 

 have materially aided in the reconstruction of said 

 State on the plan proposed by Congress. 



Another resolution was adopted, to make the 

 existing constitution of Alabama the basis of 

 the new one, with such changes as were neces- 

 sary to comply with the requisitions of the 

 Military Bill and to insure the full enjoyment 

 of equal civil and political rights to all, with- 

 out distinction of color. Major-General Pope 

 was invited to take a seat in the convention. 

 Whereupon he appeared, and spoke as follows : 



Mr. President and Gentlemen of the Convention : 



Be pleased to accept my thanks for this cordial 

 greeting. It is especially grateful to me, as it indi- 

 cates your feeling of approval of the manner in which 

 I have discharged my duties amongst you. I con- 

 gratulate you upon the success which has thus far 

 crowned your efforts at the pacification of this State 

 and its restoration to the Union results due alto- 

 gether to the firmness and fearlessness with which 

 you have conducted the late political campaign. 

 Whilst I disclaim any purpose whatever to attempt 

 to influence your deliberations in any manner, I 

 trust I may be permitted to say that moderation of 

 counsel and temperance of action are peculiarly be- 

 coming in a convention vested with the power which 

 is in your hands. I trust, and believe, that your de- 

 liberations and the action consequent upon them 

 will lay the foundation for the permanent welfare 

 and interest of the State of Alabama, and for the 

 general welfare of the country. In this view I rest 

 content, and I congratulate you upon the respectable 

 and orderly body which I see before me. 



A resolution was offered to appoint a com- 

 mittee of five to confer with Major-General 

 Pope in regard to organizing a provisional 

 government for the State, and vacating all 

 offices of the pretended government within the 

 next twenty days. It was laid on the table 

 yeas 45, nays 42. Nearly all the colored dele- 

 gates voted yea. 



A resolution was offered and referred to the 

 appropriate committee, for an ordinance "re- 

 moving all laws, regulations, or customs here- 

 tofore or at present in existence wherein dis- 

 tinctions are made on account of color, caste, or 

 former condition of servitude. Another was 

 referred, which provided that all laborers should 

 have a lien upon the crops and all other per- 

 sonal property of their employers for the pay- 

 ment of wages. Subsequently, on the fourth 

 day of the session, the following ordinance was 

 offered : 



Whereas, Since the 10th day of January, 1861, no 

 loyal government has existed in Alabama : and 

 whereas, such illegal or pretended government as 

 now exists therein is administered by men who have 

 been elected to power and authority on account of 

 services rendered in behalf of treason and rebellion; 

 and whereas, said pretended government does not 

 adequately protect loyal men in their rights of life, 

 liberty, and property : Therefore, 



Besolved, That this convention should proceed to 

 organize a provisional government for the State, 

 and to this end all important offices in this State 



