16 



ALABAMA. 



adoption. To this there might be exceptions, but 

 this would be the rule. 



2. The machinery for conducting the registries, 

 and the elections, is in the hands of those who favor 

 the adoption of the constitution, and there are no suf- 

 ficient means of purging the polls, or preventing or 

 detecting frauds in the registration or in the manage- 

 ment of the election. 



The following resolutions were unanimously 

 adopted by the conference : 



Resolved, 1. That we recommend to the people 

 of Alabama, opposed to the constitution proposed 

 by the convention, lately in session at Montgomery, 

 to abstain from voting at all the elections to be held 

 on the fourth and fifth of February, either _ upon the 

 question of ratifying or rejecting that constitution, or 

 for candidates for offices under it. 



2. That we also recommend to the opponents 

 of said constitution, that they form and maintain ef- 

 fective political organizations among themselves in 

 every portion of the State, until they are delivered 

 from the perils which are impending. 



The thirtieth day of January was recom- 

 mended to the people of the State as a day of 

 fasting and prayer to Almighty God, to deliver 

 the people of Alabama " from the horrors of 

 negro domination." 



A petition also was prepared by the people 

 opposed to granting suffrage to the blacks, 

 and presented to the lower House of Congress, 

 in which they complained of the grievances 

 under which they considered that the people 

 of Alabama were suffering. They professed 

 the humblest submission and obedience to the 

 laws, and portrayed the poverty prevailing on 

 account of the unsettled condition of the State, 

 owing to the political animosities and strife 

 existing. In conclusion, they said : 

 m "We are beset by secret oath-bound political socie- 

 ties ; our character and conduct are systematically 

 misrepresented and magnified to you and in the news- 

 papers of the North ; the intelligent and impartial 

 administration of just laws is obstructed ; industry 

 and enterprise are paralyzed by the fears of the white 

 men and the expectations of the black that Alabama 

 will soon be delivered over to the rule of the latter ; 

 and many of our best people are, for these reasons, 

 leaving the homes they love for other and strange 

 lands. Continue over us, if you will do so, your own 

 rule by the sword. Send down among us honorable 

 and upright men of your own people, of the race to 

 which you and we belong, and ungracious, contrary 

 to wise policy and the institutions of the country, and 

 tyrannous as it will be, no hand will be raised among 

 us to resist by force their authority. But do not, we 

 implore you, abdicate your rule over us, by transfer- 

 ring us to the blighting, brutalizing, and unnatural 

 dominion of an alien and inferior race, a race which 

 has never exhibited sufficient administrative ability 

 for the good government of even the tribes into 

 which it is broken up in its native seats : and which 

 m all ages has itself furnished slaves for all the other 

 races of the earth. 



t For the purpose of modifying order No. 49, 

 issued during the previous year, Major-General 

 Meade issued an order, dated February 2, 1868, 

 in which he prohibits the insertion of official 

 documents in all newspapers attempting to 

 obstruct, in any manner, the civil officers in 

 the discharge of their duties. He further 

 said: 



Opposition to reconstruction, when conducted in a 

 legitimate manner, is not to be considered an offence ; 



but will be so considered when accompanied by vio- 

 lent and incendiary articles threatening the preser- 

 vation of the peace, or by attempts to obstruct civil 

 officers, as indicated in paragraph 1 of this order. 

 Should any civil officer violate the provisions of this 

 order, the case will be promptly reported to these 

 headquarters. 



On the 4th of February, the vote for and 

 against the constitution, prepared in 1867, 

 took place and passed off quietly. The whites, 

 with unusual unanimity, abstained from the 

 polls, and also a large number of blacks. The 

 friends of the constitution made a most strenu- 

 ous effort to poll as large a vote as possible, 

 still they were defeated by about 15,000 votes. 

 The time for taking the votes was also ex- 

 tended to four days, by order of Major-General 

 Meade. About 70,000 votes were polled for 

 the constitution, while it required about 

 85,000 to insure its success. The friends of 

 the constitution elected the Governor, "W. H. 

 Smith, the Lieutenant-Governor, the members 

 of Congress, and a large majority of the mem- 

 bers of the Legislature. 



About this time a bill, providing for the ad- 

 mission of Alabama as a State in the Union, 

 was introduced in the lower House of Congress 

 and referred to the Committee on Beconstruc- 

 tion. The majority of that commitee submitted, 

 on March llth, to the House of [Representatives, 

 a report in favor of the bill, which was to es- 

 tablish the constitution thus rejected at the 

 polls, chiefly on the ground that a severe storm 

 prevented the attendance of the voters in the 

 Eepublican part of the State. 



A minority report was also submitted against 

 the bill. Mr. Thaddeus Stevens, of Pennsyl- 

 vania, opposed the bill, on the ground that it 

 would be wrong to force on the people of Ala- 

 bama a constitution in face of such a vote. 

 The bill was referred back to the committee, 

 and a substitute reported and passed in the 

 House, but not acted upon by the Senate. 



On the 17th of February the recently-elected 

 Legislature of Alabama met in the office of 

 the Sentinel newspaper, at Montgomery. The 

 Lieutenant-Governor, A. J. Applegate, called 

 the Senate to order, and in his address to them 

 said that he regretted the absence of Govern- 

 or Smith. The fact that Congress had not 

 voted on the bill to admit the State could make 

 no difference, as there was no doubt that the 

 Assembly was legally elected, and Congress 

 would undoubtedly recognize whatever they 

 might do. It was absolutely necessary for the 

 Assembly to act in advance of Congress, be- 

 cause the life of the nation was in danger, and 

 there was a pressing " necessity for two Sena- 

 tors from Alabama to sit upon the trial of that 

 renegade and traitor, Andrew Johnson." The 

 Assembly would be sustained by Congress and 

 by General Meade. " General Meade has been 

 in consultation with many of us for the last 

 few days, and stands ready to sustain our 

 action. If any other assistance were needed, Ma- 

 jor-General Dustan, commanding the militia, 

 can at an hour's notice surround our body with 



