| The Alabama Recount--Part I | |
During the turbulent period of Reconstruction, following the Civil War,
political power in Alabama underwent a dramatic transformation. Political
alliances, and families, that had held power since the early days of statehood
suddenly found themselves cast out of the system as a result of their support of
the Confederacy.
With
the majority of white males disenfranchised, political power shifted to the
Republican party largely because of the Black vote. The Republican party, for
most newly freed Blacks, was the very symbol of the freedom that Abraham Lincoln
had granted them.
Under
what became known as the “Carpetbag Rule,” and using the powers of the
Freedman’s Bureau, the United States Army and out-of-state political
operatives, the Republicans seized power in North Alabama. The Democrats, most
of who’s leaders were disenfranchised Confederates, were powerless to stop the
political onslaught.
By
1880 the political winds were shifting. Most white males had regained their
right to vote and the Tennessee Valley was no longer under military occupation.
The Democratic party, however, was in such disarray that it could no longer
command a solid front against the Republicans.
The
party had broken into splinter parties, with none commanding a majority. Chief
among the splinter groups were the “Independents.” These were mostly small
farmers who had built up an antagonism over the years against the large planters
and often voted with the Republicans.
The
Independents were, in fact, more harshly condemned than the Republicans. One
Democratic newspaper described an Independent as being “the protege of
radicalism, the spawn of corruption, poverty and ignorance who comes forth as
the leaders of the ignorant and deluded blacks.” Another group, the
“Greenbacks,” had also been making serious inroads on the Democratic party
by promising better economic times and a loosening of tight credit restrictions.
Democratic leaders, searching for someone to unify the party,
selected General Joseph Wheeler as their candidate for Congress in 1880.
“Little Joe,” as Wheeler was popularly known, had been a highly charismatic
Confederate General and, as other Confederate leaders began dying off, was
emerging as one of the “Lost Cause’s” main spokesmen.
Opposing Wheeler in the Congressional campaign was William
Manning Lowe, who had served in the Confederate Army and after being wounded at
Bull Run, had been granted an honorable discharge. Returning to Huntsville, he
was admitted to the bar and was appointed solicitor for the Fifth Judicial
Circuit in 1865. In 1870 he was elected to the State house of representatives
followed by election to Congress in 1878 after successfully putting together a
coalition of disillusioned Democrats, Independents and Republicans.
Right or wrong, many people saw Lowe as a tool of the
Republicans and Carpetbaggers.
On August 23, 1880, the District Congressional Convention met
at a sawmill on the banks of the Tennessee river and nominated General Wheeler
to run against Lowe. The selection of the sawmill was deliberate, as a newspaper
explained, “as the object is to saw asunder the Radical party and their
Greenback-Independent allies.”
Part
2--More
Recounts
Related Articles
Huntsville--Picture
Perfect
Tom Carney, editor of Old Huntsville magazine, has
published a CD that contains hundreds of
old
photographs. Meet the people from Huntsville's past, see the homes, churches,
and office buildings that once stood proudly in our city.
The
Man Behind Old Huntsville Magazine
Tom Carney and his wife started Old Huntsville magazine as a joke on
their neighbors. It has turned into a local icon and affected a lot of people in
Huntsville.
Maple
Hill Cemetery
The oldest and largest cemetery in the state is also one of the most
frequently visited spots for tourists and residents alike.
