The Daily clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1866-1888, 1868-06-11
THE PROPOSED MONGREL
CONSTITUTION.
THE INFAMOUS GERRYMANDER.

eral system of disfranchsemen and
| oppression which the carpet baggers
and their African allies and dupes are
industriously and unscrupulously
striving to impose upon the white pop
ulatlon of Mississippi. 1t is a bold
and scandulous attempt to deprive
this part of our people of the voice
to which they would be legitimately
entitled even under the restrictions up
on suffrage embraced in the Constitu-
ton. In order to make the scheme
OF Authorization a doubly assured
fact, they have not only prescribed
from suffrage and holding office a
large class of the political community,
but they have SO apportioned repre-
sentation among the counties as to
deprive the whites of their rIghtful
share and have magnifed the repre-
sentation of the counties having negro
majorities, precisely to suit the emer-
gencies of the case, and to secure, as
they have imagined, beyond any con-
tingency, a Legislature adverse to the
rights and interests of the whites.
We do not make this charge vague
ly, but upon the authority of facts and
figures, which will speak for them
selves
1t IS a boast of radical newspaper
that under this iniquitous scheme, there
will be twenty three Radicals and ten
Democrats elected to the Senate; and
seventy-one Radicals, and thirty six
Democrats to the House. In other
words, that they have so gerrymander-
ed the State as to give themselves
double as many Senators and Repre-
sentatives as can be elected by the con-
servatives. We will cite a number
of examples, showing that this was
their intention, and that whatever of
white element exists in the State, it
was designed by the corrupt and I'M
scrupulous contrlvers of this scheme
to be covered up and neutralized by
the African population.
For instance To Adams county,
negro county, having a population
of 1920, one Senator is allowed !;
while no more is allowed to Lawrence,
Pike and Coyington counties (white)
with population of 24,890.
To Warren and Issaquena (black J
with population of 1926 ta0o Sena-
tors are allowed; while but one Sena-
tor is apportioned to the counties of
Attala, Leake and Neshoba, (white J
with population of 30, 1862. All these
latter counties combined have but
four members to the House, while
Warren alone has five and Issaquena
one.
To Yazoo (black) with popula-
ton of Is, 1858, one Senator is appor-
toned; while to Davis, Jasper, Clark
and Wayne (white) with population
26,793, but one Senator is allowed
All these counties combined have but
four representatives, while Yazoo has
three.
To Madison, black with a popu-
lation of Is, 249, one Senator is APP
+ portioned; while to TISHOMINGO
and Itawamba (white) with popula-
, ton of THIRTY SIX THOUSAND
NINE HUNDRED AND FIFTY
> EIGHT, but one Senator is appor-
: toned. The same counties with g
population of more than double thai
p. of Yazoo (Which has one Senator) and
fully double that of Madison, have bu.
THREE Representatives in all; while
to Yazoo and Madison are assigned
SIX. Or to put the case more plain
e ly, Yazoo and Madison, negro coun-
c ties, with combined population oil
$4,000 are allowed TWO Senators
and SIX Representatives, while fish
/ omingo and Itawamba (white) with q
total population of 36,958, have but
one Senator and three Representative
To Holmes (black) with population
of 1916, one Senator is apportioned
: while to Lafayette and Pontoc, white J
with a population Of 32,539, (more
than double the population ofHolmes
but one Senator is allowed. Holmes
has three Representatives, while the
: others united have but four, when they
should have sir, if population was con
sidered.
The fiven egro Districts of Adams
Holmes, Madison, Yazoo and Warren
with an aggregat population of 90,06S
have fire Senators, while the three
white Districts of Leake, Neshoba and