The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-11-29


ton of Andrew Johnson, and were based on
that functionary's peculiar notions of the
most effective way for rendering treason
odious and Furnishing traitors. On the Goth
of May, 1865, President Johnson appointed
William L. Sharkey Provisional Governor of
the State, and that official at once set him
self about the task of reconstruction on the
Johnsonian policy. A convention elected by
the still unrepentant Rebel population met
on the nth of August following, and passed
ordinances abolishing slavery in the State,
and declaring null and void the ordinance of
secession. An election for State officers
was held in October, there being three can
didates for Governor, the votes for whom
were respectively as follows;-Beniamin G..
Humphries, 1906; f. S. Fisher, 11,5jl; and
W. S. Patton, 0,329. The total vote thus
reached but ~, ,916, while at the Presidential
election in 1860 it had aggregated 60, 120. A
full Congressional delegation and all the GUS
tomary State and county officers were elected
at the same time. On the 10th of October
the State Legislature assembled, and on the
18th, Humphreys, who had served as Brigl-
dier-General in the Confederate army with
some distinction, was inaugurated as Gov
ernor. But the Legislature soon gave the
country substantial proof of its reactionary
spirit by refusing, on the 9th of No
vember, to ratify the proposed ant-slavery
amendment to the Federal Constitution.
When Congress assembled in December,
1865, the Mississippi delegation to the House
Of Representatives, in common with the
Johnson delegations from the other States,
were refused their seats, and tho supreme
law-making power of the land proceeded to
the task of laying down a reconstruction pro-
gramme in accordance with the sentiments of
the loyal people of the country. 1t is unne-
cessary to recapitulate in this connection the
progress of the Congressional policy, which
eliminated in the passage of the supplemental
Reconstruction act of March %, 1867. Mis-
sissippi became part of the Fourth Military
District, under the successive commands of
General Ord. who first assumed command on
the 2Sth of March, 1867, General Gillem,
General Mcdowell, and General Ames. Gov
ernor Humphreys, however, was permitted to
remain undisturbed in his position as the
chief civil magistrate of the State, and con-
tinued to be recognized by the Federal Gov
eminent as Provisional Governor until June
16, 1868, when General Mcdowell ordered his
removal and placed General Ames in the
position of Provisional Governor, the latter
finding it necessary to resort TO show of
force to eject Humphreys.
Meanwhile. the Johnsonized State govern
ment made desperate effort to prevent the
Inauguration of the Congressional reconstruc-
ton policy in the State by applying to the
Supreme Court for an injunction restraining
the President and the district commander
from attempting to execute the provisions of
the Reconstruction acts. But the application
was refused by Chief Justice Chase on the
18th of April, 1867, his decision basing the
refusal upon ''the impropriety of such inter-
ference" which, said the Chief Justice, twill
clearly be seen upon consideration of its
probable consequences, enumerated in sub
stance as follows-f the President should
refuse obedience, the Court is without power
to enforce its process; and if the President
should comply, the House Of Representatives
might impeach him for refusing to execute
the acts of Congress. In this way the Chief
Justice got rid of passing directly upon the
constitutionahty of the Reconstruction acts,
and the Congressional policy proceeded with
out interruption.
The first step under the Congressional
policy was the registration of voters which
took place in the fall of 1867, and reached an
aggregate of about 40, 900, large majority
of those registered being colored. An cleo
ton was then held to decide upon the ques-
ton of holding convention for revising the
Constitution of the State, and 60, 739 votes
nearly all of them colored, we're cast in favor
of a convention, with but 6277 against it.
The order of General Ord announcing the
result was dated December 3, 1867, and in
that order the 7th of January, 1868, was de-
signated as the day for the assembling, at
jackson, the State capital, of the Convention.
BY the 10th of May the draft of Constitu-
ton was ready for the signatures of the mem
| bers, and on the 18th the Convention, having
fully completed its labors, adjourned. The
| Constitution which was the result of the
| labors of this Convention contains several
proscriptive provisions, which, although not
i'll conflict with the letter of the Reconstruc-
tion acts, is opposed to the liberal spirit which
at present animates the great majority of the
| loyal people of the country. 1t encountered
a violent opposition when the people were
called upon to vote upon the question of its
| ratification, and at the election, which was
held on the 22d of June, 1868, but SO, 23l
votes were cast in its favor, while G3, SG0-a
majority of 7629-were thrown against it, and
reconstruction in Mississippi was brought tc
! q M An fnl