, 1874-01-24
MISSISSIPPI.
a Trip from Chicago to jock
son.
0ccayed Appearance Of the State and
Its Capital.
Tho Qnbernatorlal Contest Arising ont
or tho I,atc Election.

Ino EnDernat0rlAl Contest Arising OIL
OF tho Iatc Election.
Correspondence Of Tbs Chttago Tribune.
1AcKaoH, M!ss Jan. Is, 1874
left Chicago drapcd iii hor wintcrs garb @
snow aud loo,--her people huriying from pof1,
to point with qutckcncd stop, M II anxious tt
escape tho winds ns thoy cnmo swooping acros
tho pratrios, armed with frosty needles, whIol
penetrated iurs aud tile heaviest clothing mt
found myself. In forty hours' trnvo1, without
chango Of cars, IN land Of flowers, with tht
balmieat air md The brightest sunshine. Thf
air comes in through tho opon wulows, lader
with tho perfume Of yiolets, hyacinths, ard
ful ovorgreens which grow In this climate, MI
combine 10 perfect tho dcluson tlat we arc in
A FAIRY WORLD,
mud mt part Of tho globe OIL which poor,
hhiycri.,g Chicago sits, with tho wiuds atornato-
" from tho lakes and prairies, sweeping through
her streets with tic fury of hurricane.
found, WHOM wo reached Contrnlia, the SNOW
had disappeared. Tho peotlo Ind not the
Btaccaso step of tho OhtcagoapB.
Wo woro detained at Cairo long enough to
change tho truck OF tho cars. Tho Mississippi
Central Railroad has extended its limo to Cairo,
thoro forming Junction with tho Illinois Gen.
tral Railroad. Tho Mississippi ContrAl truck IL
tllroo and q half inches wilor than tho Illinois
Central, and, Oh neither could change its gauge,
the difficulty was easy removed by running tho
cars On sort Of table, raising them by scrows
slipping out the Illinois Central trucks and re-
placing them with tho broaa-gauEe trucks Of the
mississippi Geutra1. Tho change is effected
with o dolay OF only three minutes to each car
There aro now 900 miles of direct railroad from
Chicago to Now Orlonns. It extotailB from tho
tco and snow Of tho North to tho trupicalycgeta-
ton, ton Of IT,, tho South. The people ot Mississippi
and carly vegetables of the South.
Whom Chicago has navigation to tho Atlantic.
which Bho Ia bound 10 have, Missssppi will send
her cotton to Europe by tnat route, and VIC shall
sec Chicago
saw hut Tow bouts ut Cairo, and they had
desa, teti l,ok The fact ~, rssilraa,s and tele-
gra, Us hase untitled us for tho slow, oIdfasl1-
iOncd, but luxurious stea1nhoats Of bygono days.
Many Ct the towns Oh the Ohio and 1fasissippi
have "tumble-down" appearance, whore t1ie
railroads have cut them oil. Formerly they wero
Yitaizod BY stcntnbons trallc, but thoy have di-
whar,cs, With tleir lazy negro driycra with their
mule and OK teams. Now they look lilo many
inland towns Of lllluos,
I saw soma Of tho
BlSI4HGI1fE L F-IATUlIs9 CE SLAVERY
on stennbont many years ago. l took passage
On one Of tho tloatilg paacea plying Between
with the wealth and beauty Of Kentucky, going
South to spend the winter. Tho Indies
them lad that ianguor peculiar to to tic
women Of tho moro Southern states.
The men, just as kontuckans sro ell over tic
world, Wcro nlongrel between the mercurial,
sharp-witted Yankco md tho oaay going South.
erner. Many Of thom had their colored SERVANTS
who initiated their masters in their wel-bred
caBo.. They stood behind their chairs at table,
anticipating their wants. aud moved about will
tLcr n,astcrs. Wo Ind OIL board a number Of
beautifuy-drcssel children, with their negro
nursca with turbaned heads. tho bright-colorcd
bandanas contrasting strongly with their copper
eolored comploxiona' Iho evenings wore spent
wines Tor dinner, oblglug. servants, and all for
S12. When I think Of 1t, I nm sometimes almost
inclined to wish for tho good old Colony times.
At present, tue boats arc fewor in number;
now considered u badge Of seryitudc, has gvon
way to the clIignon; and tho sceue I layo pic |
tured iiyes only in memory.
MissiHsppi, with her Norn-out cotton-felda. |
tunbie-do~n fenccs, aud unpau.ed farns-louses,
looks the
PICTURE OF DECAY.
Whenever the cars stopped, saw numbers or
idle negroes standing about, with their hands
rammed down INTO tllsir pockets, enjoying free.
from work. ~ tho doors Of tho cabins all ages
could be seen, from tue woolly-headcd old pairi-
arch down to tho baby,-all enjoying that incyti-
n'able blessing, idlenesa. The long hogs
walked iazily around; the dogs sconaed to catct,
bark.
Tho lands on tho mississippi Central are poor.
as tho road was built on the high ground,-tho
bottom lands as they are called, boing the most
Tho portions OF JaekEon burned during TIM
War 1iayo mover been rebuilt. Poor crops, tile
enormous taxes, impoverish tho peopla aud
slleck nnything Like prosperity; and, like mort
towns, it has no vltnlity. The negro
III uneh Htato, aIl branches Of trade viii he
as:lfyGed.
dust now tAoro Is good deal Of interest felt
Ill allanlsaippi in relation to tho
ELECTION HELD LAST NOVEMBER,
1t will be remembered that Gov. Alcorn ran as
ail independent 1lennblican candidate againHt
Gen. Ames, legulnr Republican, for the ofice OF
uovei1,or. A!corn and his ticket wore beaten by |
=, about 2o,o 600 minority. Alcorn secured nlninly
III the fold. Alcorn III an old citizen
and largo property-loldcr, and, although lie was
not at oil acceptable to tho Whites yot they gen.
preferred him to Con. Amos, whom they regard-
ed as mere adyonturer, without interests III tile
State. and even without o residence there. Gov,
Powers, who was n candidate before the Rcput-
llcan Convention for Governor, and tho Attorney
Genera, Of tue State, who was also candidate
and was, like Powers, dcfoatod, discovered, Of
thought they discovered, after tho Convention
had adjourned, that tho law fixing the election
in November, 1873,
wAs UNCONSTITUTIONAL,
and that the prcao,,t noumbentB Ut State Offices
'!pcludlng tlemsolYos) were entitled to hold
tlor Offices to tho lst Of January, 1875. INC
Attorney General gaye writson opinion to this