The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1885-08-26

u0itNS OiA NAC ~ CLtN VI -tk1ANes
1867 In a general order, dated April
10, he stated that elections to fill yacan-
cies in State Offices would not take place
until a registration of voters had been
made, and that in the meantime he
would fill such vacancies by appoint
ment. He advised the freedmen that
their most important duty was to labor
Tor the support of themselves and their
families, and not to neglect that duty
for politics.
The result of the registration in Mis-
sissippi showed that there were 1886
white registered voters, and 60, l67 col
ored ones. An election was then held,
for and against State convention and
for delegates thereto. The whites COM
planned that the selection Of delegates
was unfairly made, so as TO give large
preponderance to the negroes. They
were for time divided in opinion as to
the utility of making any opposition 10
the Republicans. They therefore allow
ed the election to go practically by
default. There were only 6,277 votes,
out of a total OF 1906, cast against a
convention.
In December, 1867, the provisional
governor, Benjamin G. Humphreys,
found it necessary to call upon General
Ord for assistance in preventing VIC
lent outbreak of the blacks. The blacks
had been led by demagogues to expect
that lands would be confiscated and dis
| tributed among them. He also issued a
proclamation against threatened comb,
nations and Nconspiracies among the
| blacks to seize lands and establish farms
General Ord gave orders for the arrest
of all persons engaged in such unlawful
enterprises, and of all white men who
should advise negroes to unlawful acts
These vigorous measures had the desired
effect. The reckless schemes were aban
| doned
A disturber of the peace among the
whites was w. III. McCardle. He wa
the editor of Vicksburg newspaper
He was arrested and court-martialed OF
charges of publishing articles intended
to incite the people to breach of thu
peace, and to impede reconstruction
Judge Hill, of the United States Distric
Court, issued a writ of hdbeds corpus il
behalf of McCardle. To this Genera
Ord made return, setting forth the facts
and that the prisoner was held by tn
authority of the acts of Congress know
as the Reconstruction acts. Judge Hill
ruled that those acts were valid an,
constitutional. An appeal was taken t
the Supreme Court of the United States
: That court dismissed the appeal 70
want of Jurisdiction.
: The constitutional convention met i
Jackson on the 9TH of July, 1868.
continued in session until the 18th @
May. 1t contained large Republica
majority. B. B. Eggleston was electe
president. He was an Ohio man. Th
. delegates showed liberal appreciatio
!. of their services by voting themselves
compensation of so day $40 day I
the president; SIS each to the secretar
= and reporter; $40 to the sergeant
. arms, and $3.50 to the pages. Ihel
. was considerable opposition to this sea
of compensation, but the dissatisfie
e were regarded as almost guilty of ire.
= son, and as deserving of expulsion.
. committee was appointed to prepare
: memorial to Congress, asking for powt
: to remove the State officials appointe
:. or elected under the provisional govern
:. ment and to appoint others in the
:. stead. A protest against this memoria
:. repelling the charge that the provisions
:" government was in the hands of IL
:. rebels, and that the lives and propert
= of loyal men were insecure, was signe
:. by fifteen members, but it was n,
=. allowed to be entered on the journs
: The convention, by vote of fifty
2 nineteen, ordered the protest to
= wrapped in brown paper and returne
: to its author"
:. General Ord was, on June 4, 1868, su
:. ceeded in the command of the Fourt
= military district by Gen. Irwin NJ
:. Dowell. This officer on the fifteenth
:. the same month, issued a general ord
removing Governor Humphreys, an
appointing Maj .-Gen. Adelbert Am
provisional governor in his place
the same time, Capt. Jasper Myers W,
appointed Attorney General of I'll
State, instead of Charles E. Hooke
removed. General Ames notified Go
ernor Humphreys of the change ordere,
and requested to be informed when
would be convenient to make tt
necessary arrangements. Governor Hun
phreys replied that he regarded th
: general order as "usurpation of tb
civil government Of Mississippi, III
warranted by, and in violation of til
Constitution of the United States.
/. He stated that he had telegraphed t
i the President, and was authorized t
say that the President disapproved til
order. He, therefore, refused to vacat
the Office. In this case, however, til
power of the President, though "Com
mander-inChi of the Army an
Navy" was subordinate to that of hi
inferior officer. The commander of tn
Fourth military district was backed b,
Congress. Governor Humphreys wa
ousted from his Office at the point of th
bayonet. General Ames, of Maine
took possession of the governors house
and Of all the public buildings ant
archives.
The white population of Mississippi
was, almost universally, opposed to tn,
reconstruction measures. Although il
a voting minority, the whites were abb,
to defeat the ratification of the consti
tuition which was the work of the con
vention. The obnoxious clauses of tina
instrument were those relating t,
suffrage and eligibility to office. Ii
general terms suffrage was declared t.
be universal; but persons offering t.
register were required to swear that the,
were not disfranchised by any of the
Reconstruction acts. No one who wa.
not qualified elector was eligible to an,
public Office. The same disqualification.
were extended to such members of the
Legislature as had voted for the call oil
the convention that passed the ordinance
of secession; to all who had voted for
or signed, such ordinance; and to al
who had aided or countenanced the re-
bellion-unless they had afterwards
| aided reconstruction by voting for the
constitutional convention. and had. in
good faith, advocated its acts. Private
soldiers of the Confederate army were
however, exempted from this exclusion
from office.
This clumsy and contradictory pro
scrlption went even beyond the restric:
lions of the Reconstruction acts. A
quiet citizen who had managed to keen
out of the fight, but had given aid, com.
tort, countenance, or counsel to the
rebellion, was placed in a worse situa-
ton than the man who had fought in
the ranks. And even the worst cases of
treason and rebellion were condoned bv
voting for the convention and con-
tlnuously supporting the reconstruction
measures. 1t is not at all surprising
that the white people in Mississippi
united In an effort to defeat such CON
stitution. The intelligent and respect
able colored men sympathized with
them
The total vote on ratification was
.20,09l, of which 1921 were for the
constitution and 60, 800 against it. This
showed an opposition majority of 1929
benjamin ". Humphreys, the Demo-
elected. He received Ga 21 votes
against IS. $50 for tha Ran,,a1;o 49,,