ALABAMA. 



25 



i-nil u jinlici'iu- and careful officer to be 



,irli political meetings lnT.-iii referred |.i 



in- uitliin tlic limit;* of their jurisdiction. 



. ollieer thus delailed, while not mteifrniiu with 



IM tin' performance of their duiie-i, 



\\ill .-(ami ready tu interpose, and, if necessary, to 

 ln-iiiLT such military force ID the spot, as the necessi- 

 i he eHM- may deiilUIld. 



I \. Posl and detachment commanders within this 

 district are directed ID keep I heiuseh -es advised n|' 

 nil public political meetings which take place within 

 the limits of i heir jurisdiction, and dm iiiic such ineet- 

 iii"-* to hold themselves and their eomnr.inds in rcadi- 

 ne--s t'lir immediate action at the call of the officer 

 whom they are directed in a previous paragraph of 

 this order to semi to such meeting. Commanding 

 otlicers are informed that they will be held to their 

 full share of responsibility for any want of precau- 

 tionary measures or prompt action to prevent riots, 

 or to arrest disturbers of the peace. 



X. The commanding general believes that ordinary 

 pood faith on the part of the civil officials above men- 

 t iimed, in taking the precautionary steps indicated in 

 this order, ana in performing their obvious duty, 

 will secure the people of this district from riots or 

 riotous proceedings; and he sincerely hopes that no 

 occasion may arise (as none need arise) for any ac- 

 tive participation of the military in the execution of 

 law and the protection of citizens in their legal rights 

 and privileges. By command of 



Brevet Major-General JOHN POPE. 

 G. K. SAUNDEKSON, Captain 33d Infantry, A. A. A. G. 



During these proceedings the United States 

 District Court was in session in Mobile and the 

 collector of the Federal internal revenue was 

 publicly engaged in his duties. 



On May 18th Mr. Kcllcy delivered the same 

 address to an audience at Montgomery composed 

 of white and colored persons. He said that 

 'he had been asked if the Sherman bill would 

 be a finality of the reconstruction agitation. Ho 

 would say, in the name of the whole people of 

 the North, that it would, if complied with in 

 good faith by the people of the South. lie saw 

 much in Montgomery to cheer him, and that ho 

 would be glad to report it at home. In five 

 years, ho predicted that the South would be 

 more liberal than the North. To the freedmen 

 he gave some advice, saying that while liberty 

 and freedom meant equality before the law and 

 a chance for each one to work out his own for- 

 tune, it also meant labor, economy, and per- 

 severance. It meant more to the good man 

 than to the bad man. They should be sober 

 and industrious, comply with the laws of the 

 country, and cultivate peaceable relations with 

 the people of Alabama, where they were raised 

 and where they are to live." 



On June 4th the newly appointed mayor of 

 MobiK- a-s^mbled both boards of the city coun- 

 cil, and in the presence of the military com- 

 mander of the post, Brigadier-General Shep- 

 herd, read an order from General Pope as fol- 

 lows : 



In pursuance of the recommendation made by 

 Major-General Swayne, commanding District of Ala- 

 bama, in his communication of the "20th ult., touch- 

 ing the recent disturbances at Mobile, Ala., and for 

 the reasons therein stated, the offices of the city tax 

 collector and city treasurer, and the boards of alder- 

 men and common councilmen are hereby vacated 

 by the removal of the present incumbents, and the 



following named persons ore appointed in their 

 stead. 



The new incumbents were as much taken by 



surprise ;i s tin; old ones; as they had IK-- 

 (insulted, but were appointed as military nc- 

 Their notification was in the follow- 

 ing form : 



MAYOR'S Omcs, CITT or Mom 



MOBILE, ALA., June 8, 186T. )' 

 Agreeably to orders received from hcadciuarters, 

 Third Military District, the following named gentle- 

 men, residents of the city, are requested to assemble 

 at the mayor's office at eleven o'clock to-morrow 

 morning. 



Ill the common council, the president before 

 adjourning the board sine die said : " Their rec- 

 ord shows that at no time, when serious in- 

 terests were involved, did they fail in being 

 ready and willing to meet the public emergency. 

 During the very riot, the official cause of their 

 removal, every member of the board was pres- 

 ent in that chamber, attending to his public 

 duties to the trusts imposed on him by his 

 fellow-citizens. They knew nothing of the riot 

 except from the shots and the shouts that they 

 heard. They could not have been present at 

 that meeting without having deserted their 

 posts. He did not know whether or not these 

 facts had been communicated to the command- 

 ing general. 



"But they were, on that occasion, at their 

 post of duty, and he wanted them to remember 

 that fact. He had no objections to make to 

 their successors, and he was desirous of con- 

 gratulating the citizens on the character of the 

 new board. It was a fair selection of good and 

 honorable men men of mark, note, property 

 and worth. They would well fill their places ; 

 only, in yielding obedience, he would protest 

 against the way the order issued. Not to man- 

 ner, for nothing could be more courteous. They 

 lived now no longer under the rights guaran- 

 teed by the city charter. They could no longer 

 fulfil the duties they had been sworn to in be- 

 half of the citizens of Mobile." 



In each board resolutions protesting against 

 the removal from office " except in form and 

 manner and for reasons provided by law " were 

 adopted. Many of the new appointees declined 

 to serve, and others were finally obtained to 

 accept the places. 



Subsequently an order from General Pope 

 appeared, addressed to the district (State) com- 

 manders, directing them to request each Gov- 

 ernor to require all vacancies in civil offices to be 

 reported to him, whereupon it is made his duty 

 to report the same to the district commander 

 with such names to fill the vacancies as he may 

 think proper to recommend. 



On June 4th the " Union Republican " Con- 

 vention of Alabama assembled at Montgomery. 

 The delegates represented both white and black 

 citizens. The forenoon was occupied with the 

 organization of the convention, the committees 

 of which were divided equally by color. The 

 afternoon was passed in the discussion of a prop- 

 osition to invite U. S. Judge Busteed to ad- 



