FLORIDA. 





On June 18th (J.uvnior Walker 



:ating that, in cnmpliance with 



a re.pi. --t I'rom (Jcu.-ral Pope, all vacancies in 



civil olliccs in the State, which existed or 



might occur, should he reported by the proper 



.1-, with the names of suitable 



:iil I he vacancy. 



In con>c.pience of secret meetings of armed 



blacks, near St. Mark's, the commandant of the 



-iied the following order, 



embracing the counties of Jack-on, Calhoun, 

 leu. Liberty, Franklin, Leon, Wakulla, 

 Madison, and Taylor: 

 General Orders, No. 80. 



HEADQUARTERS, POST OF TALLAHASSEE, FLA., I 



June 27, 1867. | 



1. It has been brought to the notice of the com- 

 manding officer that many colored people are in the 

 habit of meeting at night armed, in various portions 

 of the above-named counties, and holding their se- 

 cret night sessions under the protection of armed 

 guards around the premises in which they are as- 

 sembled. This practice must be discontinued at 

 once. 



The carrving of arms, of any description, by citi- 

 zens, as individuals, or as an organization, at secret 

 or public meetings, or churches, is in violation of 

 ig order; and all officers, civil and military, are 

 required to see that said orders are strictly complied 

 with, and to promptly arrest and bring to trial all 

 who fail to obey them. 



2. All drinking-saloons, bars, or other places 



intoxicating liquors are sold, within the lim- 

 its of this command, will be closed at 12 o'clock at 

 ii'iL'lit, on the 3d of July, and kept closed until 

 o'clock, A. M., on the 5th of July; and the sale or 

 otherwise disposing of intoxicating liquors of all 

 kinds, by the drink or otherwise, on the 4th day of 

 .July, within the above-mentioned limits, is strictly 

 prohibited. 



All officers, civil and military, will see thnt this 

 order is rigidly carried out in their respective locali- 

 ties. 



By order of Lieutenant-Colonel F. F. FLINT : 

 G. N. BOMFORD, First Lieutenant 7th United 



States Infantry, Post Adjutant. 



The first appointment to a civil office made 

 by the military commander of the, district, 

 Colonel Sprague, was that of the mayor of 

 Apalachicola, to fill the vacancy caused by the 

 death of the preceding mayor. 



On July llth a Republican convention as- 

 sembled at Tallahassee. It was composed of 

 white and colored delegates. The objection 

 was made against some of the whites, that they 

 had not been in the State three months, and 

 that all of them had not been in the State 

 years. One hundred and twenty-five 

 delegates were present, representing thirty- 

 seven of the thirty-nine counties of the State. 

 Resolutions denouncing the tax on freednien, 

 and appointing a committee to investigate any 

 acts of gross injustice to loyal men, and tender- 

 ing thanks to General Pope, were adopted; 

 also, a series expressive of political sentiments, 

 which were not published. 



On July 15th Colonel Sprague issued an 



order in compl'rince with instructions from 



d Pope, stating that the registration of 



voters would commence on that day and be 



continued to August 20th, Officers of the 



army on duty, and oilic.-r-i of i!. Freedmen's 

 Mill-can, v.civ enjoined to s-..-e that good 

 prevailed, and to \i>it, from time to time, 00 

 many of the hoards as practicable. 



On July It) th the following order waa is- 

 sued : 



General Ordert, No. 41. 

 HEAIXJUAUTKI:- THIKII MILITARY DMTBICT 



'|:<;IA, 



Tiintii MILITARY DMTBICT ) 



Ll.AHAMA, AM) Kl.oltMlA i, V 



ATLANTA. OA., ,/itfy I'.i. 1H7. I 

 Hoards of Kc:_ r i-t ration in thi* 



The attention of all Boards of Kegis 

 district is called to General Orders, No. 10, from 

 these headquarters, prohibiting civil officers from 

 using any influence whatever to deter or dissuade 

 the people from taking an active part in reconstruct- 

 ing their State government, under the act of Con- 

 gress of March 2, 1867, and the acts supplementary 

 thereto. 



Boards of Registration are hereby instructed to 

 inquire into this subject and report at once the 

 names of any civil officers who have been guilty of 

 any infraction of this order, or who may violate it 

 hereafter. 



By command of Brevet Major-General POPE : 



G. K. SANDERSON, Captain 33d United States In- 

 fantry and A. A. A. G. 



This order was announced by Colonel 

 Sprague on July 25th, with the further expla- 

 nation that these orders " impose upon com- 

 manders the immediate displacement and ar- 

 rest of all such as embarrass or impede the 

 now successful measures in progress for a satis- 

 factory reconstruction of the State govern- 

 ment." . 



A convention was held in St. John's County 

 on July 22d, at which preliminary steps were 

 taken to organize a Union Conservative party 

 in the State. The following resolutions express 

 the objects of the convention : 



Jfesolved, That we propose, under the name of the 

 Union Conservative party, to form a political associa- 

 tion into which all person s wishing well to the South, 

 without regard to former party names or party asso- 

 ciations, may enter and combine for the purpose of 

 accelerating the return of the Southern States to 

 their old position in the Union. 



Resolved, That we fully and cordially accept the 

 situation, and in good faith mean to o'bey and sup- 

 port the laws of the United States in relation to the 

 reconstruction of the Union. 



Itesolved, That we shall hail with pleasure and 

 satisfaction the formation of a constitution for the 

 State of Florida in all respects in conformity with 

 the Constitution of the United States, fairly and 

 honestly elected by the male citizens of the State, 

 without regard to color or race. 



Resolved, That, in our political action as set out in 

 the above resolutions, we are actuated by truly 

 Union and Conservative sentiments and real love for 

 our whole country. 



On August 12th the following order was 

 issued by General Pope, in command of the en- 

 tire district : 



General Orders, No. 49. 



HEADQUARTERS TIIIRD MILITARY DISTRICT ) 

 (GEORGIA, ALABAMA, AND FLORIDA). 



ATLANTA. OA., An-juxt 12, 1867. J 

 1. The commanding general has become satisfied 

 that the civil officers in this military district are 

 only observing his order prohibiting them from 

 " using any influence to deter or dissuade the people 

 from reconstructing their State governments under 

 the recent acts ot Congress," so far as their own 

 personal conversation is concerned, and arc at the 



