MISSISSII'I'I. 



515 



.Mii'l lor the full mid ample protection of 



IMM "i inhabitants of tin- State, both 

 white :iii(l Mark, in nil of (heir rights of person, 



! reli.irion. 



ml Oro, tmiflediatdy after assuming 

 command, proceeded to organize imanU for the 



ration of voter-;. ( Kach hoard had charge 

 df tin- ivL'i-a ration in one or more counties. 

 rpo-i appointment, each member was required 

 to take an oath of office declaring that he had 



voluntarily borne arms against the Uni- 

 l nor voluntarily given aid, counte- 

 ii'in.v, counsel, or encouragement to persons 

 vd in armed hostility thereto; that he 

 had neither sought, nor accepted, nor attempted 

 to exercise tin' functions of any office whatever, 

 under any authority, or pretended authority, 

 in hostility to the United States, nor yielded 

 a voluntary support to any pretended govern- 

 ment, territory, power, or constitution within 

 i'nited States, hostile or inimical thereto, 



Kach county was divided into such num- 

 ber of precincts as might be most suitable for 

 complete registration and the convenience of the 

 voters at the subsequent elections. Each regis- 

 tered voter was furnished with a numbered 

 certificate of registry stating that he had been 

 found qualified and was registered as required 

 I iy the supplementary act of Congress. The 

 i:i^tni<'tions to the boards further declared as 

 follows : 



Every male citizen of the United States, twenty-one 



if age or over, of whatever race, color, or pre- 



onoitipn, who has been a resident of the State 

 of Mississippi for one year prior to the date at which 



-;ents liimself for registration, and who has not 

 Lisfranshised by act of Congress, or for felony 

 at common law, shall, after having taken and sub- 

 scribed the oath prescribed in the nrst section of the 

 rein referred to, be entitled to be, and shall be, 

 reiri.-'tered as a legal voter. 



lYii'l'mi.' the decision of the Attorney-General of 

 the Unite 1 States upon the question as to who arc 

 iHsfraiu'hised by law, registers will give the strictest 

 interpretation to the law, and exclude from regis- 

 tration every person about whose qualification to vote 

 there may be a doubt. Any person so excluded who 

 may, under the decision of the Attorney-General, be 

 entitled t<> vote, will bo duly informed of such de- 

 cision by the registers and be permitted to register 

 at any time prior to the first day of September, at 

 which time the registration of the State will be com- 

 pleted. 



The following resolutions, adopted at a meet- 

 ing of whites and blacks, at Gallatin, in Copiah 

 County, on May 4th, express the general sen- 

 t intent prevailing at this time among the more 

 prudent and judicious citizens: 



Resolved, That it is especially the duty of the white 

 population of the South to respect fully, and protect 

 faithfully, the freedmen in the rights and liberties 

 they have under the law. 



J. That it is the duty of all good citizens to aid 

 and assist the freedmen ii> obtaining correct notions 

 of the elective franchise with which they are now 

 invest'.l. 



".. That it is the judgment of this meeting, that 

 intelligent laborers are better than ignorant ones, and 

 that therefore it is the duty of tho Legislature and 

 the people to encourage the freedmen in their efforts 

 to educate their children. 



4. That we pledge ourselves to ue ill diligence in 

 . promoting peace and good-will among the noes. 



5. That tho true interests of both races are to be 

 greatly enhanced and permanently secured by indus- 

 try, sobriety, and economy and that we will mutu- 

 ally strive to develop all the resources of the country. 



On tho llth of May an order was issued by 

 General Ord designed to break up the crime of 

 horse-stealing in certain sections of the State 

 by adding a military cooperation to the efforts 

 of' the civil authorities. 



Another order, designed to secure to labor its 

 just share of the crops, and to protect alike 

 debtor and creditor from sacrifices by forced 

 sales in the impoverished condition of the coun- 

 try, was issued on June 12th. This order sus- 

 pended all sales in pursuance of ttny execution 

 until after December 30, 1867, where the debt 

 was contracted prior to January 1, 1866. All 

 interferences, under color of a legal process, with 

 the lawful tenant in cultivating or gathering 

 the growing crops were prohibited, except in 

 cases where the crops had been hypothecated 

 for money, tools, etc., supplied in the cultiva- 

 tion of the land. Wherever distilleries were 

 in operation the sub-district and post com- 

 manders were ordered to ascertain if the taxus 

 had been duly paid. Post commanders were 

 also instructed to entertain and investigate all 

 complaints made by citizens of persecution by 

 the civil authorities, and to report to head- 

 quarters. 



By a circular of July 29th all State and mu- 

 nicipal officers, of whatever degree or kind, 

 were notified of the special laws of Oongiv> 

 for the organization of the State governments 

 on the basis of suffrage without regard to color, 

 and that any attempts to render nugatory these 

 laws by speeches or demonstrations in opposi- 

 tion thereto, would be regarded as a sufficient 

 cause for summary removal from office. 



On August 8th a further circular, relative to 

 the registration of voters and the subsequent 

 proceedings, was issued by General Ord. (See 

 ABKANSAS, page 52.) 



On the 13th an order of General Ord required 

 all subordinates of the Freedinen's Bureau to in- 

 vestigate all charges against land-holders of 

 driving off laborers, with a view to withhold 

 from them their arrears of wages. The remov- 

 al of all crops was forbidden until the shares of 

 the laborers had been ascertained and assigned 

 to them. 



An order of the 19th required supervisors, 

 inspectors, and boards of registration, to ob- 

 tain the names of suitable persons, white or col- 

 ored, to act as clerks and judges of elections for 

 delegates to a convention, etc. Only such per- 

 sons as could take the oath required of reci- 

 ters above mentioned were to be recommended. 



This order was regarded by some of the peo- 

 ple of the State as a deviation by General Ord 

 from the conservative course he had hitherto 

 pursued. Tins view was thus presented by 

 the Daily Herald of Vicksbnrg : 



He authorizes the appointment of negroe* as judges 



