MISSISSIPPI. 



.017 



The election was ordered by General Ord to 

 take phice on the first Tuesday of November. 

 The regulations for conducting the election 

 were issued in an order of September 26th, and 

 are similar to those for the Sub-district of Ar- 

 kans -is. (See ARKANSAS, page 53.) 



The object of the election was to decide 

 upon the holding of a convention to frame a 

 State constitution and to elect delegates to the 

 same. The number of delegates apportioned to 



UK- State was one hundred, who were to bo 

 chosen from the number of regisu -r.-l voter*. 



'I In- following facts were asserted with regard 

 to the niMimiT in which the apportionment of 

 delegates had been made : 



If based on registered voters, and the pub- 

 lished list be correct (there being about 110,000 

 votes), it would give a ratio of about 1,100 voters for 

 one Representative and yet I find that Tippah, with 

 901 votes, has 2 ; Panolu, with 1,233, has 2 : Holmes, 

 with 877, has 2, and alao 1 floater with Madison the 

 latter, with 2,814 voters, having also 2 (the two coun- 

 ties of Madison and Holmes, having 8,171 votes, and 5 

 Representatives) ; Washington, with 2,231, has 3 ; 

 whilst Tishomingo, with 3,273 voters, nearly all white, 

 has but 2. 



There are 61 counties in the State 32 having a ma- 

 jority of colored voters (three of them being nearly 

 equally divided), and 29 having a majority of whites, 

 in all about 110,000 voters leaving tht colored voters 

 about 15,000 majority in the State ; and yet this ap- 

 portionment (rives to 82 counties, having this com- 

 paratively small colored majority, about 70 of the Rep- 

 resentatives, leaving 30 for the other 29 counties hav- 

 ing white majorities. 



The division of political sentiment which was 

 manifested during the canvass really existed be- 

 tween extreme men called Kadicals and those 

 designated as Constitutional Union men. The 

 latter held a convention in Jackson on October 

 15th, at which delegates were present from only 

 six or eight counties. A resolution was adopted 

 declaring it " to be the policy of the party to 

 abstain from any participation whatever in the 

 election under the military bill, 1 ' etc. An ad- 

 dress was also issued to the people urging this 

 inaction. This convention" was regarded as 

 failing to express the sense of the white people, 

 and as proving conclusively that they recognized 

 "the inevitability of reorganizing their State 

 government under the direction of the present 

 Congress as a result of their defeat in the war, 

 and that it is the wisest plan for all to unite in 

 sending delegates to the convention pledged to 

 reorganize the State in accordance with the 

 congressional plan, and at the same time to de- 

 feat the agrarian schemes which corrupt self- 

 seekers are striving to make it the instrument 

 of carrying into effect." 



The chief justice of the State (A. H. Handy) 

 sent his resignation to Governor Humphreys on 

 October 1st. He said : " It is apparent that its 

 charter (the court) and dignity cannot be main- 

 tained,- and that its powers must be held and ex- 

 ercised in subordination to the behests of a mili- 

 tary commander. And though not as yet posi- 

 tively put into exercise by this officer, yet the ex- 

 traordinary power is asserted ; and that is, in my 

 view, such an invasion of the legitimate powers 

 of the judiciary as to place it in a condition of 

 military duress, in which I cannot seem to ac- 

 quiesce by acting under it." Further orders 

 were issued filling a vacancy in the city coun- 

 cil of Vicksburg; removing a justice of the 

 peace in Holmes County; requiring the name 

 or names of any officer or other person who 

 has made, or may make, inflammatory speeches 

 to freedmen, or endanger the public peace by 

 exciting one class against another ; and direct- 



