MISSISSIPPI. 



511 



SEO. 13. Said committee of five shall have author- 

 ity to employ a clerk and to enforce the collection of 

 the taxes levied by the several ordinances of this con- 

 vention, and to perform any and all duties appertain- 

 ing to the same. 



The following ordinance was also passed by 

 the convention before its adjournment : 



Whereas, In a republic the foundation of a govern- 

 ment is the right of suffrage, and therefore this right 

 should be guarded from all undue influence, and se- 

 cured in such manner that the free and untrammelled 

 voice of the people should be heard : Therefore, be 

 it ordained, by the people of Mississippi in conven- 

 tion assembled 



SEC. 1. No contract shall be valid which in any 

 manner abridges or affects the right of franchise, of 

 either party ? and any person or persons demanding 

 such conditions shall, on conviction thereof, be dis- 

 franchised for the term of five years from and after 

 the ratification of the constitution of this State, and 

 shall pay a fine of five hundred dollars, to be collected 

 by any court having jurisdiction. 



SEO. 2. Whoever shall dismiss from employment 

 any person or persons for having exercised the right 

 of franchise, or for attempting to exercise such rignt, 

 shall, on conviction, be fined not less than two hun- 

 dred and fifty dollars, and be disfranchised for the 

 term of five years. 



A large portion of the citizens of Mississippi 

 were strongly opposed to the congressional 

 plan of reconstruction, and began early to or- 

 ganize a vigorous opposition to the work of 

 the Constitutional Convention. The Executive 

 Committee of the Constitutional Union party, 

 which was formed in the preceding year, 

 called a convention to meet at Jackson on the 

 15th of February.- At this convention a series 

 of resolutions was adopted, assuming the name 

 and principles of the Democratic party, and 

 declaring that the conservatives of the State 

 would " do battle under that banner until the 

 Union is restored to a constitutional basis, and 

 all the States are recognized as equals in the 

 great confederation of American sovereignties." 

 The purposes of the party, as thus revived, were 

 set forth in the following : 



Resolved, That the military bills of Congress, for the 

 reconstruction of the so-called rebel States, are un- 

 constitutional and oppressive in all their particulars, 

 and should be resisted by the unanimous voice of the 

 people at the ballot-box. 



Sesolved, That, for the purpose of accomplishing 

 this result, the people of Mississippi are hereby rec- 

 ommended to organize a Central Democratic Associ- 

 ation, with similar associations in every county, and 

 in all the principal cities and towns in the State, and. 

 to this end, this convention will appoint a central 

 committee of nine, resident at the capital of the State, 

 with power to complete this party organization, in 

 all respects. 



Resolved, That the nefarious design of the Repub- 

 lican party in Congress, to place the white men of 

 the Southern States under the governmental control 

 of their late slaves, and degrade the Caucasian race 

 as the inferiors of the African negro, is a crime 

 against the civilization of the age, which needs only 

 to be mentioned to be scorned by all intelligent 

 minds, and we therefore call upon the people of Mis- 

 sissippi to vindicate alike the superiority of their 

 race over the negro, and their political power to 

 maintain constitutional liberty. 



On the 22d of January, the Democratic 

 State Central Committee had a meeting to 

 concert measures for the thorough organiza- 



tion of the party. It was determined to form 

 a Central Democratic Association at the city of 

 Jackson, " to be composed of the free white 

 male citizens, qualified electors under the con- 

 stitution of the State, and who are opposed to 

 congressional usurpations, military despotism, 

 negro suffrage, and negro government." For 

 the purpose of organizing this association, a 

 meeting of all such electors was appointed for 

 the 1st of February at Jackson, and the 8th 

 of February was designated for similar meet- 

 ings in each of the counties of the State to 

 form county associations. This organization 

 having been effected, a day was to be named by 

 the Central Committee for the holding of a new 

 State convention, "to consider our State and 

 Federal relations." The committee afterward 

 appointed the 19th of February for this con- 

 vention, and called on all the county associa- 

 tions to send delegates. 



In the mean time a convention of Republi- 

 cans met at Jackson, on the 5th and 6th of 

 February, and nominated candidates for the 

 State offices, to be voted for at the election 

 for taking the vote on the ratification of the 

 constitution. Their candidate for Governor 

 was B. B. Eggleston, the presiding officer of the 

 Constitutional Convention. The following was 

 the Eepublican platform : 



Resolved, That we hereby renew the pledge of our 

 adherence to the principles and organization of the 

 Republican party, recognizing as the main principles 

 of that party the sentiments of " equal rights to all," 

 and " unwavering fidelity to the Union,'^ that, come 

 what may, in weal or woe, in victory or defeat, we 

 will stand by these principles, and never lower the 

 standard of Republicanism. 



Resolved, That we cannot withhold the expression 

 of our implicit confidence in General Ulysses S. 

 Grant, who was true to the country in war, and will 

 not desert it in peace. 



Resolved, That each and every member of this 

 State Convention, hereby pledges all his influence to 

 ratify the new constitution and to support the Repub- 

 lican nominees. 



The Democrats met in convention on the 

 13th of February, in accordance with the call 

 of their Central Committee, and occupied two 

 days in the consideration of their " State and 

 Federal relations." The results of their de- 

 liberations were embodied in a voluminous 

 series of resolutions, reaffirming their confi- 

 dence in the principles and policy of the na- 

 tional Democratic party, and denouncing in 

 unmeasured terms the course of their political 

 opponents in all public matters over which 

 they had exercised any control. They declared 

 it to be their deliberate opinion that "the de- 

 feat of Radicalism, in the approaching political 

 struggle, constitutes the only hope which the 

 American people can reasonably cherish for 

 the restoration of constitutional liberty to our- 

 selves and the coming generations of our pos- 

 terity ; and that it is the duty of all men, of 

 all political parties, and of every section of the 

 Republic, who venerate the Constitution 

 framed by their wise and heroic fathers, and 

 who desire the restoration of Constitutional 



