MISSISSIPPI. 



457 



common country. We desire, in all sincerity, that 

 "the dead past should bury its dead." 



Feeling a deep interest in the welfare of our people, 

 we desire to see such a condition of affairs as will best 

 enhance and promote the material interest and pros- 

 perity of our Commonwealth. "We do not understand 

 that it is the mission of the Eepublican party to stir 

 up strife ; but, on the contrary, when truly interpreted, 

 its highest aim, by according to every man his due, 

 is to allay dissension, disarm prejudice, and restore 

 law and order, by discouraging every useless and 

 wanton attempt to array one class of citizens against 

 the other. We can and must all live together as 

 friends. 



The proposed convention was held in the 

 Senate-chamber, at Jackson, on the 23d of 

 June, and elected Major J. L. Wofford as its 

 president. An executive committee of six was 

 elected and a platform adopted, but it was 

 deemed inexpedient to make any nominations 

 at that time. 



The platform, as set forth in the following 

 resolutions, received the unanimous approval 

 of the convention : 



Resolved, That this convention now proceed to or- 

 ganize the National Union Eepublican party of the 

 State of Mississippi. 



Resolved, That we express our unfaltering devotion 

 to the great principles of the National Union Eepub- 

 lican party, and that we look forward with hope and 

 confidence to the early restoration of our State gov- 

 ernment in strict accordance with the reconstruction 

 laws of the Congress of the United States. 



Resolved, That the repeated failures of all former 

 and existing organizations to restore the State and 

 to meet the requirements of the republican spirit of 

 our institutions, by insisting upon measures of pro- 

 scription far exceeding the provisions of the Consti- 

 tution of the United States and of the Eeconstruction 

 Acts of Congress, have rendered them unworthy of 

 the respect and confidence of the voters of Missis- 

 sippi. 



Resolved, That, in the language of President Grant, 

 " The question of suffrage is one which is likely to 

 agitate the public so long as a portion of the citizens 

 of the nation are excluded from its privileges in any 

 State;" and, therefore, we sincerely favor the addi- 

 tion of the proposed fifteenth amendment to the Con- 

 stitution of the United States. 



Resolved, That we deprecate any attempt to impose 

 upon the people of this State any greater disabilities 

 than the Constitution and laws of the United States 

 already recognize, and that we believe it to be the 

 duty of all good citizens to use every effort to obliter- 

 ate the animosities of the past, and to unite in the 

 restoration of a State government based on the equal 

 rights, civil and political, of men of every race. 



Resolved, That we express our thanks *to the Presi- 

 dent and the Congress of the United States for re- 

 jecting the scheme to impose the rejected constitution 

 upon the people of this State, and affirm our unwaver- 

 ing support of the Administration of General Grant. 



Resolved, That we announce ourselves unqualifiedly 

 in favor of universal suffrage and universal amnesty 

 upon the restoration of the State to her Federal rela- 

 tions, and pledge ourselves in good faith to urge upon 

 Congress the removal of all political disabilities in- 

 curred by participation in the late rebellion. 



Resolved, That the State Executive Committee be 

 authorized and instructed to issue, in behalf of this 

 convention, an address to the people of this State, 

 declaratory of the principles and sentiments of the 

 National Union Eepublican party of Mississippi. 



Resolved, That the State Executive Committee be 

 authorized and instructed to issue a call for a State 

 Convention, composed of delegates representing the 

 different counties of the State, to meet at such tune 



and place as they may deem expedient, for the pur- 

 pose of nominating a State and Congressional ticket. 



The address to the people, alluded to in the 

 eighth resolution, was subsequently issued, and 

 the Executive Committee applied to Judge Dent 

 for permission to use his name before the nom- 

 inating convention to be held in September, as 

 a candidate for Governor. In his reply to this 

 communication, Judge Dent expressed his ap- 

 proval of the platform of the 23d of June, and 

 granted permission for the use of his name "for 

 any positition within the gift of the National 

 Union Republican party of the State." If it 

 was supposed that the name of Judge Dent 

 would secure the sympathy of the President of 

 the United States for the movement which had 

 been inaugurated, that delusion was dissipated 

 by the following letter : 



LONG BBANCH, August 1, 1869. 



DEAR JUDGE : I am so thoroughly satisfied, in my 

 own mind, that the success of the so-called Conser- 

 vative Eepublican party in Mississippi would result 

 in the defeat of what I believe to be for the best in- 

 terest of the State and country, that I have deter- 

 mined to say so to you (in writing, of course). I 

 know or believe that your intentions are good in ac- 

 cepting the nomination from the Conservative party. 

 I would regret to see you run for an office and be 

 defeated by my act ; but, as matters now look, I must 

 throw the weight of my influence in favor of the 

 party opposed to you. I earnestly hope that, before 

 the 'election, there will be such concessions on either 

 side in Mississippi as to unite all true supporters, 

 in the State, of reconstruction and of the Administra- 

 tion together, in support of one ticket. [Here 

 follows a passage of a private nature. The letter 

 then concludes as follows] : I write this to you 

 solely that you may not be under any wrong impres- 

 sions as to what I regard, or may hereafter regard, as 

 public duty. Personally, I wish you well, and would 

 do all in my power proper to be done to secure your 

 success, but in public matters personal feelings will 

 not influence me. 



With kindest regards, yours truly, 



U. S. GEANT. 



A reply was made to this letter by Judge 

 Dent, containing the following passage, which 

 is interesting as showing the light in which 

 the radical Republicans of the State were 

 viewed by their opponents : , 



Is it reasonable to suppose that a people, having the 

 free choice of their representatives, would elect for 

 their rulers a class of politicians whose aggressive 

 and hostile conduct hitherto has rendered them 

 peculiarly obnoxious and disagreeable? _ This is the 

 charge made by the people of Mississippi against the 

 radicals, or "bitter-enders," as they are called. 



This charge is not made because they fought against 

 the South and secession, for many of that class fought 

 on the side of the South. It is not made because they 

 are of Northern birth and education, for many men 

 of Northern birth and education and of the Northern 

 army are with us in antagonism to this obnoxious 

 party. It is not because they are Eepublicans, for 

 their antagonists were among the first in the South to 

 organize on the Eepublican platform and to advocate 

 the civil and political equality of all men, were sent 

 as delegates to Chicago, and for their consistency and 

 constancy were rewarded by you with offices of trust 

 and honor. 



But this charge is made, as I have said before, be- 

 cause the prescriptive antecedents and aggressive 

 policy of these politicians toward the people of 

 Mississippi have made them the objects of peculiar 



