MISSISSIPPI. 



461 



sioners will take his certificate and across the face of 

 it write his (the commissioner's) name, the date, 

 and the word "voted." At the same time the name 

 of the voter in the precinct-book will be checked off 

 in such a manner as to clearly indicate the fact that 

 a vote has been cast on that certificate at this election. 

 (Check-marks, distinct from any heretofore used, will 

 be adopted, and an explanatory note made on the in- 

 side of the cover of each precinct-book.) One of the 

 commissioners will receive the ballot, and, without 

 opening it. or allowing it to be opened or examined, 

 will deposit it in the ballot-box. 



11. Kegistration is evidence of the right to vote. 



The commissioners will permit two persons from 

 each political party, duly-registered voters, to act as 

 challengers, by or through whom all challenges will 

 be made, but they will be allowed to challenge only 

 so far as may be necessary to prevent repeating or 

 fraudulent personations of duly-registered voters. 



If the person challenged is known to any of the 

 commissioners to be the person he represents him- 

 self to be, his vote will be admitted ; if not so known, 

 one of the commissioners will administer the follow- 

 ing oath : " You do swear that your name is , 



and that in such name you were duly registered as a 



voter in election precinct, and that you are 



the identical person you so represent yourself to be." 

 If challenged for already voting, the commissioner 

 will administer the following oath : "You do swear 

 that you have not voted at this election, at this or any 

 other polling-place." The cause of challenge shall 

 be noted opposite his name. If he refuse to take the 

 oath, his vote shall be rejected. 



14. To the end that voters may, in the exercise of 

 the elective franchise, be protected, so far as pos- 

 sible, from all interference or intimidation at the place 

 of voting, the Board of Commissioners will not per- 

 mit any persons to approach to within thirty feet of 

 the building where the ballot-box is opened, except 

 duly-registered voters, who shall successively ap- 

 proach the ballot-box, complying' with such regula- 

 tions and instructions as the Board may establish. 



15. u Electors shall, in all cases, except in those of 

 treason, felony, or breach of the peace, oe privileged 

 from arrest during their attendance on this election, 

 and going to and returning from the same." All 

 persons arrested at the polls shall be permitted to 

 vote, if they have not done so, before being taken to 

 a place of confinement. 



16. All bar-rooms, saloons, and other places for the 

 sale of intoxicating liquors, will be closed from sun- 

 set on the evening or November 29th, until sunrise 

 on the morning of December 2d, and during that time 

 the sale of intoxicating liquors at or near the polls is 

 prohibited nor will any person be permitted to 

 distribute any gratuitously. The peace-officers will be 

 held responsible for the strict enforcement of this 

 prohibition, and will arrest and hold for trial all per- 

 sons who may transgress it. 



17. The use or exhibition of fire-arms, or other 

 deadly weapons, at or near a polling-place, on the day 

 of election is prohibited. Persons so offending may 

 be brought before a military commission, or other 

 tribunal, at the discretion of the district commander. 



18. Boards of Commissioners shall have authority 

 to compel compliance with all orders and directions 

 necessary for a quiet and peaceable election. It shall 

 be their duty to arrest, or cause to be arrested, by 

 persons selected by themselves, or other peace-officers, 

 all persons who shall attempt by force or intimida- 

 tion to interfere with a free expression of opinion at 

 the ballot-box, or who shall create or attempt to cre- 

 ate disturbances during the canvass of the votes after 

 the closing of the polls. Persons thus arrested will 

 be held b~y the sheriff of the county for trial by a 

 military tribunal, or until instructions regarding the 

 case be received from these headquarters. 



19. Sheriffs of counties are called upon to be vigi- 

 lant and active in their efforts to preserve the peace 

 and compel order. A special deputy will be selected 



by them to attend at each polling-place at which they 

 cannot be present ; and tt shall be their duty to aid 

 the Commissioners of Election, to the full extent of 

 their power, in making arrests when necessary and 

 compelling obedience to their instructions in their 

 arrangements made at the ballot-box. 



20. Military interference at the election is forbidden 

 except when it may be necessary to keep the peace. 

 Officers in charge of troops are required, should the 

 necessity arise, to cooperate with the Commissioners 

 of Election and civil authorities to that end. 



21. Soldiers, citizens of the State, and duly-regis- 

 tered voters, will be permitted to vote, remaining at 

 the polling-place only so long as may be necessary 

 for that purpose. 



22. Should the efforts of the Commissioners of 

 Election and their assistants, to secure a full and free 

 exercise of the elective franchise, prove ineffectual in 

 any district should frauds be committed should 

 voters be kept from the polls or compelled to vote 

 through intimidation or fear of force should the 

 ballot-box or poll-lists or books of registration be 

 destroyed, a new election will be ordered for the 

 county of which the precinct forms a part. 



When the ballots have all been received, the 

 commissioners were to constitute Boards of 

 Canvassers, and were directed in detail as to 

 how the votes were to be counted, and the re- 

 turns made to the military headquarters at 

 Vicksburg. Finally, the order gave a list of 

 the offices to be filled, including those of Kep- 

 resentatives in Congress, and members of the 

 State Legislature. Full Boards of Registration 

 for all the districts in the sixty-one counties of 

 the State were appointed by a military order 

 issued on the 4th of November. 



The election took place on the appointed 

 days, and resulted in the ratification of the 

 constitution, hy a vote of 105,223 to 954. 

 The provisions separately submitted were all 

 rejected, with the exception of that which for- 

 bids the lending of the credit of the State to 

 any person or corporation. The vote against 

 the section disfranchising citizens for serving 

 the cause of the Confederacy in the late war 

 was almost unanimous. The whole number of 

 votes cast for Governor was 114,283, of which 

 Alcorn received 76,186, and Dent 38,097, givr 

 ing the former a majority of 38,089. The per- 

 sons chosen to represent the State in Congress 

 were George E. Harris, J. L. Morphis, Henry 

 W. Barry, George 0. McKee, and Legrand W. 

 Perce, all Eepublicans. The number of State 

 Senators elected was 33, of whom 26 were Ee- 

 publicans and 7 Democrats. The representa- 

 tives in the State Legislature are 107 in num- 

 ber, 82 Republicans and 25 Democrats. 



The military order announcing the result of 

 the election also directs the Legislature to as- 

 semble at Jackson on the llth of January, 

 1870. Soon after this official announcement, 

 the following military order was issued by 

 General Ames : 



HEADQUARTERS FOURTH MILITARY DISTRICT J 



(DEPARTMENT OF MISSISSIPPI), > 



JACKSON, Miss., December 23, 1869. ) 



I. The following-named persons are hereby ap- 

 pointed to office in the State of Mississippi : 



James L. Alcorn, Governor. 



James Lynch, Secretary of State, vice Henry Mus- 

 grove, whose resignation is hereby accepted. 



