MISSISSIPPI. 



517 



negroes, who had been incited by an ill-tempered 

 sheriff, marched on our town, and were readily re- 



lent citizens, who liave been following up the armed 

 bands of negroes, and dispersing them with as little 

 violence as possible, and urging them to go home. 

 The mob has been dispersed, and I think will remain 

 quiet. There is no question of politics in this excite- 

 ment. The whites are to a man for defense. Those 

 of the negroes who have been misled are fast being 

 reconciled. A community of planters may be relied 

 on for kind treatment of laborers. The whites have 

 made no demonstration of hostility to the negroes 

 of this county, but are anxious to cultivate the 'most 

 friendly relations. My name has been most ridicu- 

 lously associated in the matter. I trust you will not 

 give credence to the share given me in this affair by 

 telegrams. Respectfully, 



(Signed) J. L. ALCORN, U. S. Senator. 



Governor Ames, having failed to obtain aid 

 from the Federal authorities, began organizing 

 companies of militia to aid the sheriffs and other 

 local officials. This action was strongly ob- 

 jected to by his political opponents, and the 

 Democratic committee issued an address, re- 

 monstrating against it, in which they said : 



There can be no other reason for this than a wish, 

 on the part of the Chief-Magistrate of the State, to 

 incite that war which he said would be developed, 

 and to bring disorder and confusion. For it is well 

 known to all of you that there has not been the 

 slightest disorder, not the pretense of a riot or insur- 

 rection, since the disturbance at Clinton, nor has 

 there been any obstruction to the execution of the 

 laws at any time, except such as may exist in the in- 

 cpmpetency and willful neglect of Eepublican offi- 

 cials to discharge their duties. That there is crime 

 in the State is true, but there is not more than exists 

 in our sister-States, and there is nothing that looks 

 like insurrection, or an attempt on the part of our 

 people to obstruct the enforcement of the laws. In 

 fact, we can safely say that in no part of the Union 

 does there prevail a more perfect peace, or a greater 

 respect for law, or a greater desire to preserve order, 

 tban in Mississippi, and this is well known to the 

 State Executive, if he knows anything of the disposi- 

 tion of the people over whom he rules. It is a sub- 

 ject of congratulation and of just prid6 to the people 

 of the State that, cursed as we are with rulers alien to 

 us in sympathy and interest, and utterly impotent 

 to perform any good function of government, and 

 with ability only to commit mischief, we have been 

 able to preserve order and to hold society together. 

 Under these circumstances we can regard the present 

 efforts of the Chief-Magistrate of the State to put 

 into active service the militia, and thus, in a time of 

 profound peace, to organize a standing army in viola- 

 tion of the Constitution of the United States and of 

 this State ? in no other light than as a deliberate at- 

 tempt to incite disturbances, so that there may be 

 an imaginary insurrection, which he may suppress in 

 blood. We deem it our duty to warn you against 

 these machinations of the Chief-Magistrate of the 

 State, and to urge you not to be betrayed, in a mo- 

 ment of passion and just resentment, into acts of 

 violence not necessary for self-defense. 



The Governor justified his course on the 

 ground that he feared that there would be 

 violence and intimidation for the purpose of 

 preventing a fair election. Finally an agree- 

 ment was entered into between him and a com- 

 mittee of the citizens, whereby he promised to 

 disarm and disband the militia ; and the com- 

 mittee, on behalf of white citizens, bound them- 

 selves to use their utmost influence to prevent 



disturbances and preserve peace and good or- 

 der, and to insure a fair election. 



The election took place on the 2d of Novem- 

 ber, and resulted in a general defeat of the 

 Republicans. The total vote for State Treas- 

 urer was 102,751, of which Hemenway re- 

 ceived 96,596, and Buchanan 66,155, making 

 the majority of the former 30,441. Six mem- 

 bers of Congress were chosen at the same 

 time. In the first district, L. Q. 0. Lamar, 

 Democrat, was elected without opposition ; in 

 the second, G. Wiley Wells, Democrat, re- 

 ceived 19,250, to 13,149 for A. R. Howe, Re- 

 publican ; in the third, H. D. Money, Demo- 

 crat, received 13,774, to 5,883 for U. 0. Powers, 

 and 5,114 for F. H. Little ; in the fourth, 0. 

 R. Singleton, Democrat, received 19,890, to 

 9,914 for Jason Niles; in the fifth, Charles E. 

 Hooker, Democrat, received 16,539, to 10,653 

 for James Hill; and in the sixth, John R. 

 Lynch, Republican, was elected, receiving 13,- 

 741 votes, to 13,510 for Roderick Seal. The 

 Legislature, elected at the same time, consists 

 of 26 Democrats and 11 Republicans in the 

 Senate, and 97 Democrats and 20 Republicans 

 in the House, making the Democratic majority 

 15 in the Senate, and 77 in the House, or 92 

 on a joint ballot. As soon as the result was 

 known, the Democratic State Executive Com- 

 mittee issued an address to the people con- 

 gratulating them on the " glorious and decisive 

 victory," and urging moderation and magna- 

 nimity. 



We have gained (said the committee), by the elec- 

 tion, the power and opportunity of reforming the 

 administration of the government ; retrenching in 

 expenditures in State and county affairs ; reducing 

 the taxes; securing an honest, impartial, and able 

 judiciary; enforcing accountability and responsi- 

 bility on all who hold public trusts ; elevating the 

 character of all officials ; redressing the enormous 

 evil of special and local legislation, and of crude and 

 unintelligible statutes, and a consequent shortening 

 of the sessions of the Legislature; removing the 

 prejudice of race against race, and providing for 

 the administration of justice fairly and impartially to 

 all ; improving the common-school system, so that 

 it may be at the same time more economical and less 

 burdensome to the tax-payers, and yet more efficient ; 

 placing Mississippi, by a just and wise policy, in her 

 normal relations with the other States of the Union, 

 and with the Federal Government, whereby she may 

 contribute her full share to the common prosperity 

 and glory of the nation, and receive the equal pro- 

 tection of the Constitution and laws. 



Regarding the result of the election, Senator 

 H. R. Revels, colored, wrote to the President 

 as follows : 



Since reconstruction, the masses of my people 

 have been, as it were, enslaved in mind by unprin- 

 cipled adventurers, who, caring nothing for the 

 country, were willing to stoop to anything, no mat- 

 ter how infamous, to secure power to themselves and 

 perpetuate it. My people are naturally ^Republicans, 

 but as they grow older in freedom so do they in 

 wisdom. A great portion of them have learned that 

 they were being used as mere tools, and, as in the 

 late election, not being able to correct the existing 

 evil among themselves, they determined by casting 

 their ballots against these unprincipled adventurers 

 to overthrow them. My people have been told by 



