518 



MISSISSIPPI. 



MISSOURI. 



these schemers, when men were placed upon the 

 ticket who were notoriously corrupt and dishonest, 

 that they must vote for them ; that the salvation of 

 the party depended upon it; that the man who 

 scratched a ticket was not a Kepublican. This is 

 only one of the many means these malignant dema- 

 gogues have devised to perpetuate the intellectual 

 bondage of my people. To defeat this policy at the 

 late election, men, irrespective of race or party affili- 

 ation, united and voted together against men known 

 to be incompetent and dishonest. I cannot recog- 

 nize, nor do the masses of my people who read rec- 

 ognize, the majority of the officials who have been 

 in power for the last two years as Kepublicans. We 

 do not believe that republicanism means corruption, 

 theft, and embezzlement. These three offenses have 

 been prevalent among a great portion of our office- 

 holders ; to them must be attributed the defeat of 

 the Republican party in the State, if defeat there 

 was ; but 1, with all the lights before me, look upon 

 it as an uprising of the people, the whole people, to 

 crush out corrupt rings and men from power. The 

 bitterness and hate created by the late civil strife 

 have, in my opinion, been obliterated in this State, 

 except, perhaps, in some localities, and would have 

 long since been entirely effaced were it not for some 

 unprincipled men who would keep alive the bitter- 

 ness of the past and inculcate a hatred between the 

 races, in order that they may aggrandize themselves 

 by office and its emoluments to control my people, 

 the effect of which is to degrade them. 1 give you 

 my opinion that had our State administration ad- 

 hered to Kepubliean principles, and stood by the 

 platform upon which it was elected, the State to-day 

 would have been on the highway to prosperity. If 

 the State administration had advanced patriotic meas- 

 ures, appointed only honest and competent men to 

 office, and sought to restore confidence between the 

 races, bloodshed would have been unknown, peace 

 would have prevailed, Federal interference been un- 

 thought of, and harmony, friendship, and mutual 

 confidence, would have taken the place of the bayo- 

 net. 



Testimony to the same effect was given by- 

 other prominent Republicans, both white and 

 colored ; but Governor Ames, in his message to 

 the Legislature of 1876, claimed that the elec- 

 tion was carried by fraud and intimidation. 

 After alluding in general terms to various in- 

 stances, he said : 



That the great evil which has befallen the State 

 may be remedied, it first becomes necessary to in- 

 quire into its causes. The happy^ financial condition 

 of the State, and the comparatively small amount 

 needed for its support, preclude the possibility of a 

 financial cause. Intimidation was not proportioned 

 to counties in accordance with their indebtedness. 

 Thorough intimidation was effected in some coun- 

 ties whose finances were in the most flourishing 

 condition. The character of the events which have 

 transpired compels the conclusion that the evil is to 

 be attributed to a race question. It did not have its 

 origin at this time. The inhabitants of the State 

 are somewhat ( 



the slave has been made the civil and political equal 

 of the master. The withdrawal of this restraining 

 force leaves the formerly dominant race to reassert 

 its supremacy. Though the complete supremacy of 

 former days may not be possible, still the tendency 

 is toward supremacy. The effort in this direction 

 has heretofore and elsewhere resulted, as in this 

 election, in violence, loss of life, and intimidation. 

 How tar this effort has resulted in the virtual dis- 

 franchisement of the one race, and revolutionized 

 the State government, is a question worthy the most 

 patient and careful inquiry. Unless every class of 



citizens be thoroughly protected in the exercise of 

 all their rights and privileges, our government 

 proves unequal to its pretensions. The nation, rec- 

 ognizing race antagonisms, has anticipated them 

 in the interests of liberty and equality by modifica- 

 tions of the fundamental law of the land, and I rec- 

 ommend, as both right and expedient, action in 

 harmony with such modifications. 



The following amendments to the constitu- 

 tion were ratified at the election. As an addi- 

 tion to section 5, of Article XII. : 



Nor shall the State assume, redeem, secure, or 

 pay, any indebtedness, or pretended indebtedness, 

 claimed to be due by the State of Mississippi to any 

 person, association, or corporation whatsoever, claim- 

 ing the same as owners, holders, or signers of any 

 bond or bonds, now generally known as Union Bank 

 bonds or Planters' Bank bonds. 



In amendment of section 6, Article VIII. : 



All proceeds of lands now or hereafter vested in 

 this State by escheat or purchase, for forfeiture, for 

 taxes, and the clear proceeds of all fines collected in 

 the several counties for any breach of the penal laws, 

 and all moneys received for licenses granted under 

 the laws of the State for the sale of intoxicating 

 liquor, or keeping of dram-shops, shall be collected 

 in legal currency of the United States, and to be paid 

 into the Treasury, to be distributed, pro rata, among 

 the educable children of the State, in the manner to 

 be provided for by law. 



As a substitute for section IV, Article YI. : 

 The Legislature shall divide the State into a con- 

 venient number of chancery districts. Chancellors 

 shall be appointed in the same manner as the Judges 

 of the Circuit Courts. Their qualifications shall be 

 regulated by law, and they shall hold their office for 

 the term of four years. They shall hold a court in 

 each county at least twice in each year, and shall re- 

 ceive such compensation as may be- provided bylaw. 



A proposition to investigate the election and 

 occurrences connected with it has been intro- 

 duced into the United States Senate by Mr. 

 Morton, of Indiana, hut with a very slight pros- 

 pect of success. 



MISSOURI. The twenty-eighth General 

 Assembly of Missouri, which began its regular 

 session on the 28th of December, 1874, brought 

 it to a close on the 29th of March, but an extra 

 session was called immediately by the Gov- 

 ernor to complete certain unfinished business 

 of importance, which adjourned sine die on the 

 1st of April. There were 166 acts and concur- 

 rent resolutions of a public nature passed, but 

 only a very small number have any general in- 

 terest or importance. A resolution of impeach- 

 ment, presenting thirteen charges of misde- 

 meanor against Judge Samuel A. Richardson, 

 was referred to a committee, which made a re- 

 port entirely exonerating the accused and show- 

 ing that the charges were intended as a schenxe 

 of political persecution. The question of pay- 

 ing or renewing State honds falling due in 1875, 

 1876, and 1877, occupied a large share of 

 attention. The amount of such bonds was 

 $5,335,000, of which $2,691,000 was payable 

 immediately on maturity, and $2,644,000 at the 

 pleasure of the Legislature after maturity. Ac- 

 cruing interest to the amount of $223,680 was 

 also to he pr6vided for. A funding bill was 



