The Facts of Reconstruction | Page 8

with its industrial and
business interests. H.C. Powers, the candidate for Lieutenant-Governor,
and H. Musgrove, the candidate for Auditor of Public Accounts, were
successful cotton planters from Noxubee and Clarke counties
respectively; while H.R. Pease, the candidate for State Superintendent
of Education, had been identified with educational work ever since he
came to the State. It could not be denied that it was a strong and able
ticket,--one that the Democrats would find it very difficult to defeat. In
desperation the Democratic party had nominated as their candidate for
Governor a brother-in-law of President Grant's, Judge Lewis Dent, in
the hope that the President would throw the weight of his influence and
the active support of his administration on the side of his relative, as
against the candidate of his own party, especially in view of the fact
that Dent had been nominated not as a Democrat but as an Independent
Republican,--his candidacy simply having been indorsed by the
Democratic organization. But in this they were disappointed, for if the
President gave any indication of preference it was in favor of the
Republican ticket. General Ames, for instance, was the Military
Governor of the State, holding that position at the pleasure of the
President; and Ames was so outspoken in his support of the Republican
ticket, that in an address before the State Republican Convention that
nominated General Alcorn for the Governorship he announced, "You
have my sympathy and shall have my support." This declaration was
received by the convention with great applause, for it was known that
those words from that source carried great weight. They meant not only
that the Republican party would have the active and aggressive support
of the Military Governor,--which was very important and would be
worth thousands of votes to the party,--but they also indicated the
attitude of the National Administration. The campaign was aggressive

from beginning to end. Judge Dent was at a disadvantage, since his
candidacy had failed to bring to his support the influence of the
National Administration, which had been the sole purpose of his
nomination. In spite of that fact Dent made a game and gallant fight;
but the election resulted in an overwhelming Republican victory. That
party not only elected the State ticket by a majority of about 30,000 but
it also had a large majority in both branches of the State Legislature.
The new administration had an important and difficult task before it. A
State Government had to be organized from top to bottom; a new
judiciary had to be inaugurated,--consisting of three Justices of the
State Supreme Court, fifteen Judges of the Circuit Court and twenty
Chancery Court Judges,--who had all to be appointed by the Governor
with the consent of the Senate, and, in addition, a new public school
system had to be established. There was not a public school building
anywhere in the State except in a few of the larger towns, and they,
with possibly a few exceptions, were greatly in need of repairs. To
erect the necessary school houses and to reconstruct and repair those
already in existence so as to afford educational facilities for both races
was by no means an easy task. It necessitated a very large outlay of
cash in the beginning, which resulted in a material increase in the rate
of taxation for the time being, but the Constitution called for the
establishment of the system, and of course the work had to be done. It
was not only done, but it was done creditably and as economically as
possible, considering the conditions at that time.
That system, though slightly changed, still stands,--a creditable
monument to the first Republican State administration that was
organized in the State of Mississippi under the Reconstruction Acts of
Congress.
It was also necessary to reorganize, reconstruct and, in many instances,
rebuild some of the penal and charitable institutions of the State. A new
code of laws also had to be adopted to take the place of the old code
and thus wipe out the black laws that had been passed by what was
known as the Johnson Legislature and in addition bring about other
changes so as to make the laws and statutes of the State conform with

the new order of things. This was no easy task, in view of the fact that a
heavy increase in the rate of taxation was thus made necessary, for the
time being at least. That this important work was splendidly, creditably,
and economically done no fair-minded person who is familiar with the
facts will question or dispute.
That the State never had before, and has never had since, a finer
Judiciary than that which was organized under the administration of
Governor Alcorn and which continued under the administration of
Governor Ames is an indisputable and incontrovertible