USA > Mississippi > Hinds County > History of Hinds County, Mississippi, 1821-1922 > Part 4
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said the people, though opposed to negro suffrage, would have approved the constitution but for the features of white disfranchisement. Another Mississippi Reconstruction party, among the leaders of which were A. Warner, A. C. Fiske, Judge Jefford, J. L. Wofford and Frederick Speed, nearly all Northerners, opposed what they called the Egg- leston clique, and favored the policy which was afterward adopted.
"While the subject was yet before congress, Gen. U. S. Grant was inaugurated as president, March 4, 1869. The overwhelming support of Grant as a candidate in 1868 had its effect upon the situation in Mississippi and elsewhere, as indicating the inevitable. After his inauguration, presi- dent and congress pursued one policy. Gen. Gillem was removed from district command, and the provisional gov- ernor of Mississippi, Gen. Adelbert Ames, was appointed his successor.
"Just before the Reconstruction committee closed its hearings, A. G. Brown, Judge Simrall, and others, represent- ing the Democratic party of the State, appeared before it, and were given 'a full and patient hearing.' An argument between two of these gentlemen and two of the Repub- lican committee was heard by President Grant. His con- clusion was that the proscriptive clauses in the constitution were wrong; that the people could not afford to have an- other convention, and he suggested resubmission with the objectionable clauses stricken out, which Brown and Sim- rall approved.
"The president's suggestion carried weight with con- gress, which considered two plans of re-submission of the rejected constitutions of Mississippi, Virginia and Texas- one by Gen. B. F. Butler, and the other by General Farns- worth, of Illinois. The Farnsworth plan was finally adopted, as the basis, amended by Senator Morton, of In- diana, to require the State to adopt the Fifteenth amend- ment to the constitution of the United States before the restoration of representation in Congress. This bill be- came a law in April, 1869, immediately after which Con-
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gress adjourned, leaving the completion of the work to the president.
"The Fifteenth amendment, intended to reinforce the Fourteenth amendment, had passed Congress February 25, 1869. It provided that 'The right of the citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States, or by any State, on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude,' and authorized enforcement by legislation.
"By proclamation of President Grant, July 13, 1869, the constitution of 1868 was resubmitted at an election November 30, 1869. It was adopted with a number of the worst features stricken out. With the large negro vote all the Republican candidates for State office, legislature, and congress were elected by great majorities. Ac- cordingly the legislature of the State, for the first time since 1866, met in January, 1870, under the new constitu- tion, the Fourteenth and Fifteenth amendments were rati- fied, and the United States senators were elected. All the other States had been re-admitted in January, 1870. Gen- eral Butler reported a bill in the lower house of congress February 3, 1870, re-admitting Mississippi, but with the conditions of a stringent oath of allegiance for civil officers, and pledges that the constitution should never be amended so as to deprive any citizen of the right to vote, or to hold office because of race, color or previous condition of servi- tude, or so as to ever deprive any citizen of the benefits of the public schools. Senator Morton in the Senate added other restrictions. The bill thus passed both houses and was approved February 23, 1870. General Ames, who had been elected one of the United States senators, issued his general orders No. 25, February 26, 1870, announcing that the command known as the Fourth military district had ceased to exist." The foregoing summary covering military rule has been drawn from the Encyclopedia of Mississippi History.
Reconstruction had for its prime motive negro enfran- chisement and white disfranchisement, and throughout the
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whole period of reconstruction the Republican party had kept its eye on the establishment of a Republican party in the South. Though the enfranchisement of the negro was not as dear an issue to the hearts of the politicians as it was to the abolitionists, these were determined to use the negro to insure a stronger representation in congress. Out of this spirit grew the Fourteenth amendment which constitut- ed the rock of offense.
Though every vestige of State's rights must be ignored and congress must wholly transgress its authority in con- ferring suffrage upon the people of a State without the State having any voice in the matter, still it intended and did carry out this policy. In reference to prevailing condi- tions Dr. Rowland further says in "A Mississippi View of Race Relations":
"The reconstruction period found the negro free; his freedom was not the result of his own efforts, although in most instances it was his desire to be free. The entire ab- sence of self-reliance, his want of experience, and his failure to understand or appreciate his changed condition rendered him, after his emancipation, helpless. At this critical time the carpet-bagger invaded the South, intent on little else but gain. The pathway towards better things was blocked.
"The picture presented by some writers, of conditions prevailing in the South during the period of reconstruction may strike those who know nothing of it as too somber, and some thinking and impartial men of the North are in- clined to believe that Southern historians overdraw it. At this time, however, thirty years after the war, in the light of all facts of history, the student of that period whose opinions are not embittered by the trials of the times, stands in astonishment, marveling at the patience and long- suffering of the people."
CHAPTER IV
In the foregoing summary is embraced the period of 1865 to 1868; for a study of the period following, see the administration of Alcorn, Powers and Ames. With the
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close of Ames' administration in 1875, though he was still governor of the State, the old Democracy which had been set aside during the lawless and despotic reign of the military, threw off the Republican; rule and elected a Democratic legislature, during which session Ames was impeached. However, before the articles of impeachment could become effective, his resignation took place, March 29, 1876. John M. Stone as President pro tem of the Senate became Gover- nor and with his administration began the re- habilitation of the State's political, financial and social pro- gress. These had for ten years suffered from every con- ceivable wrong and mismanagement that bitter partisan- ship and sectional jealousy could devise. In withstanding the hard conditions, opposition sometimes brought on fierce con- flicts and riots took place at several places in the state. Hinds county having a full share, the one at Clinton being the most noted.
Many able leaders who were to place aureoles of light around the old State's brow with the passing of years gath- ered in the capital during this period, prominently among them L. Q. C. Lamar, J. Z. George, and E. C. Walthall, and it became once more a Democratic center. Hinds County at this time furnished such leaders as Amos R. Johnston, Ethelbert Barksdale, William and George Yerger, T. J. Wharton, Gen. Wirt Adams and Frank Johnston, son of Amos R. Johnston. Judge J. A. P. Campbell, a native of South Carolina and member of the Confederate Congress from Mississippi, on being appointed on the Supreme Bench in 1876 by Governor Stone, made Jackson his home. Sena- tor J. Z. George moved to the capital in 1873 and made it his home for a number of years. Of that great political coterie only a few survive, J. P. Carter, P. C. Catchings, W. H. Sims and Judge R. H. Thompson, the last mentioned later becoming a citizen of Hinds county. He was a member of the Democratic legislature of 1876. Among the brilliant young members he perhaps surpassed all in intellectual power and quick perception. Few States have produced a better lawyer or a better balanced and
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more profound thinker. To this add a kindly and sympa- thetic nature and a slightly peremptory manner and you have the fine old man to whom the people of Jackson and Hinds County point with so much pride.
The county at this time, though handicapped from the effects of the war and reconstruction, began an era of im- provement. Its political life was strong and effective; its lands were better cultivated and its town's began to grow, and endeavoring to forget the past, as Amos R. Johnston so eloquently bade them, conservation and progress once more became the keynote of its existence.
It was in 1886 that the educational system was revised and placed on a sound basis by Hon. J. R. Preston, State Superintendent of Education. A Virginian by birth, he gave his fine intellect and culture to his adopted state, lov- ing it with an intense love and ever jealous for its honor and distinction at home and abroad. Many years after Miss- issippi, Hinds County and the city of Jackson had reaped the benefit of his great work for public education, he settled in the city, conducted one of its best colleges and is still a citizen of the place. He is one of the three state officials who have survived that period. Capt. W. W. Stone, and Col. W. L. Hemingway, heroic Confederate veterans, whom all Mississippi loves, make the trio, and the dignity and beauty of their declining years thrill the hearts of all who meet them on our streets.
During the years embracing 1876-1896 many of the most distinguished public men of the State became perma- nent citizens of the county, making their homes in the capital city ; among these were Gov. Robert Lowrey, Judge S. S. Calhoun, Judge Tim E. Cooper, Judge Albert Whit- field, Col. R. H. Henry, of the Clarion Ledger, Hon. Edgar S. Wilson, Col. W. D. Holder, Judge Edward Mayes and R. E. Wilson. Their varied service to the county and State would make volumes of interesting reading.
As early as 18774 among the reforms, prohibition was agitating the public mind, led by such spirits as Bishop
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Charles B. Galloway and Col. W. L. Nugent, representing the manhood of the State, and Harriet B. Kells and Belle Kearney, representing its womanhood. In 1881 Frances E. Willard visited the county in the interest of prohibition and met with an enthusiastic reception in the capital city.
The constitutional convention of 1890 met in Jackson on August 12, 1890, with such strong and capable leaders as J. Z. George and Wiley P. Harris. The delegation from Hinds consisted of Judge S. S. Calhoun, B. S. Fearing, T. T. Hart and Wiley P. Harris. This convention in regulating the suff- rage question restored the county and state to further quiet and order. Among the many plans for progress the agitation for a new capitol was inaugurated in the same convention, Gen. S. D. Lee offering the resolution. It was at this con- vention that Jackson was fixed as the permanent capital. In commenting on the constitution of 1890, Judge R. H. Thompson, in an address to the State Bar Association, said: "The seat of government is now fixed at Jackson and cannot be removed except by vote of the people. For many years there was no State Capital de jure. The constitution of 1869 made no reference to the subject; it was fixed at Jack son by the constitution of 1832, until 1850 and, thereafter until the code of 1880 was adopted, Jackson was only de facto the capital of the State."
Many other notable events in the history of the county and of the city of Jackson occurred during the period fol- lowing reconstruction, one of which was the establishment of Millsaps College by the Methodists under the leadership of the truly great and gifted Bishop Charles B. Galloway and of Major R. W. Millsaps, the latter being its financial benefactor and lifelong patron. This was an important step forward in educational progress and the county has in this and Mississippi College at Clinton two of the leading educational institutions in the South. These have recently become co-educational.
Another notable institution of learning is Belhaven College for Young Women, first conducted by Dr. L. T. Fitzhugh and later owned by Hon. J. R. Preston. The
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old site was sold and the new college established in the northeastern part of the city and is now the property of the Presbyterian Church. It was as far back as 1853 that yellow fever made its appearance in the county and city of Jackson to be followed by a like epidemic in 1878. No more heroic conduct was exhibited by any people when these scourges from time to time appeared than that displayed by the people of Hinds county and the city of Jackson.
The years following the War for Southern Independence and reconstruction with the exception of the call for volun- teers for the Spanish American War to which call Hinds county responded generously, were years of peaceful growth and progress. The decade before and since the building of the new capitol, in 1901-1903, brought to the county and the city of Jackson many people of culture and wealth, and its social life, founded upon the best ideals of the South, despite the political atmosphere that in- variably surrounds State capitals, is distinctly aspiring and is filled with the altruistic ideal.
It is not the province of this paper to give the history of the county for the last few decades, since its present growth and progress is amply set forth in the census at- tached, while its political history awaits the future his- torian. I, however, could not leave my subject without recording, as a fore-word to the heroic history that is yet to be written of the county's part in the Great World War, that the spirit its people evinced during these years was every inch in keeping with that manifested in such war torn centers as Washington, Paris and London. In the work of restoration following the war the people of both Jackson and Hinds county have displayed the same energy and wis- dom and the ability to "carry on" that marked their efforts during the war. But with all this we should recognize the fact that there is need of improvement along many social welfare lines. It is said on all sides by both priest and lay- men that our civilization has along with other sections felt the breakdown that inevitably follows war. Though here as elsewhere society has its usual quota of presuming, con-
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niving, self-seekers who use both the Church and the State to exploit themselves, sincerity, modesty and refinement are still possessed by the majority of the people, and family life, in the main, is sound and secure.
Hinds County has modestly given way to other sections of the State in the matter of public office and has furnish- ed no Governor and only one United States senator since the Civil War-Senator James K. Vardaman, who was elected in 1911, at which time he was a resident of Jackson, having been a citizen of Greenwood, Leflore County, when elected governor.
CHAPTER V.
The historical and political history of Hinds County having been lightly sketched, we now turn to its physical structure and advantages. It lies partly, as has been not- ed, in what Hilgard, a former State Geologist, designates as the Central Prairie Region and Dr. E. N. Lowe, the present State Geologist, groups in the Jackson Prairie Region. This constitutes a section of small prairies which form a belt varying from 10 to 30 miles wide in a direction slightly northwest and southeast across the State. The northern border of this region extends from Yazoo City slightly south of east through Clarke County and on to the Alabama line. This region embraces the northern portion of Hinds County.
The "shell prairies" soil is described by geologists as "a heavy, clayey soil of dark gray color, black when wet, resting upon a lighter gray subsoil which passes at a few feet depth into the highly calcareous shell marls of the Jackson Formation." The soil is highly calcareous forming numerous gently rolling prairies.
"In much of Hinds county, south of the Jackson Prairies," Dr. Lowe in his "Survey of the Soils of Missis- sippi," says, "the loam lies directly upon the gray sands and clays of the Grand Gulf, the Lafayette being absent or but slightly developed. In the vicinity of Raymond the red
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sand is well developed, a railroad cut just west of the town exposing about ten feet of loam and 10 to 12 feet of red sand overlying clay."
Some of the upland sandy and silt soils of Hinds coun- ty, geologists tell us, are acid and would be greatly benefited by an application of ground limestone. The shell marls and the soft limestones of the Vicksburg formation are available and are suited for this purpose. Some of the soil of the county could be made suitable for the growing of . alfalfa by an application of ground limestone. The princi- pal crops now grown in the county will be shown in the census for 1920.
The Pearl River Valley cuts north and south through the whole Pine Belt, and presents a prominent soil region, worthy of separate consideration. It is a broad, second bottom, the first bottom being usually rather narrow, vary- ing in width from two to four miles. The greater portion of it is free from overflow, and except where cultivated is, for the most part, heavily timbered with various hardwoods. The central and southern portion of Hinds county is em- braced in this region.1
The excitement of oil discoveries in Louisiana and Texas later extended to Mississippi. Since the geological structure of the State in certain sections is very much like that of Louisiana, there was keen hope of finding oil accum- ulations. Hinds County has shared in the pursuit which so far has been fruitless. But there are other things besides oil, and the county is today covered with a network of rail- roads which give an outlet in every direction for the products of its rich cotton and corn lands, busy factories and live stock farms that compare favorably with any in the United States.
The Pearl River forming the county's eastern boundary, the Big Black on part of its western boundary and the num- erous tributaries of these streams furnish ample water power. Besides this, numerous springs of mineral water
1. For a further study of this feature see Hilgard's "Geology and Agriculture of Mississippi" and Lowe's "Soils and Resources of Mississippi."
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are found in many places, Cooper's Wells, a short distance west of Jackson, being a health resort that ranks with the best in the South, possessing an interesting history of its own. Its natural scenery is good but wholly neglected and it is in need of appropriate buildings.
The census shows some decrease in population during the last decade, caused by an exodus of the negroes to northern cities. These, however, were not of the better class and constituted a shifting population that constantly moved about in the State before leaving it. The census shows that there are only 306 white foreign born in the county, of whom 65 are Syrians, 44 English and 42 Germans. This may be a questionable advantage.
Many prosperous cities, towns and villages are found in the county. The largest and most important city is Jackson, the capital of the State. It is located on the western bank of the Pearl River and is regularly laid out on a beautiful eminence which forms a structural dome or broad anticline in what might be termed a valley. It is the center of a fine corn and cotton growing region' situat- ed nearly halfway between Memphis and New Orleans, and commands a large territory for its wholesale trade. Timber of a valuable variety is plentiful in the district drained by the Pearl River and its tributaries. This river is navigable during high water for at least 100 miles above the city, offering an excellent outlet for much local trans- portation.
The legislation dealing with the location of the capital is given in the first chapter of this history. The first state house erected in the city was a little, brick two-story building costing about $3,000. It was used for legislative purposes until 1839, when it grew inadequate for the State's increasing activities. A painting has been made of this building from the legislative description found in the pro- vision for it, and now is in the possession of the State. His- torical Department.
(See Official and Statistical Register, 1917, page 385).
In 1833 a bill passed the legislature for the erection of
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a new capitol building which now stands on State Street at the head of Capitol Street. Much of the material used in its construction came from Hinds and surrounding counties. The effort made by the women of Mississippi for its restora- tion covering a period of fourteen years was a distinct tri- umph of historical culture in the State's higher progress. For a history of the building, see page 388, Mississippi Official and Statistical Register, 1917. A few of the many inspiring events that make it one of the most historic buildings in the South are: a visit from Kossuth, the Hun- garian patriot, an oration by McClung on the character of Henry Clay, a visit from General Andrew Jackson when he paid the State a second visit, a reception to Henry Clay, the Great Pacificator, the welcome to Col. Jefferson Davis on his return from the Mexican War, the convention of 1850, the famous secession convention, the expulsion of Governors Clark and Humphreys from office during the military reign following the Civil War, the impeachment of Governor Ames in March, 1876, the last public appearance in the cap- ital of President Jefferson Davis, and finally, the constitu- tional convention of 1890, which assembled on August 12th and enacted the present constitution of the State. It adds a sacred touch that the lower floor of the building, by per- mission of the legislature, was used by the various churches in the 40's, and also during the War for Southern Independ- ence. The Governor's mansion was built at the same time, and has a long and varied history made up of what each occupant was able to lend to the story.
Sixty-three years after the erection of what is now called the Old Capitol, a beautiful new capitol building was erected in 1901-1903, situated on a hill north of the old capitol site and on the penitentiary ground. It was com- pleted at a cost of little more than $1,000,000, during the administration of Gov. A. H. Longino. The material is Bedford stone on a base of cement, concrete and Georgia granite and its height is 135 feet. This handsome structure, built on classic lines, is one of the most stately and imposing public buildings in the country. The build-
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ing was first occupied by the State officials, during the month of September, 1903. The State Historical Depart- ment and beautiful Hall of Fame are located in the new capitol. The dedication of the building was made a State- wide celebration such as has not been witnessed for years in the commonwealth.
Besides the State capitol, Jackson has many handsome bank and office buildings, a large theatre and several other playhouses, the institution for the Deaf and Dumb, the Mississippi Institution for the Blind, three orphan homes and five institutions of learning, the more prominent of which are, as has already been noted, Millsaps College and Belhaven College. Campbell College for Negroes is doing good work and the negroes of the city generally are indus- trious, orderly and progressive. The city has one of the best school systems in the State. The enrollment in the seven graded schools is large and it should be a matter of great pride to know that less than a thousand illit- erates are found in the city's population.
Within recent years, Jackson has become the most im- portant railroad center of the State. The Illinois Central, the Yazoo and Mississippi Valley, the Alabama & Vicks- burg, the Gulf & Ship Island, and the New Orleans Great Northern R. R. enter the city and furnish excellent traffic ac- commodations in all directions. This has resulted in the rapid increase in the manufacturing population. In pro- portion to the capital invested, it has the largest manufac- turing output of any city in the South and ranks high in the number of establishments. Among the most important enterprises are fertilizer factories, cotton seed oil mills, iron foundries, wood working plants and ice factories.
Well-paved streets, splendid sewerage and water works system, an electric street railway system serving the principal parts of the city, gas and electricity and an up-to-date fire department, with modern stations and paid service, constitute the municipal department. It has a Chamber of Commerce and numerous social and benevolent organizations, is well supplied with beautiful parks and
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playgrounds and has a fine Country Club. The small Con- federate park near the Old Capitol contains a statue to the Confederate soldiers, where on the 30th of June, each year the patriotic organizations representing the Confederacy gather to do honor to Jefferson Davis, the only president of the Confederacy, whose statue occupies a prominent place on the monument. (This statue by legislative act will be removed to the Old Capitol building.) Livingston, Poindexter, and Smith parks and a number of other fine parks are note- worthy additions to the city, and to be known as "the city of parks" it only remains for it to purchase the historic . "Winter Woods," where the old Confederate fortifications can still be traced that were thrown up to defend the city when Grant's whole army entered and partially destroyed the almost unprotected town.
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