holding mass meetings and local conventions, adopting reso-
lutions and addresses to Congress. Such a meeting was
held at Corinth, December 8, with Major Gillenwaters of the
United States army in the chair. Resolutions were adopted
declaring that, in view of the financial condition of the state,
and the "distraction" to the various industrial pursuits con-
sequent upon a heated political canvass, another election
would be detrimental to the peace and quiet of the state,
and should Congress refuse to readmit her, the best interests
of the people would be subserved by giving the state a pro-
visional government. ¹ The Republicans of Lauderdale
County held a mass meeting at Meridian, December 28, and
adopted similar resolutions. Congress was urged to readmit
the state and declare the Republican ticket elected. ² On the
following day, a meeting of the Washington County Repub-
licans was held at Greenville, and resolutions were adopted
appealing to Congress to admit the state to the Union in
accordance with the proclamation of the committee of five. ³
The Republicans of Wilkinson County assembled at the Union
League hall at Woodville, January 2, and adopted resolu-
tions of the same tenor. ⁴ On the 16th, the Scott County
Republicans assembled at Hillsboro, declared the late elec-
tion to be an "echo of terrorism"; that even the soldiers
sent to their protection publicly expressed a desire to shoot
"radicals and negroes"; and that the result was a wicked,
damnable fraud on the freedom of election, and this was
known by General Gillem. ⁵ The Rankin County colored
Republicans recommended another constitutional conven-
tion. They expressed a desire to cultivate kind relations
with their white friends, invited the whites to join with
them in these sentiments, and announced their intention
to support capable and honorable men who were identified
with the country. ⁶ Resolutions such as the foregoing
were adopted by Republican mass meetings in nearly
every county of the state. They were all published in
the Republican journals of the time, and copies trans-
mitted to the committee of sixteen at Washington, to
be in turn laid before the reconstruction committee of
Congress.

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