CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION. FIRST DAY-MORNING SESSION. TUESDAY, August 12, 1890. Pursuant to an Act of the Legislature of the State of Mississippi, entitled "An Act to provide for calling a Convention to amend the Constitution," approved February 5, 1890, the delegates from the State-at-Large, and from the several Counties and Flotorial Districts assembled in the Hall of the House of Representatives, in the City of Jackson, in said State, on Tuesday, August 12, 1890, and were called to order at 12 o'clock M., by Hon. Geo. M. Govan, Secretary of State, who thereupon requested Bishop Galloway to invoke the blessing of Almighty God. Bishop. Galloway, in response, offered the following PRAYER: O, Lord, we reverently acknowledge Thee as the author of all civil as well as spiritual blessing-as the God of Nations as well as Head over all things to Thy church. We rejoice that while Thou dost rule amid the armies of heaven, Thou dost guide the affairs of earth, and art solicitous for the children of men. We bless Thee as the giver of every good gift, from daily bread to eternal life. With this divine assurance, we humbly invoke thy benedictions upon us all to-day-upon our whole country, upon the great State of Mississippi, and upon this assembly, composed of her honored and trusted representatives. We are grateful for the affluence with which Thou has blessed this commonwealth-for its genial skies, its generous climate, its productive soil, its fruitful seasons, and its growing material prosperity. We rejoice in the inheritance of our fathers-in their sturdy virtues, their love of liberty, and their heroic history. And that we may show ourselves worthy of such an ancestry and history, and may perpetuate and improve the heritage of virtue and liberty, they have bequeathed us, we pray, O Lord, that a double portion of their spirit may descend upon us all to-day. We invoke Thy special favor upon this Convention, called together by the voice of the whole people to reconstruct their organic law. May every member thereof be profoundly conscious of the solemn and weighty responsibilities of this hour-this crisis in the history of our beloved State. Let them realize the fact that the hopes, and fears, and apprehensions, of all Mississippi are centered here to-day, and that beyond our borders, throughout our country, a cloud of witnesses hold them in full and anxious survey. O, God of our fathers, give these, our brethren, strength for this momentous responsibility and grace for this sublime opportunity. We pray that wisdom and charity may direct all the counsels and conclusions of this assembly. Give unto its members pure patriotism, high-born courage, clear discrimination and the prescience of statesmanship, that the work done here may quiet the unrest of the people, satisfy and stimulate the hopes of all and in more speedily upbuilding our State upon a broad and enduring basis. May the organic law here carefully and prayerfully framed stand the test of years with no more moral taint upon any of its provisions, affording the amplest protection to the humblest citizen, preserving the integrity of our traditional liberties and be a bond of union and interest to a peaceful, prosperous and happy people. To this end we pray that the Convention may be delivered from pride of personal opinion, from all selfish ambition and from partisan passion and prejudices; and may it be inspired by a supreme-a divine desire to benefit the entire people of this common wealth. May all evil prophecies be disappointed and the highest hopes of the wisest and best of our patriotic citizenship be richly realized, and unto the Triune God we will ascribe all honor and glory, now and forever-Amen. The Secretary of State then submitted the returns of the election of delegates, and read the proclamation of the Governor calling the Convention, in the words following, towit: PROCLAMATION: EXECUTIVE OFFICE, JACKSON, MISS. ) WHEREAS, The Legislature of the State of Mississippi, passed an Act at its last session to provide for calling a Convention to amend the Constitution, approved February 5th, 1890; therefore, I, John M. Stone, Governor of the State of Mississippi, in pursuance of the provisions of said Act, do issue this my Proclamation, ordering an election to be held in the different counties in this State, on Tuesday, the 29th day of July, 1890, for delegates to said Convention. Each County and each Fiotorial District in this State, shall have the same number of delegates as they are now entitled. to members of the House of Representatives, under the provisions of present Apportionment law. The remaining fourteen delegates, under the provisions of said Act, shall be voted for from the State-at-Large; provided, that no two of said fourteen delegates shall come from the same county. Said election shall be held and conducted at the same places and in the same manner as elections are now held by law, under the present Constitution, and all persons who are qualified electors under the present Constitution and laws of this State shall be entitled to vote at said election; and the votes cast at said election shall be counted and returned in the same manner and within the same time, and by the same officers, as now provided by law in cases of general elections, and the returns of said elections made to the Secretary of State. Given under my hand and the Great Seal of the State of Mississippi hereunto affixed, this 11th day of March, 1890. J. M. STONE, Governor. By the Governor : GEO. M. GOVAN, Secretary of State. The Secretary of State also submitted and read a form of oath prepared by him as prescribed in section three (3) of the Act calling the Convention, to-wit: "to support the Constitution and Laws of the United States, and to faithfully discharge their duties as delegates; and in the absence. of the Judges of the Supreme Court, requested Judge J. B. Chrisman to administer the oath. All the delegates present arose in their places, and each holding up his right hand, took the oath of office. On motion of Mr. Burkitt, Judge A. G. Mayers was requested to administer the oath to Judge Chrisman, which was accordingly done. The Secretary of State then proceeded to call the roll of delegates, as follows: LIST OF DELEGATES. John A. Blair, STATE AT LARGE. R. G. Hudson, J. H. Jones. ALCORN AND PRENTISS.-C. B. Martin. AMITE AND PIKE-F. A. McLain. CALHOUN AND YALOBUSHA-J. J. Rotenberry. HOLMES AND YAZOO-J. G. Hamilton. KEMPER, LAUDERDALE AND CLARKE-W. D. Witherspoon LEAKE AND NEWTON-J. H. Reagan. LINCOLN AND JEFFERSON-R. H. Thompson. PONTOTOC AND UNION-C. O. Potter. TIPPAH and BENTON-Allen Talbot. COUNTY DELEGATES. ADAMS-Will T. Martin, Frank K. Winchester. ALCORN-L. P. Reynolds. AMITE-W. F. Love. ATTALA-F. M. Glass, D. T. Guyton. BENTON-Will T. McDonald. BOLIVAR G. P. Melchior, I. T. Montgomery. CALHOUN C. K. Holland. CARROLL-Monroe McClurg, T. W. Sullivan. CHOCTAW-L. Hannah. CLAIBORNE-C. K. Regan. CLARKE—Geo. L. Donald. CLAY-John Henderson, James Kennedy. COPIAH-A. B. Guynes, W. C. Wilkinson. DESOTO-J. W. Odom, Sam Powel. FRANKLIN J. H. McGehee. GRENADA-W. C. McLean. GREENE-J. Kittrell. HANCOCK-W. G. Spence. HARRISON-Elliott Henderson. HINDS-S. S. Calhoon, D. S. Fearing, Wiley P. Harris, T. T. Hart. HOLMES-Henry S. Hooker, W. L. Keirn. ISSAQUENA-W. S. Farish. ITAWAMBA S. W. Turner. JASPER-John F. Smith. JEFFERSON-C S. Coffey. JONES-A. Arrington. KEMPER-T. P. Bell. LAFAYETTE-R. A. Dean, T. D. Isom. LAUDERDALE-J. A. Bailey, H. M. Street. LEAKE-Irvin Miller. LEE-L. J. Rhodes, John M. Simonton. LEFLORE-W. H. Morgan. LINCOLN J. B. Chrisman. LOWNDES-A. J. Ervin, N. D. Guerry, W. C. Richards. MARION-A. G. Webb. MARSHALL-W. S. Featherston, George Finley, J. E. Ma rett. MONROE-F. J. McDonell, J. R. Murff, E. O. Sykes. NESHOBA-Wm. Bassett. NEWTON-J. E. Ferguson. NOXUBEE-George G. Dillard, J. H. Jamison, Robert C. Patty. OKTIBBEHA-J. W. Edwards, S. D. Lee. PANOLA-D. B. Arnold, G. W. Dyer, R. H. Taylor. PERRY-J. P. Carter. PIKE-S. E. Pack wood. PONTOTOC-J. D. Fontaine. PRENTISS-R. B. Boone. QUITMAN-F. M. Hamblett. RANKIN-A. J. McLaurin, L. W. Robinson. SCOTT-J. K. P. Palmer. SHARKEY-H. J. McLaurin. SIMPSON-T. L. Mendenhall. SMITH-A. G. McLaurin. SUNFLOWER-John R. Baird. TALLAHATCHIE-W. B. Eskridge. TATE-J. R. Puryear, W. P. Wyatt. TIPPAH-W. A. Boyd. TISHOMINGO-R. H. Allen. TUNICA-R. F. Abbay. UNION John P. Robinson. WARREN-Mayre Dabney, H. F. Simrall, Murray F. Smith. WASHINGTON-R. B. Campbell, A. J. Paxton, W. G. Yer WILKINSON-George T. McGehee, T. V. Noland. WINSTON-Oliver C. Watson. YALOBUSHA-George H. Lester. YAZOO-D. R. Barnett, D. Bunch, T. P. Lee. |