CHAPTER V

THE CONTEST FOR SPEAKER OF THE MISSISSIPPI HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES


The elections being over, and a Republican majority in both branches of
the Legislature being assured, Governor Alcorn was then prepared to
vacate the office of Governor, to turn over the administration of State
affairs to Lieutenant-Governor Powers and to proceed to Washington so as
to be present at the opening session of Congress on the first Monday in
December when he would assume his duties as a United States Senator.

The Legislature was to meet the first Monday in the following
January,--1872. As soon as the fact was made known that the Republicans
would control the organization of the House, the Speakership of that
body began to be agitated. If Speaker Warren had been reëlected he would
have received the Republican caucus nomination without opposition, but
his defeat made it necessary for a new man to be brought forward for
that position. A movement was immediately put on foot to make me the
Speaker of the House.

Upon a careful examination of the returns it was found that of the one
hundred fifteen members of which the House was composed there were
seventy-seven whites and thirty-eight colored. Of the seventy-seven
whites, forty-nine had been elected as Democrats and twenty-eight as
Republicans. The thirty-eight colored men were all Republicans. It will
thus be seen that, while in the composition of the Republican caucus
there were ten more colored than white members, yet of the total
membership of the House there were thirty-nine more white than colored
members. But in the organization of the House, the contest was not