FUSION OF DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS IN THE STATE ELECTION OF 1873.
REPUBLICAN VICTORY
An important election was to be held in Mississippi in 1873, at which
State, district, and county officers, as well as members of the
Legislature, were to be elected. The tenure of office for the State and
county officers was four years. 1873, therefore, was the year in which
the successors of those that had held office since 1869 had to be
elected.
The legislature to be elected that year would elect the successor of
Senator Ames as United States Senator. Senator Ames was the candidate
named to succeed himself. For some unaccountable reason there had been a
falling out between Senator Alcorn and himself, for which reason Senator
Alcorn decided to use his influence to prevent the reëlection of Senator
Ames. This meant that there would be a bitter factional fight in the
party, because both Senators were popular with the rank and file of the
party.
The fact was soon developed, however, that the people favored the return
of Senator Ames to the Senate. This did not necessarily mean opposition
or unfriendliness to Senator Alcorn. It simply meant that both were to
be treated fairly and justly, and that each was to stand upon his own
record and merits, regardless of their personal differences.
If Senator Alcorn had been in Senator Ames' place the probabilities are
that the sentiment of the party would have been just as strongly in his
favor as it was at that time in favor of Ames. But on this occasion
Senator Alcorn made the mistake of making opposition to Senator Ames the
test of loyalty to himself. In this he was not supported even by many of
his warmest personal and political friends. In consequence of the bitter
fight that was to be made by Senator Alcorn to prevent the return of
Senator Ames to the Senate, many of Senator Ames' friends advised him to
become a candidate for the office of Governor. In that way, it was
believed, he could command the situation, and thus make sure his
election to succeed himself as Senator; otherwise it might be doubtful.
But this involved two important points which had to be carefully
considered. First, it involved the retirement of Governor Powers, who
was a candidate to succeed himself. Second, the candidate for
Lieutenant-Governor would have to be selected with great care, since if
that program were carried out he would be, in point of fact, the
Governor of the State for practically the whole term.
After going over the situation very carefully with his friends and
supporters Senator Ames decided to become a candidate for Governor,
public announcement of which decision was duly made. This announcement
seemed to have increased the intensity of Senator Alcorn's opposition to
Senator Ames, for the former did not hesitate to declare that in the
event of Ames' nomination for Governor by the regular party convention
he would bolt the action of the convention, and make the race for
Governor as an independent candidate. This declaration, however, made no
impression upon the friends and supporters of Ames, and evidently had
very little effect upon the rank and file of the party; for the fact
became apparent shortly after the announcement of the candidacy of Ames
that his nomination was a foregone conclusion. In fact, Senator Ames had
such a strong hold upon the rank and file of the party throughout the
State that when the convention met there was practically no opposition
to his nomination. The friends and supporters of Governor Powers
realized early in the campaign the hopelessness of the situation, so far
as he was concerned, and therefore made no serious effort in his behalf.
What gave the Ames managers more concern than anything else was the
selection of a suitable man for Lieutenant-Governor. Many of the colored
delegates insisted that three of the seven men to be nominated should
be of that race. The offices they insisted on filling were those of
Lieutenant-Governor, Secretary of State, and Superintendent of
Education. Since the colored men had been particularly loyal and
faithful to Senator Ames it was not deemed wise to ignore their demands.
But the question was, Where is there a colored man possessing the
qualifications necessary to one in charge of the executive department of
the state?
After going over the field very carefully it was decided that there was
just one man possessing the necessary qualifications,--B.K. Bruce, of
Bolivar County. He, it was decided, was just the man for the place, and
to him the nomination was to be tendered. A committee was appointed to
wait on Mr. Bruce and inform him of the action of the conference, and
urge him to consent to the use of his name. But Mr. Bruce positively
declined. He could not be induced under any circumstances to change his
mind. He was fixed in his determination not to allow his name to be used
for the office of Lieutenant-Governor, and from that determination he
could not be moved.
Mr. Bruce's unexpected attitude necessitated a radical change in the
entire program. It had been agreed that the Lieutenant-Governorship
should go to a colored man, but after Brace's declination the Ames
managers were obliged to take one of two men,--H.C. Carter, or A.K.
Davis. Davis was the more acceptable of the two; but neither, it was
thought, was a fit and suitable man to be placed at the head of the
executive department of the State. After again going over the field, and
after canvassing the situation very carefully, it was decided that Ames
would not be a candidate to succeed himself as United States Senator,
but that he would be a candidate to succeed Senator Alcorn. This
decision, in all probability, would not have been made if Alcorn had
been willing to abide by the decision of the convention. But, since he
announced his determination to bolt the nomination of his party for
Governor and run as an Independent candidate, it was decided that he had
forfeited any claim he otherwise would have had upon the party to
succeed himself in the Senate. Senator Alcorn's term would expire March
4, 1877. His successor would be elected by the Legislature that would be
chosen in November, 1875. If Ames should be elected to the Governorship
his successor in that office would be elected in November, 1877. In the
event of his election to the Senate to succeed Senator Alcorn, his term
as Senator would commence March 4, 1877, yet he could remain in the
office of Governor until the meeting of Congress the following December,
thus practically serving out the full term as Governor.
With that plan mapped out and agreed upon, and the party leaders
committed to its support, Davis was allowed to be nominated for the
office of Lieutenant-Governor. Two other colored men were also placed
upon the State ticket,--James Hill, for Secretary of State, and T.W.
Cardozo, for State Superintendent of Education. While Davis had made
quite a creditable record as a member of the Legislature, it could not
be said that his name added strength to the ticket. Hill, on the other
hand, was young, active, and aggressive, and considerably above the
average colored man in point of intelligence at that time. His
nomination was favorably received, because it was generally believed
that, if elected, he would discharge the duties of the office in a way
that would reflect credit upon himself and give satisfaction to the
public. In point of education and experience Cardozo was admitted to be
entirely capable of filling the office of Superintendent of Education;
but he was not well known outside of his own county, Warren. In fact his
nomination was largely a concession to that strong Republican county.
The three white men nominated,--besides the candidate for
Governor,--were, W.H. Gibbs, for Auditor of Public Accounts; Geo. E.
Harris, for Attorney-General, and Geo. H. Holland, for State Treasurer.
Gibbs had been a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1868, and
subsequently a member of the State Senate. Holland had served as a
member of the Legislature from Oktibbeha County. Harris had been a
member of Congress from the Second (Holly Springs) District, having been
defeated for the nomination in 1872 by A.R. Howe, of Panola County.
While the ticket, as a whole, was not a weak one, its principal strength
was in its head,--the candidate for Governor.
Shortly after the adjournment of the convention Senator Alcorn had
another convention called which nominated a ticket, composed exclusively
of Republicans, with himself at its head for Governor. The Democrats at
their convention endorsed the Alcorn ticket. While it would seem that
this action on the part of the Democrats ought to have increased
Alcorn's chances of success, it appears to have been a contributory
cause of his defeat. Thousands of Republicans who were in sympathy with
the movement, and who would have otherwise voted the Alcorn ticket,
refused to do so for the reason that if it had been elected the
Democrats could have claimed a victory for their party. On the other
hand, both tickets being composed exclusively of Republicans, thousands
of Democrats refused to vote for either, while some of them voted the
Ames ticket. At any rate the election resulted in the success of the
Ames ticket by a majority of more than twenty thousand. The regular
Republicans also had a large majority in both branches of the
Legislature.
[Illustration: HON. B.K. BRUCE United States Senator, 1875-1881]