with him in Washington no one should be appointed to a Federal office who was not friendly to his administration. Many speeches were made by the members of the ring, assuring the Governor that from that time forth Osborn and his friends would stand by him. Most of the carpet-baggers then in the Legislature were holding State offices by commission from Gov. Reed, and this agreement was made by Osborn and his followers so as to hold on to the State offices as well as the Federal offices which had been given them by the latter. This worked well for a time. Hon. C. H. Pearce, who had succeeded in rallying the colored members of the Legislature to the Governor, was very severe on the conspirators, and threatened to alienate the colored voters from the carpet-baggers if this persecution of Reed was continued. appeared to be quite indifferent as to promises made by Osborn & Co., and asked the colored men in the caucus to stand by him if they believed he was trying to give the State an honest administration. After further assurances by the members of the ring that Reed should be supported, the caucus adjourned sine die.

Reed

CHAPTER IX.

Meeting of the Extraordinary Session of the Legislature of 1869. Governor Reed's Recommendations. The Four Millions of Bonds Scheme. Colored Meembers Playing Carpet-bagger. The Grand Jury Hunting Bribe-takers.

On the 17th of May, 1869, Governor Reed issued his proclamation convening the Legislature in extraordinary session for the following purposes, to-wit: "To maintain the credit of the State and provide for the the means of defraying its current expenses. That the recent sale of the Pensacola and Georgia Railroad and the Tallahassee Railroad rendered immediate legislation necessary to protect the public interest and enable the purchasers to provide for the extension and completion of their roads and to enjoy the benefits of the Internal Improvement Laws of the State; and to ratify the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States."

In compliance with this proclamation, the two houses of the Legislature met at 12 o'clock M. on the 8th day of June and received the Governor's Message. The Governor recommended, among other things which were not mentioned in his proclamation, the passage of a proper quarantine law to protect our coast; a tenure of office law, so as to get rid of delinquent or unfaithful officers when the Senate was not in session, which officers could not then be removed without the consent of the Senate; and a law prohibiting common carriers from making distinction on acconnt of color. In conclusion, the Governor said:

"Allow me to congratulate you on the new era of prosperity which has opened upon our State, and the auspicious circumstances under which you now assemble. In all parts of the State, peace, security, harmony and prosperity prevail to a greater extent than at any time within the past ten years. Capital is more profitably invested; life and property are better protected. Let passion and prejudice give place to reason and judgment, and let wisdom and prudence control your counsels,

while we render grateful homage to the great dispenser of all good for His innumerable blessings."

Several important acts were passed by this Legislature, among which were the law setting aside a homestead for each head of a family; an amendment of the school laws; important changes in the revenue laws; and the notorious act "To Perfect the Public Works of the State." From the presence of an unusual lobby it was apparent that some great catastrophe was to take place in the shape of a law. The carpetbag element seemed to be elated, and the hotels and boarding-houses in the city were filled with strangers. The poorest and the most shabby carpet-bagger could be seen drinking the sparkling champagne and wearing fine beavers. The famous Littlefield was too much engaged to walk, and his carriage was kept at the hotel in readiness to convey him to any part of the city to see the different members of the Legislature.

The Governor was privately advised that Osborn's United States Marshal, Senator Wentworth, had been furnished with a thousand dollars with which to secure votes for Littlefield. Alarmed at the prospect of corrupt legislation, he telegraphed Mr. Swepson, the purchaser of the railroads, and whom Littlefield represented, to come to Tallahassee. In reply, General Abbott, United States Senator from North Carolina, appeared for Swepson and pledged the Governor that no more money should be used, and no legislation but what was legitimate should be sought. He called in General Littlefield to witness the pledge, stating that the money to Wentworth was only for the furnishing a reception room at the hotel. After remaining a few days, General Abbott, still assuring the Governor that the company would act in good faith and allow no more money to be expended, then returned home; but, notwithstanding these assurances, and pledges, within ten days twenty-two thousand dollars were distributed by Littlefield as a corruption fund for the Osborn ring, to control the Legislature against Governor Reed, with a view of ultimately deposing him.

The bill was introduced in the Senate by Wentworth, of Escambia, and referred to a committee, which reported favorably on it. There were important amendments made to the

bill by Senator John A. Henderson, of Hillsborough County. There were lots of members whom Littlefild had not "seen privately," and these would denounce the bill as a great swindle, but after a visit from him and a "private talk," they would either vote yes on every amendment or not vote at all, and would offer no further resistance to the scheme. The incorporators of this measure were General M. S. Littlefield, George W. Swepson, J. P. Sanderson, J. L. Requa, and William H. Hunt; the last a Senator from Dade County, and Gleason's partner. State aid was to be given at the rate of twelve thousand dollars per mile, which, according to the length of the route, would amount to four millions of dollars. This bill was passed by the Senate without a dissenting vote, some few members of the Senate being either absent or influenced from voting. In the Assembly the measure was passed with only three dissenting votes. As to bribery of any of the members to secure the passage of this measure, I shall only state what occurred and leave the reader to draw his own conclusions: A carpetbag Senator received a sight draft on the General the night before the passage of the bill. What that draft was for I am unable to say. The draft was presented to the General the next morning, who took it, read it, then tore it up, telling him at the same time, "This is all right, this is all right." The Senator undertook to insist on its payment, but the General began to talk so very loud about the matter that the Senator walked off cursing him, but in very low tones. The colored members of the Legislature who had heretofore been content with the salary which was provided by the Constitution as their pay now began to learn something of the meandering ways of their carpetbag leaders. They began to inquire how their white brethren could handle so much money, when they got no more pay than they did. Some of the Democrats who were not members of the Legislature informed them that their carpetbag friends from the different counties had traded on their votes in the Legislature ever since they had been permitted to sit in the Legislature as members. The colored members, from this information, began to hold separate caucuses, and finally they elected a permanent chairman of the caucus, and that chairman appointed a committee of three to ferret out all schemes which looked anything like money schemes. This committee was

caucus.

caucus.

66

styled the smelling committee." The duty of this committee was to visit the hotels and private rooms of the carpetbag members and ascertain, as best they could, whether there was anything or things, measure or measures before, or likely to come before the Legislature at that session which the carpetbag brother could make money from, and if so to report the same to the This committee was not to proceed in a body, but each man was to gather the facts as he could get them and report to the caucus in a body. The chairman of the caucus was empowered to inform any party or parties who were in need of votes in the Legislature to pass measures, the number of votes that could be had and the amount required to satisfy the members of the When any money was received from this source it was to be equally divided among the members. This plan worked for some time but no money was forthcoming. All information that could be gathered by the committee was reported to the chairman of the caucus, who would report what the measures sought to be passed were, and advised the members of the caucus to vote for them, yet he never reported any money. The members began to perceive that the chairman was getting very flush with money, and they naturally became suspicious that he was playing carpet-bagger on them. A meeting was called and charges presented against the chairman for not having paid over moneys received by him for the benefit of members of the cauHe at first stubbornly denied having received any moneys for the caucus, but a party who had given him money for the caucus, finding his measure fought in the Legislature by members of the caucus, found fault with some of them, who said they had never received any money from the chairman. The note in which the complaint was conveyed was to the effect that he had made "the boys" a present of dollars which he had handed to Mr. S. The chairman having been convicted of the charge, now declared that the money was made a present to him individually, and refused to make a division. This broke up the caucus arrangement, and after that time each member struck out for himself. All the colored members of the Legislature did not belong to this caucus, but at least two-thirds of them did. This extra session adjourned on the 23d of June.

cus.