before the election, was ousted from the office of LieutenantGovernor, by order of the court in proceedings instituted by Governor Reed in consequence of the attempt of Gleason and his co-conspirators to impeach and suspend Reed and inaugurate Gleason as Governor.

CHAPTER VI.

Memorial of Richards and Saunders to Congress Against the Osborn Constitution. Criticism on the Memorial.

After the re-assembling of the convention, which resulted in the utter defeat of Richards and Saunders, and the consequent setting aside of all the previous proceedings, the defeated parties carried the matter into the Congress of the United States, with the hope of preventing the admission of the State into the Union under the constitution made by the recognized body. They accordingly drew up the following memorial, which was laid before that body on the 23d of March, 1868:

FLORIDA CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION-ITS

HISTORY.

Enclosed is the order of Major-General John Pope, commanding third military district, calling the Constitutional Convention of Florida, and his return of the delegates elected.

By the said order it will be seen that forty-six delegates were returned as elected.

On the 20th of January, when the convention was organized, thirty delegates were present, twenty-seven of whom voted for the officers elected, and two against them-one not voting, but who next day asked and obtained leave to have his vote recorded in favor of the organization.

Next day, 21st, standing rules were adopted by a unanimous vote. The convention was organized by electing to most of the offices radical republicans, and threats were openly made by the conservative Johnson office-holders and rebels that no constitution should be made, nor business done, until the organization of the convention was broken up. Conservative republicans, both in and out of the convention, began to caucus night and day, with the leading rebels freely admitted to their councils, to devise ways and means to overthrow the radicals. The principal hotel in the city was opened free to the delegates who would act with them, and who were all poor-many of them not money enough to pay board bills with. Whisky flowed free as water. Money was used in abundance to corrupt the delegates, which was like tendering bread to a starving man.

The unworthy, debasing influences brought to bear upon

the delegates would disgrace any other part of Christendom, if it does not Florida.

Like hungry wolves around a carcass, the Federal officeholders in the State congregated together there as with a common purpose, and that purpose to defeat reconstruction on a republican basis in that State. The caucuses of the organized lobby were held every night until nearly daylight, and money furnished by the Johnson office-holders, and every other influence was used to bring in delegates to join them.

Among those who took active part against the convention as oganized, and most of whom were almost constantly in caucus, were the following, viz: Harrison Reed, O. B. Hart, T. W. Osborn, Sherman Conant, Lemuel Wilson, A. A. Knight, O. Morgan, M. L. Stearns, E. D. Howse, W. J. Purman, S. B. Conover and E. K. Foster, all holding offices under the General Government.

Colonel John T. Sprague, commander of the State, previous to the organization, and during the convention, exercised his influence actively in the interest of .those who finally disrupted the convention. C. Thurston Chase and S. F. Dewy, both Federal office-holders, aided by their correspondence, counsels and advice the faction striving to gain the control of the convention or to break it up. E. M. Randall, brother of the Postmaster-General, was constantly in caucus with them, as was also Captain Dyke, editor of the Floridian, and keeper of Andersonville, where our Union soldiers were starved. Governor David

S. Walker rendered them all the aid and comfort in his power, and after the convention was broken up and a new one organized, he was on the floor of the convention every day among the delegates and on one occasion made a speech to the convention.

Every effort to proceed with the business of the convention was violently resisted by this disorganizing faction in the body, aided by a powerful and thoroughly organized lobby, for two weeks. During this time only forty-one delegates had subscribed to the oath as required by the rules of the convention; the others having failed to appear and subscribe to the oath. The great struggle of the opposition was to turn enough delegates out or vote enough into the convention to give them control of it. At the end of two weeks' wrangling, the opposition were beaten on a close vote of twenty-one to twenty, and the combined conservative and rebel faction, to the number of eighteen, withdrew in a body to break up the convention. Other of the conservative delegates had previously gone home-one a Union man of such strong rebel proclivities that it was stated on the floor of the convention by his friends that he would not take the oath to

support the Constitution of the United States and proclamations made thereunder. He had left some ten days previous.

When these last eighteen withdrew there were but twentytwo delegates left in the convention. These twenty-two delegates remaining in the convention diligently applied themselves to the object for which they came together during the following week. By taking the present Florida constitution, and making just such changes in it as the altered circumstances seemed to require, on the 8th day of February they finished their work, formed and signed a good constitution. They then adjourned for one week, in order to give time to lay the constitution before General Meade, and get his endorsement of the ordinance calling an election, as it could not be enforced without the general commanding the district gave validity to it by his endorsement.

When the seceding delegates withdrew, they immediately left the city of Tallahassee, fearing, probably, if they remained, some of their weaker members, who had been kept intoxicated all the time for two weeks, might get sober enough and be induced to go back into the convention, and thus make a quorum of all the delegates elected. They repaired to Monticello, some thirty miles distant, sent messengers and special trains, and money to try and gather together the fugitive delegates, who had previously gone home. They remained away from the capital an entire week, and until the convention had completed its labor, formed a constitution, signed it, and adjourned for a week to hear from General Meade. The convention adjourned on Saturday, February 8. The following Monday, February 10, the seceding delegates returned, at midnight, 22 strong. With the aid of the military furnished by Governor Walker, they broke into the State-house at dead of night. C. M. Hamilton, until very recently agent in the Freedman's Bureau, and believed by most of the delegates to be still in command, with power to enforce his orders, went and took from their beds two of the delegates who had already signed one constitution, took them to the State-house, and, between the hours of twelve and two o'clock in the night, they assumed to organize a convention, with the military standing guard around and in the State-house. A guard of soldiers, furnished by direction of Governor Walker, was stationed in the hall night and day.

On Tuesday, the 11th, this disorganizing organization went through with the performance of expelling four delegates who had not met with them at all, and then swore in five men who tried hard to be elected as delegates to the Constitutional Convention, but did not get votes enough, and consequently General Pope, although pressed hard for weeks to do so, did not return them as elected. They then telegraphed General Meade that they were organized as the Constitutional Convention of