ide of his relative, as against the candidate of his own party,
especially in view of the fact that Dent had been nominated not as a
Democrat but as an Independent Republican,--his candidacy simply having
been indorsed by the Democratic organization. But in this they were
disappointed, for if the President gave any indication of preference it
was in favor of the Republican ticket. General Ames, for instance, was
the Military Governor of the State, holding that position at the
pleasure of the President; and Ames was so outspoken in his support of
the Republican ticket, that in an address before the State Republican
Convention that nominated General Alcorn for the Governorship he
announced, "You have my sympathy and shall have my support." This
declaration was received by the convention with great applause, for it
was known that those words from that source carried great weight. They
meant not only that the Republican party would have the active and
aggressive support of the Military Governor,--which was very important
and would be worth thousands of votes to the party,--but they also
indicated the attitude of the National Administration. The campaign was
aggressive from beginning to end. Judge Dent was at a disadvantage,
since his candidacy had failed to bring to his support the influence of
the National Administration, which had been the sole purpose of his
nomination. In spite of that fact Dent made a game and gallant fight;
but the election resulted in an overwhelming Republican victory. That
party not only elected the State ticket by a majority of about 30,000
but it also had a large majority in both branches of the State
Legislature.

The new administration had an important and difficult task before it. A
State Government had to be organized from top to bottom; a new judiciary
had to be inaugurated,--consisting of three Justices of the State
Supreme Court, fifteen Judges of the Circuit Court and twenty Chancery
Court Judges,--who had all to be appointed by the Governor with the
consent of the Senate, and, in addition, a new public school system had
to be established. There was not a public school building anywhere in
the State except in a few of the larger towns, and they, with possibly
a few exceptions, were greatly in need of repairs. To erect the
necessary school houses and to reconstruct and repair those already in
existence so as to afford educational facilities for both races was by
no means an easy task. It n