o-called split in the
party was not at all serious.

Speaking of the three Supreme Court Judges, the expert admits that
Peyton and Tarbell were Republicans, but Simrall, he claims, is
generally classed as a Democrat. In support of this assertion
attention is called to the fact, among others, that he was chairman of
the State legislative committee that reported in favor of rejecting
the 14th Amendment. But that was before the passage of the
Reconstruction Acts and before the Republican party in the State was
organized. Judge Simrall joined the Republican party in 1868 or 1869.
What I asserted and now repeat is that he was a Republican when he was
made a Justice of the State Supreme Court in 1870. Even if he, like
thousands of others, rejoined the Democratic party, that would not
disprove my assertion that he was a Republican while he was on the
bench. But it appears that he was not one of those that rejoined the
Democrats, but remained a Republican to the day of his death. In 1884,
nine years after the _Redemption_, he canvassed the State for Blaine
and Logan, Republican candidates for President and Vice-President. In
1890 the Democrats of Warren County in selecting suitable persons to
represent them in the State Constitutional Convention to be held in
the fall of that year were anxious to have the benefit of the
knowledge, ability and experience of Judge Simrall. They took the
liberty of placing his name on their ticket to which it appears he
made no objection, and in that way he was elected a delegate to that
convention. But did that make him a Democrat? I am sure both Mr.
Rhodes and his expert will allow Judge Sim rail to answer that
question for himself and that they will accept his answer as
conclusive on that point. For his answer to that question they are
respectfully referred to page 704 of the official journal of the
Constitutional Convention of 1890. They will see that the members of
the convention were politically classified. Each member, of course,
furnished the information about his own party affiliations. It will be
seen that Judge Sim rail is classified as a "National Republican."
Ex-Governor Alcorn was also a member of that convention, having been
elected from Coahoma County in the same way. His political
classification is that of a "Conservative." So it seems that neither
Sim rail nor Alcorn rejoined the Democratic party. Instead, therefore,
of Republicans being obliged to utilize Democratic material in