The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1863-11-28
ARKANSAS.
We are not surprised at the accounts
from Arkansas, which represent that the

ie from Arkansas, which represent that tn
" demonstrations of Union sentiment ther
l. are highly gratifying There was reaIl,
We believe at no time, any more hos,illt
ID to the Union in Arkansas than there ha
it been IN Missouri That State was forced
l out oi the Union BY the example of Ten
It hesse, and the fact that a large part Of he
J. NEST powerful public men were secession
r ists We recollect, before the State sece
n ded, reading In one OF the Arkansas pa.
pcrs labor-d article which was intenjed
l. TO discourage the idea of secession, but
: which admitted that if Tennessee should
0 take that step, leading politicians would
;. backed by this example, probably be able
r 10 carry Arkansas out Of the Union As
! the Memphis Bulletin remarks, "a majority
oil Inc voters of that State wer. always
.nas passed the secess'on ION onnr orai
, nance. With clean majority of six. tn o
ambitious political trmmers. first with
threats, then with promises of political re-
ward, teased and wheeled a sanction to
the damnable ordinance that hurled the
State TO de, tructien, against tho vote Of
large majority of the people
If Arkansas had pot gone out OF the
Union, she might, perhaps, from the pres
enee OF many disturbing elements IN her
midst, and hy hoStiltie. from without,
have been disturbed and torn very much
at Missouri has been; bat she could not
possibly have groanel under a worse ty-
ranny than the rebel rule imposed upon
h"r, as the same paper s'ates, a systematic
reign ot terror was Inau .uIat-d by the
JohnsonS, under an arrangement to place
I Gen. liindman in command to do their
biddinss IN subduinG all free thought, free
secech, or the utterance of any opposition
/ to secession. Preclanna,ions were publish.
! ed throughout the State, defining i. tr,-a-
son To IntinIate a word autar0ui>tCal to
the despotI,m that was rapidly culmina-
ting Ilindman soon seconded the top
most reign of arbitrary ra>caii,y, and many
were he poor victims OF his wrath, div
en- to prisons bv the bayonct Each
morning new edicts were promulgated
strancling even inward thoughts, and
ncighbor became jealous OF las n+ish Dor
FOR fear of being reported by the spies Of
the Itcobins that were appointed in every /
neirh oorhooi France. under Robespier,e, ,
was never more completely sHbtlued than /
Arkansas under flIndman. Many. smart /
ing under the sting. left the State, while .
Others, 10 ave their neck. were forced t. .
submit. One Of his first acts was to ap
point AGENTS in every neichborhood TO .
collect all the guns, rifles, pistols powder /
ani shot from the people. That beinga &c
cnmplishcn he mad them at his mercy. !
No other State in the so called cnnfe,ler-
acy underwent half the degradation in so
sho:t timc.
Time rolled on and Lieut. Ge~. II lines .
was ordered to the helm. Great reforms .
promi-rd. but the encnura reineuts .
held out were all abortiye i!inGman per- .
suaded Holmes that there was but little /
secesh loyalty in the State-that the writ +
Of h1JcaS cDT"s was imperiou>ly necessary .
TO keep subotdnalon with the people,
they cuud not he trusted. IIoi mes silent /
ly ac9uie, ced in all his proceedings. and
took upon himself to be godfather tn them .
nen Without irial of any -kSfn kffnnd.. shooting OF
Thus matters wont on Twelve thou
sand troops from Texas were imported to
carry out the programme About J20Oj .
were raised in Arkansas ithe number OF
voters being about GjOUD These troops
were got together by every kind of intim-
Idat!on, and many OF the cDnscritts were
hunted in the swamp, whittier they had
gone 10 hide, hy dogs, and thousands were
brought to the enrolling officers by cavalry
with drawn sabres or rifles About 5000
came from Missouri, civin- u grand total
OF J2,uUU troops in Arkansls Il year ago
the present month.
AMI NHele now tbls most OF Men
The same paper informs us that none of
them have gone East OF the Mississippi .
IHero we're less than II UOU =, Little Rock .
when Gen. Steele captured il. IN june. .
Gen. walker took but 1000 with him TO
Monroe, La and now has out of that
nnRi Der about 1910. Gems Holmes, Price, /
Marmaiuhe, Cabe!l and DobhnS cant |
muster 5000 to day The number in
Northwest Arkansas will not exceed 3000 !
Here we have total OF J.. 900 that a year
ago numbered 1000. The number to be |
accounted for is 5000. The Missouri ,
troops are mostly dead and deserted. 1t /
is reported not ltO) of them are to be /
found in the ranks. OF the balance, death =
claims a majori,y-the hospitals are over /
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. are beyond example. /
The fact is palpab!e that Arkansas is (
now freed from the rebel yoke. And we 1,
must believe that in a transition to a shell
ter under the old fla :, she will have cause
10 know and feel that she has made good
exchange Everything Niii be done, we
tru>', To rsanimate the Union feeling that
has been por,nant or stitied All who are
we'll affected 20 the Union, no matter how,
under duress they have been compelled TO /
act hcrctoiore-all, no matter what their !
autecrdert-, who give signs that they are
now truly willin. to come back to their
allegiance and to support the Union and
Its government, without any e0uivocatiOn
or mental reservation of these there are
very large ma jority i'll Arkansas. Their
feelings and wishes are expressed by such
men as Mr.. CAN'T, whose admirable letter
was ,,rI IIi.sio OIL :. Es.- days ago.
They are expressed also in the action of
such a meatin. as WAS held on the 3lst
uit. IN Little Rock. Of which some of the
oldest and most prominent citizens were
the prime movers, being such men as DR..
Mrador Judge Murphy and Others. After
a spirited and pointed address by Judge
Murphy, the meeting adopted resolutions
which express the great qualification felt
in seeing once more the old flag wavinE
undisturbed over the city. They indorsed
the course of the Government IN the sup
preston of the rebellion, and called on
their sons and brothers who wee in the
rebel army 10 cease their efforts to over
turn the best government ever bequeath-
ed 10 man"
Arkansas deserves to be welcome back
az a returning son who has Gf'- 2.s much /
sinnnd against as sinnipg ~ L7m5 iie-
publican.
THE FENIAN EROTIIERHOOD.
The Fenian Brother hood, whose chiefs
have lately held Il convention IN this city,
;s ,u or..niz,t!on of Irishmen of secret
and military character, whose members
~, ,.t SfrIy t,,r. IA