The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1866-11-19
Arkansas.

Inc Legislature OF THIS state - now
in session. The message of Gov
MURPHY was prepared with apparent
care, and, for Southern Governor,
is quite moderate in tone. II urges
the Legislature to encourage immi-
grafton, to increase the facilities for
educating the masses, and to foster
railroad and other enterprises calcula-
ted TO develop the resources OF the
State. IL also recommends the pas
sage of laws to carry into effect the
provisions Of the Civil Rights Bill,
and gently insinuates that there could
be no serious objection to the adop-
ton of the Constitutional Amend
ment.
Bills have already been introduced
into the Senate TO define the status Of
freedmen; to suspend the collection
Of the State revenue and the running
Of the statute Of limitations; to raise
military force for the defense Of the
State; to suspend the collection of
debts; to aid the military authorities
and prevent bushwhacking; to fix the
punishment of guerrilas and jay
hawkers; and to punish perjury.
On the Constitutional Amendment,
the House very positively declined to
act. A joint resolution, passed by
that body, sets forth, that inasmuch
as the State Of Arkansas had no voice
in the National Congress in the adop-
ton of the Amendment, her General
Assembly must decline to act upon it
until her Representatives are allowed
their seats in Congress.
1t would have been wiser, we think,
for the Legislature to have carried out
the Governors suggestions. We can
not see how Arkansas can hope for
the admission of her representatives
unless she accepts the Constitutional
Amendment. The views of the North
ern people, one would think, were
made known with sufficient plainness
in the recent elections. 1t is not to
be presumed that they will recede
from the nltimatum they have an
nounced. II the Southern people are
unwilling TO accept the conditions
upon which their right to representa-
ton is based, they can hardly hope to
see their Representatives and Senators
in Congress for many years to come.
1t matters very little TO the Union
party whether the South adopts the
Constitutional Amendment or not.
For four years it administered the
affairs of the nation, not only without
any assistance from the States lately
in rebellion, but with the whole of
them arrayed in arms against it. The
betrayal by its President may cause
the party a little more trouble, as it
did during the last session of Con-
gress, but the elections have demon
strated that it has the confidence of
the people, and, consequently, it will
continue TO control aud d rect the |
destinies of the Republic in spite of
the opposition Of Mr.. JOHNSON and
his newly formed allies in the South.
The Legislature Of Arkansas has
only damaged the people of that State
by its refusal to adopt the Amend
.ment. Had .thatbody wisely accepted |
s'the inevitable H. Endorsed ~ tile |
Amendment-apd had the Represen-
tatives aud Senators from the State
taken their seats in the next Congress,
an impulse would have been given to
immigration that would have resulted
in a,groWth and prosperity Of which |
the people there have never dreamed.
AS it is, the prosperity Of the State
will be materially retarded without in
the least preventing the consumma-
ton it seems so much to dread. The |
Constitutional Amendment will be
adopted. IF by no other process, a
sufficiency Of new States will yet be
brought into the Union to insure its
acceptance after the form prescribed
by the Constitution, The next Presi-
Dental election will place friend of
the Amendment at the head of the
Government, who will bring the pow
erful patronage of the position to bear
in favor of rather than against it.
We regret that the people of Ar
kansas have permitted themselves to
be deceived by the course of the Presi-
dent. They will regret the deception