Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1866-12-14
Appeal Of LoYaI Arkanaians.

of the rebels by the practical working
of President johnson S policy have is
sued the following appeal for hell
from Congress, and call for a UnioI
State Convention. After stating tha
when the war closed a speedy recon
struction might have been effected haC
a wise and firm course been pursued by
the executive and legislative branche:
/ of the Government, the call proceeds
But in an evil hour the man, whom
! the people had hOnOred with the sec
ond highest Office in the land and who
/ soon after was called unexpectedly Il
/ fill the seat of his great predecessor
! basely betrayed the cause he had es.
/ poused and the people who had conf.
/ ed in him. A servant of the people
/ he attempted to become their master
and arrOgating to himself the power
/ which justly belongs to the people
/ alone, he attempted to decide questions
/ involving the veal or woe Of the whole
/ nation for all time to come, and went
\ so far in his mad career. as to brand
| the most honored and faithful defend
| ers of the Nation as traitors, deseTv-
/ ing traitors doom, and replacing IN
/ Office By the most serVile creatures the
/ tried men of the nation.
This deplOrable conduct on the part
Of the national Executive had the eff
/ feet of Immediately reviving the hopes
/ of a crushed rebellion to gain By po-
I litical strategy, what 1t had lost by an
an appeal to the sword, and Ofneutral-
izing the wise and foFbearing course OF
a generous, victorious people.
In order not to lose the fruits of the
dearly bought victory, to gain which
/ the land yet mourns the death of her
| bravest and best sons, Congress at its
| late session passed, by an OverWhelm-
I ing majority, an Amendment to the
Constitution providing 1st, for the
equal protection by the laws, of any
person within its jurisdiction in the
United States and subject to its juris-
! Jlistian. citizens Of the United States.
I 2 That, if any class of the inhab Bit
ants of any State be excluded by che
laws of the elective franchise, that
class should not be counted In the Ta-
| ito Of representation for the election
/ of Federal and State officers.
3. 1t prohibits from holding any Of
/ fee under the United States or State
such persons as have violated an oath
previously taken to support the Con-
stitution of the United States
4. It provides against the repudia-
ton of the debt of the United States
and the assumption of the rebel debt.
Never were conditions Of pardon for
! the commission of the greatest Of pub
/ lie crimes so lenient f; never, in the
! history of the world, was a nation so
1 forbearing toward those who sought
/ to destroy 1t.
John B. Baldwin, Speaker of the
I House of Delegates of Virginia. in
1 his testimony before the OOngressiOn-
/ al Committee on Reconstruction,
I frankly and truthfully says I at
aCaus beLieUed and IbeLieUe nOI1. that as
! a question Of right, Zaa0 and poioer, the
/ Government had a right TO hang JET.
[ DaUts, and me f00.
The same penalty had justly been in
Cured by every one else who support
ed the rebellion.
But how has this class of persons
acted since they were forgiven, and
1 what are they determined on now
Lock at the result on the recent
election in this State Look at the
/ emanations from the press Of Arkau-
t sas Look at the conduct of the late
4 rebels and of the press IN all the
1 Southern States Bear In mind the
/ butcheries Of Memphis and New Or
/ leans Look at the innumerable acts
/ Of violence and bloodshed peFpetrated
/ on helpless Unionists. white and black
I in the South
In our own State, the late rebels
/ have recently succeeded IN again OBJ
tanning full control of the Government
/ The three members of Congress elect
/ we're especially chosen for the cordial
I support they gave TO the rebellion.
/ The elective State Officers, with the
/ exception of the Gubernatorial chair.
/ whose incumbent Governor Murphy
/ holds over, are again ln the hands OF
/ the most uncOmpromising rebels the
/ Legislature consists nine-tenths Of the
same class of men, and every Office 10
/ the counties. with the honorable ex-
ception of those of Sebastian, Scott
and Montgomery, is filed by men
/ whose chief claim to the Offices they
again hold, is 70 have done then
b est to destroy this glorious Gov.
/ ernment.
Instad of quietly enjoying the justly
| forfeited immunities and privileges SO
I generously granted to them-vastly
more than they ever expected to re-
ceive--they again have combined to
place themselves in power, and render
/ all attempts at settlement of our ma
/ tional difficulties on just, honorable
and lasting basis, nUgatory and impOs.
sible.
Where then lies the remedy
Three years ago, Immediately UpOE
the expulsion by the national troops 0.
the rebel forces from the greater par
of our State and their retirement Il
the Red river, a handful of ardent pa.
triots, who had suffered In mind, per
son and property as only those coulC
suffer who passed through the fiery or
I deal of the rebeliien,- and irFe7oeabll
determined never again to bow thei
necks to the cruel yoke, and never 70,
a moment doubling the ultimate tri
umph Of the noble cause Of freedom
took counsel together, how to rail-
the loyal element of Arkansas =; re-Or
ganize a State Government on a Re
publican basis and place the State onct
t more IN her proper and natural Tela
ton to the General Government
This arduOus enterprise was lnaugu
rated 10 the city Of Fort Smith and a
a mass meeting on the 18th of October
II 1868 received the seal Of approval b,
thousands OF loyal ArkauSlauB present
1t eliminated in the State Convention
/ of January, 1864, and in an election 0
State officers and loyal Legislator
on the 18th of March, 1864. TIL
Great President" heartily approve,
of the movement and did everythin
in his power to further it; aud to AT
kansas uDquestionably belongs th
honor Of having been the FIRST of tn
rebellious States, which spOntaneousl
took the first steps to reconstruct he
State Government in accordance wit
the existing laws Of the land.
The Convention of january 1861
which, framed the new Constitution
! committed, however, an error, whic
was then foreseen by sagaeiOus friend
Of liberty and of the peace and pros
pertv of the State, to be fatal one.
It was perhaps too much to expeC
, FROM them at that early day, a bestoW
al OF universal suffrage, but the
should, at least, have made provisio
to exclude from share in the govern
ment all who had given support TO th
. Doballior until in a few years by In