The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1867-04-17
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WEDNESDAY Kux1u0. APRIL l1.gtl
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EDITORIAL CoRRnsPonDEHCE.
Never rose brishS1k Una INTO = noss
,enial day than that succeeding our arrival
4 Little Rock. A week before, and there
lad besn thsiss.nasse1 piled alnng hon oil
he Father Of Waters above Keokuk, and the
liver itself frozen over ! few miles farther up,
Ind we had seen il. And We vslked ont into
Little Rock to see vegetables growing Id gar.
dens, and shrubbery in yards, fall drssssd in
fresh green, Rowsrs in bloom, with very
orchestra of Wild bird song, and the warmth OF
the weather sufficient to strongly spring
costume. The spring, however, has been
extraordinarily backward. = FegetSblea are
but green that should now b npe.
The Capital Of Arkansas is pretty little
place. having some seven or eight thousand
inhabitants. 1t is vel raised from the rver,
and on the south bank; the ground ID uneven;
a succession Of slevAihns and depresnensi
not SUFFICIENT 70 be called hills, but breaking
the moaotony of plain, and making lovely
site for city. these elevations grow into
the dignity of real hills, q = di1tdx1cs of two
or three miles from the town. A short dis
lance above on the river 10 the FIRST Of the
chain of bluffs that swell away into the Ozark
Mountains. The rounded submits Of these
bluffs are covered with pines, making the
view up the river very fine one. A large
number Of the forest trees still standing
within the city limits, are pine, and the
pretty cottages thus EMPOWERED impress one
with the enjoyability of life here There are
not many preteutious buildings; very few
brick ones. The dampness of the climate
makes frame houses preferable as residences.
There, Ii an air OF newness about . large
number ofthese; for the Yankees have come
in since the war, and the town has thrived in
two or three years of their presence as il
never thrived in quarter century of slave
holder rule.
There &c one great infatuatiop, . municipal
madness upon the people that is drawback
upon the growth Of Little Rock, by prevent
ing immigration. X is the enormous cost of
property and living The money standard
seems to be that Of Confederate 'sshiupiss-
ters," sad the prices demanded are nncon-
scionable. Boarding in private families is
fifty dollars per month. Small frame houses
are ito let for from fifty to one hundred
dollars per month. Az busin@s here ID not
as good at present as mp North, there is no
heavenly or earthly reason why these high
prices should exist. II they are the pro-
gramme Of the slayeocncy to keep the
"Ysnks'' out of Dixie, 1t will be largely sue.
cessfol for time, for the most enterprising
,'Yankn will have difficulty In finding any
business, with profits proportionate to prices.
Prices are declining, however, and We hope
this evil and stupidity viii soon work its own
remedy.
The Radical Union Convention met here
on the I'd instant, the day of our arrival.
Hither had come from all parts of the State,
the true, tried, loyal men Of Arkansas, to the
number ofone hundred and Fifty, or there
abouts, to prepare to reconstruct this State
on the basis Of Freedom and Impartial
Suffrage. / thought l had known some-
what Of Radicalism in Iowa, bat our
Hawkeye radicalism, glorious "a ii is, Is not
yet wholly comparable to Arkansas radical
ism. The latter has been schooled into pluck
and consistency. Here were union men that
six years ago did not want the negro eman-
cipstad !, they we're still more hostile to the
project of making soldier of him two years
ago, nay, one year ago, they wouldn't hear to
1t that the freedmen should vote. Bat my
Policy" put the rebels again IN power in this
State and in the South. There have been two
years o. as terrible rebel despotism as one
can conceive. These union men we're ground
down under it. II might just a. we'll have
been JEFF. Davis, President, Is Andrew John.
son, presidents. These loyal men discovered
that the boys in blue might just AZ well have
never fought battle or gained victory.
Under JEFF. Davis it would have been the
Southern Confederacy outside the union.
Under Andrew johnson it was the Southern
Coniederacy inside the union Loyalty in the
South is completely overwhelmed and sub.
jugated unless the rebel vote ia Offset by the
negro vote. And so on the End inst these
Arkansas union men who have been more
prejndiced against the neeroes voting than
even the Iowa hsrdshell democracy, came ur
to the convention, and unhesitatingly accep
ted coiored men as delegates, and put one Of
"the people" as black as the Ace Of Spades
upon the committee ON resolutions that draf
ted the platform Of the union party in Arkan-
sas, and another one upon the Executive
State Central Commiseee, and we're enthusi
astic in favor of impartial suffrage. These
men are not fanatics and theoretic enthusi
asts; they have for the most part only ceased
TO oppose negro suffrage because that will
alone prevent the South from passing hope,
iessly under the control OF the rebels We
shall make the political situation in Arksn sa,
and the South the subject of future letter.
Free state men have come hither and ia
Little Rock radicals and rebels stand about
"ialf and 'alf" with good promise for ar
early radical ascendency. Iowa is we'll rep.
resented here. From our own place are
those excellent KeokukiAns, Mr.. Jones and
Mr.. Mcqueen, who have become almost do
mesicated into native Arkansians. Here
too, il one Of Iowa's best and ablest sons
Hon h. c. Caldwell, formerly of Van Burer
Ccasty, and nov United States Judge Of thi,
DalEiet- Iowa was the loser and this Stat.
largely fsssunste In his accepting his prescn
position. Young in years, vigorous, an un,
firing worker, as brave soldier and eficieu
Is an officer, as he is a strong lawyer aud al
. able Judge; the FIRST Federal officer to enfe.
Little Rock in driving out the rebels, anc
where his accomplished leadership Of oul
cavalry secured for him the highest encomi
sma from his commanding officers. 1t is vel
br this new and hereafter growing State, thai
hhas upon the Federal bench the incorrup,i
bic Official purity, just ideas, vigorous, good
sense, end varied abilities Of Judge Caldwell
To The kindness Of himself and his excellent
family We owe much of the pleasure that la.
been ours during our stay in Little Rock.
Gen. Ord, commander of this department
has recently Transferred his hssdquarter,