The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1868-06-13
Admission of Arkansas,

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Of all the " infamous measures OF this most
infamous congress-" none perhaps is more
daring in its intamy than the bill just passed
for the admission into the Union of Arkansas.
The Chicago platform solemnly pledges the
Republican party to the maintenance of the
reconstruction acts of congress- yet these
acts are violated in several glaring particulars
by the act admitting Arkansas. The recon
struction acts require tina; before Arkansas can
be admitted her convention brought into ex-
istence by those acts, shall have framed con-
stitution, which constitution shall have been
adopted by majority of the registered voters
IN the state, the commanding officer in the
district at the time to certify to the returns OF
the election. 1t is notorious that the Arkan-
sas constitution was not carried by Il fair ma
Jority OF the registered voters that to make
an apparent majority, the most unblushing
frauds were resorted to; and that Gen. Gil
lem, military commander of the district, has
never certified to the election returns
Again, the reconstruction acts require that.
before Arkansas can be admitted, her legisla-
ture shall have ratified the so called 14th Ar
ticle, proposed rs au amendment to the CON
stitution Of the [. S. There is no pre-
tence that there has yet been a legal leesisla-
ture in Arkansas since the framing of her CON
stitution, By which the 14th article could
have been ratified
But the greatest inflmy IN the case consits
in the conditions which the act of Congress
just passed attaches to the admission of Ar
kansas. These conditions are, 1, that Arkan-
sas agrees never to amend that part of her
constitution which guarantees equal suffrage
to all races and colors of her people; and Cd,
that every voter, on being registered, shall
take an oath that he accepts the civil and po-
litical equality OF all men, and will never at
tempt, on account of race, color or previous
condition, to deprive any person of any civil
or political right"
Can our tederative system endure year
with one portion Of the states bound by such
degrading condition, and the other and
larger portion bound by no such condition 2
The Chicago Tribune said week ago, allud-
ing to another subject, GA constitution
that cannot be amended, or law that cannot
he repealed, is denial Of the first principle
of popular liberty, and is consistent only with
despotism." Yet Congress talks of "restor-
ing the union" by creating two classes of states.
in one of which classes the people are secured
in their sovereignty over all questions touch
ing the status of their citizens and the right of
suffrage, while the other class are bound by
restrictions that are 81 consistent only with des-
potism.' Not only is this unrepealable clause
OF the Arkansas constitution the essence of des.
potism, but the test oath prescribed to her
voters is equally despotic. If congress can
prescribe what man shall believe as to the
civil and political rights of certain classes of
citizens, why may congress not also require
that the people Of the southern states shall be-
lieve any other political or religious dogma
The test oath in the Arkansas bill is anti-chrls-
tan, anti-republican, and utterly opposed to
every principle Of civil liberty.
Like many other of these crude and "infa.
nous" acts of congress, this Arkansas bill has
also its absurd and ludicrous feature. 1t at
taches to the admission of Arkansas an ire
pealaJle condition which violates another ire
pealible condition of the same admission . for
another of the fundamental conditions of
the admission of Arkansas is, her ratification
of the 14th Article proposed as an amendment
to the constitution, and that amendment gives
the state the right to disfranchise all her pop
ulation OF any particular race, color, or pre-
vious condition, on the sole condition of being
willing to have her basis of representation re-
duced in proportion to the number of the race
thus distranchiscd Arkansas solcmnly Gov
enants in the first place to ratify an amend
mcnt of the constitution giving her right to
dstranchise all her negroes and Indians, and
then covenants not to do it :.