Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-01-13
THE TRUE CONDITION OF AFFAIRS
IN ARKANSAS.

NnS SOuuiLlOu Vi dHdlrS III ATkalSa
These two gentlemen arrived at Ii
Rock on the 18th ult., and on til
18th Col. Porter sent report by te
egraph to Gen. Grant completed
generating Gov. Clayton from a
blame in the matter, and that tn
militia sent out by him had been IN
der tolerably good control; tina
"the plundering reported in tn
press was simply "the taking O
supplies under order :" and that on
negro militiaman had eommitte,
rape on white woman, but was ar
rested, tried and promptly executed
Col. Porter details a series of out
RACES and assassinations which haC
been. committed by "Rebels" as .
justification of the course of Gov
Clayton. All this was learned a
Little Rock, and from Gov. Clayton
for Porter and Babcock do not pre-
tend to have visited the localities il
which the militia are reported to
have committed such fearful out.
RACES, to learn from the people the
true condition of affairs. They accept
Gov. Clayton's version and sent it to
Gen. Grant, in order that all the
blame for the troubles in Arkansas
might attach to the white people OF
that State who do not indorse Gov.
Clayton. Col. Porter says "the
present State government was GER
tainly in some danger previous to
the presidential election" but "the
Governor wisely refrained from TAX
ing any violent measures until after
the election, fearing that the opposi
ton might make capital out of it."
The government was in danger, yet
the Governor refrained from pro
tecting the governmental he had sworn
to support for fear it would affect
the election. And Col. Porter has
not one word of condemnation for
this dishonorable confession of the
Governor of Arkansas. This simple
statement shows how much credit
should attach to Col. Porter's re-
port. As a truthful offset to this re-
port, we publish the following from
the Little Rock Gazette, of the 9Th
inst, concerning the present condi-
ton of affairs in the northwestern
part of Arkansas:
Our information from Augusta,
the headquarters of the Depart
ment of the northeast, came by the
last steamer from the upper White
river country. Upham's militia has
increased from one hundred, at the
date of DanfOrth's report, to one
thousand at the present time. These
comprise both whites and negroes,
who are lying about idle, without
discipline or drill-a mere mob with
loose pickets thrown out and squads
of foragers coming and going in all
directions. A thousand men are
thus being fed, clothed and mounted
from the private property of Wood
ruff and adjacent counties. Add to
that what these ruffians will careless
ly waste and purpOsely destroy, and
the aggregate loss to the people of
that section will equal the total
fruits of the past years labor,
save, perhaps, the soil. What
will the sensible, sober, unimpas-
stoned people of quiet sections of
our country think of these things
when they shall come to know it all ?
There is no longer room for doubt
ing the truth of the representations
made concerning this brigand mill
tia, for it is a matter of public re-
cord, and the North can learn the
main facts from the Radical press
itself. Then, since even the best
disciplined troops will commit some
outrages while in the field, what shall
be expected of body of men wholly
without discipline or supplies, and
with malice in each heart, often of
years growth, turned loose under
the leadership of unscruplous men
for the avowed purpose of making
the executive branch of the govern
ment felt 1t is even difficult to re-
strain men from encroaehments on
each others rights in the most quiet
times, and by the aid of the wisest
laws. What then is to be expected
where there is no law but mob law,
and when the aggressors are plainly
told that those in their power have
no rights
An ex-Union officer writing from
Devall's Bluff, on the 9th of Nov
vember last, thus relates facts as he
knows them
Our loyal Governor is giving US
q foretaste of his future administra-
ton, by overrunning the State with
his negro militia, killing good citi-
zens and plundering the country.
1t seems he is determined to force
the citizens into trouble, whether
they want it or not; and the Legis-
lature endorses all his acts. If
Grant and his army do not come to
our aid, the Lord only knows what
is to become of the people.
Another letter writer of Devalrs
Bluff, writing on the Oath of Novem;
Der, thus pictures the condition of
affairs at the time, and which Por-
ter and Babcock, after one or two
days residence in Little Rock, as
sure General Grant, was necessary
to a proper substantiatiOn of the
power of Governor Clayton
"If it was not for one fact, we
would all rent our places very high
this year; but the militia move
ment disturbs everybody. We now
have encamped back of the lake,
near town, two hundred or more
negroes-infantry, uniformed and
armed-and one hundred cavalry,
(whites,) all here rendezvousing