The Van Buren press., 1870-09-20
Conservative County Convention
People in Council.

on last Saturday, The meeting was cal
led to order at > p. NJ , and organized by
selecting the Hon. JESSE TuRNER rs
Chairman and Capt. w. j. ALEXANDEEas
Secretary.
JUDGE TURNER'S SPEECH
On taking the chair was most fclicitous
effort The speaker commenced by a.
luding to the condition of the State, the
burden Of taxation imposed upon the peo-
PIE and the gross injustic Of deprying
many who were among the best and most
substantial of our citizens of the least
participation in Governmental affairs.
He referred to the manner by which the
present Constitution had been submitted
to a vote and declared that its pronounc-
Cd adoption was n shame and a disgrace
to Republican Institutions. Under this
Constitution, laws had been enacted that
were farcical in their character and in
their effect ruinous to the best interests
Of the country. The coming election
was, therefore, of the greatest importance
to the people, upon whom depended the
election of members of the Legislature
who could remedy these evils The first
qualification for Legislators was the one
they rarely posscsscd--honesty. Let us
elect honest men, who have at heart the
reformation of abuses, the removal ofdis
abilities from the many now disfranchis
ed, Let them be selected regardless of
past political associations and by united
exertion the citizens desirous of securing
to us more prosperous future must sue
ceed At this election, too, amember of
Congress was to be chosen Boles was
a gentlemanly looking person and on the
platform Of the Republican County Con
vention, adopted at Oliver Springs, had
made for himself many friends, but not
long since Mr. BoIcs had denied that he
had ever said he was for Universal Suf-
frage and this denial of fact declared to
be true by Conservatives and Repubi-
cans who had heard him, had elIectually
destroyed whatever reasons the friends
Of "the tall young oak of the Petit Jean -
had advanced for his election. No one
could now vote for Boles, and no one, he
supposed, would vote for the Scottish
Highland Piper. The speaker did not
know what would be done, but he hoped
and doubted not but that some respect
able gentlemen of ability would be nomi
mated, on a platform declaring the neces-
sity Of removidg political disabilities,
Judge Turner then alluded to the wild
legislation of the present Radical Con
gress, which he claimsd was 50 injurious
in its effects that it behooved all men to
rally in the support ofan honest, capable
man for Congress. 1t was only by the
election Of such men, that the evils i'm
pending over the country could be avert
ed-and he hoped that every ono, who
could, would register, in order that a glo-
rious victory at the polls might be secured
The address of Judge Turner was listened
to with the greatest attention and its
many eloquent passages were frequently
intecepted by loud applause. u1
TIE HON. HUGH F. THOMSON,
WIS lilcll lulIOuuCSu 'Iiu StdbcN sl4Ae hi9
friend, who had preceded him, had so
deliberately and ably discussed National
politics, that he deemed any reference to
that topic on his part inutile-the more
especially as the coming election was one
that more particularly concerned our own
people Of Arkansas. The inutility OF
many of the offices with which the State
was crowded; the extrayagant salaries
given to most of these officials, together
with the great injustice Of dcpriying OF
all voice in Government matters respons
iblc and valuable citizens, were evils that
were deplored by good men of all parties
These questions had engaged the atten.
ton of Republicans as well as of Demo
Gratis, and only recently fierce contest
had been waged within the Republican
ranks of the District, Icy mon who desir-
ed the reformation of these evils, and he
respected the sincerity and patriotism Of
those Republican who had gone with Col
Mcconnell in the gallant FIGHT that had
been made to procure the nomination o
candidates that would reform these evils
In this connection, he desired to say that
he was favorable to fusion with this
class of Republicans When they nomi
mated men who would promise the nc
complshment of the ends desired, anl
those men were honest and reliable, hC
for one believed that it would be wise
policy to support them. 1t was imma'
tcral what might be a mans opinions on
questions of National politics, so longs as
he was all right on those issues that per
tanned to the State. Prejudiccs of birth
of connection with the war, must be en-.
tirely disregarded, and if We referred al
all to the past, it must be only to deduce
from it lessons that will cause rs to so
act in the present as to ensure for us vic
tory in the future. The speaker then re.
ferred to The Congressional candidates
and declared that both Bolcs and Searle
were unworthy of the support of any
Conservative. Bolcs had once declared
himself to be right when he endorsed the
Oliver Springs Resolutions, but after.
wards had disclaimed having ever taken
any such position. Boles, then, was un-
fit, because he was unreliable, dema
gogue and the mere tool OF others, whilst
Searle was equally Objectionable for gene
rally known and decidedly potential reas.
ons. He did not know what the future
might produced, but he hoped most sin.
cercly that the Conservative men of the
District would have an opportunity OF