The Van Buren press., 1871-07-11
Worth Reading.

July:
/ DON'T ACCEPT THEIR oWN sITAuuoN.
Iti is a rather interesting fact that Will
/ The Republican rulers are very detcrinlh
ed about making everybody else accept
the situation which they have made, they
DO not accept it themselves; they set 1t
aside whenever it stands in the way oil
their own designs. They have made a
number of special laws to enforce the
situation, but when those laws interfere
with tLeir own partisan schemes, instead
of accepting and obeynS them' they
coolly reject them.
The Republican method doing things
/ in Arkansas teaches some very instructive
lessons, if the people of the North could
| only be induced to study them. The
congressional election law was passed Tor
the avowed purpose OF protecting the ne
grocs in their right to vote under the
Fifteenth amendment, and 10 prevent
! those ballot-stulllng frauds that are so
often laid to the charge Of the Democra-
cy 1t WAS assumed that the immaculate
Radicals were nccsr guilty ofthese frauds,
end. therefore could never be caught IN
the meshes of u law intended for their
opponents. But the Radicals are mi
nority in Arkansas, and cannot MAINTAIN
| themselves without resorting to frauds
and this they did, at the last election,
with a cool deliberation Of villainy that
can hardly be paralleled. How extensive
was the system of frauds, both in the
registration and voting, they adopted,
and largely the Republican leaders in the
State were involved in the conspiracy,
may be conjccturcd when it is stated that
the late governor now L. ). Senator
CLAYTON, together with thirty election Of
ficers. were indicted in the United States
district court, and the grand jury was
only prevented from finding indictments
! aoau a great many more election Ollie
ers by their summary discharge in the
midst of their labors. The people OF
/ Arhansl, have not a doubt that the grand
! jury was discharged for the purpose OF
saving the Radical officials who were
Senator Clayton's friends, from being
tried for their crimes; and they are
strengthened in their conviction by the
! fact that the L. S. marshal and the dis
trict attorney, both Republicans, who
! have been somewhat active in enforcing
| the law under which theindictments were
found, were shortly afterwards summary
removed from office These officials
were removed by orders from Washing.
ton, not for unraithfulness, nor for neg.
lcct Of duty, but simply and solelyJor en-.
f0i cling ia,c of congress against those
who had violated it, The yiolatorS OF
this United States law were friends Of
Senator Clayton's, and Senator Clayton
is a friend OF President Grants this i,
the short explanation Of the whole trans
action.
The congressional election law was en-
acted for the punishment Of the Demo
Gratis of New York city, who were assum
| ed % be the only authors registration
and election frauds in the country; it was
not intended to number among its very
| first victims the scamps who misrule Ar
kansas and support the administration il
that State; therefore, when those scamp'
find themselves the subjects of It's penal
, ties, they appeal to Clayton, who, in turn
appc,.' to the administration, and tho
law is susr rcndcd
1t would seen, then, that accepting
their own situation and obeying thel
own laws is not a part Of Tie admihlstra
ton party policy. The situation and t1'
laws are made foi others, not for them
selves and when their own adhcrents arc
caught in the snare set for others, tho
! laws are to be set aside, and the Radca
Offenders released by imperial nterfcr
euca from Washington This is what We
have seen in Arkansas, and We shall Ger
taiuly see it in other States, ifadministra
ton interests should make it necessary
There is another point in this Arkansa,
matter that deserves attention. hereto
| fore, in that State, as in alt others, al
registrations and elections were held un
der the s0Ae officers the federal super
visors under the congressional election
law, therefore, in supervising the regis
| tration and election for members Of con
gress and presidential electors, coulo
/ supervise the entire registration anJ
election for all other officers, But the
! Radical legislature at the late session
provided for two sets Of election officers
so that while they might be forced to act
fairly in the elections for members ot
congress and presidential electors, they
could resort to frauds without limit to Sc
cure the State government and the lcgis
lature, The plain object is to defeat thC
congressional election law so far rs it ap
plies to State elections. Had such an act
been passed by Democratic legislature
it would have been regarded rs little less
than treason; but as it is the work of 6
Radical legislature, it is only an cyhibi