New-York tribune., 1872-08-28
PLUNDERED ARKANSAS.
A STARTLING RECORD OF FRAUD AND
OUTRAGE
HOW THE STATE HAS BEEN DEvoURED--sEvEN-
TEEN MILLIONS ADDED TO HER DEBT-


Government deluded the ignorant negroes into sup
porting them, and disfranchised most of the white
citizens of intelligence and influence, have made
good thing of it pecuniarily. That was what they
came for and they have never let anything come in
the way of the pursuit of their main object
money.
No man can tell how much their steaIngs nave
aggregated. The increase of tho State debt can be
ascertained. but this has been but one among the
many ways of plundering the people. Enormous
amounts collected as taxes have disappeared and
left no sign and millions Of railroad bonds, bearing
the states Endorsement have gone into the pockets
Of the Ring for which there is not mile of railroad
to show. Besides the gigantic robberes of the State
Treasury, every county has it's own ring of thieves
who have fattened upon its substance, doubling and
trebling its taxes and issuing enormous quantities
of scrip and other forms of evidence Of indebtedness
The amount of pickings and stealings pocketed by
county rings and corruption rings cannot easily be
estimated, because the only way to obtain
information upon the subject would be
TO traverse the whole State and investigate
the affairs of every village and county. Arkansas is
comparatively poor State. Her industry is so lit
tie diversified that she with difficulty bear the
burdens Of taxation. Almost tho only article she
exports is cotton She has few manufactures, and
very little accumulated wealth. A great part of her
lands are swampy and unfit for culture, or are COW
cred with heavy primeval forests. Her population
is sparse, and, in great part, composed of poor
farmers, who make money very slowly and by hard,
steady toll. She has few large towns, the largest
containing but 1000 inhabitants, and she has there
fore little of the surplus capital that centers in great
cities Probably no State is so little able to endure
the load of heavy debt. Yet she has been plum
dcred as few other States have been; and if she
happily rids herself this Fall from the carpetbag
wolves that deyouring her. it viii take at least
years of prosperity to enable her to recuperate her
finances aud recover from the injury that has been
done her.
now THE STATE HAS BEEN ROBBED.
The methods pursued by the carpet-baggers in
Arkansas to fill their pockets with the peoples
money and cover the theft with thin cloak Of
legality have been about the same as those adopted
in other reconstructed States. The expense Of
maintaining every department of the State Govern
ment has been nominally enormously increased, so
as to afford heavy margin for stealing between the
actual cost and the pretended cost, as shown by
vouchers and exhibits. In this way, probably one
half of the whole amount levied for taxes has found
its way into the private boards of the officials, big
or little The average annual cost of the State Gov
ernment for the few years preceding the war was
about S2000O0 For the years 1869 and 1870 after
reconstruction had gone into effect and Clayton and
his ring had got possession of the Government, the
cost was over SsOOO00 annually; and during the
year ending October, 1871, $2OOOOOO was levied
and expended. .t
HEAVY TAXATION.
To obtain this enormous amount the rate Of taxa
ton was necessarily heavily increased In 1860, the
total State and county tax was less than mills on
the dollar. In 1870 t was 4Oi mills on the dollar
But not only have the rates of taxation been IN
creased seven-fold, but the assessed value OF the
taxable property has increased almost in the SAME
ratio under law giving the assessors fixed COM
mission of certain percentage on the value OF the
property they assess An illustration is given, which
l am assured is fair one in the recent report of
the Committee of Congress on Affairs in the South
ern States. piece of land in Pulaski County about
six miles from this city paid taxes as follows; In
1865 IS 10; in 1867 S1s SO in 1S6S SIP S2 in 1862
Sl46 4s; in 1870, S21O CO. Another ingenious scheme
of plunder was the funding of the old State debt by
which upward of $2OOO,OOO were fraudnlently
funded This plan has been practiced in other
Southern States, notably in South Carolina
RAILROAD BOND FRAUDS.
Amore profitable swindling scheme, and one to
which the carpet-baggers have resorted in every
Southern State as far as know, has been the grant
ing of State aid TO railroads by the issue of bonds in
large amounts In some cases the roads were wholly
fictitious, the officers being prominent members of
the State House ring, who divided among themselves
and their associates the gross amount Of the proceeds
of the sale of the bonds, building but mile of
road In other instances the railroads were genuine
projects and are now going forward; but, in order
to get the State aid the directors were forced to
divide with the ring, giving them one-third or one
half of the bonds. The total amount of railroad
bonds awarded is $11, 100000 and about $S0C000O
more are authorized by law. 1t Is doubtful If the
State ever gets 200 miles of railroad for this burden
some increase of her debt. although State in the
Union is so destitute of railroad facilities, and
needs them 80 much. The only lines now in
operation are the Memphis and Little Rock
Road. an old road, which is in such
a frightful condition that no man in his senses
would travel on it if he could avoid it new road
running from Little Rock up the Arkansas River
toward Fort Smith, and stopping in the woods half
way to its destination because somebody has stolen
the money rased for its completion; few miles of
road built from Little Rock in the direction Of
Cairo, and few miles constructed westward from
Helena Among the stories told of the ingenious
swindles devised 20 get the State bonds without
building the railroads, is the following Down in
the southern part Of the State is old line Of road
graded before the war. bill was passed giving
$4,000 or $1,000 mile for the completion of the
line the bonds to be issued in nstalmens as fast as
sections Of ten miles Of track were finished. The
President of the road, who was one of the State
House ring borrowed enough iron to lay ten miles of
track. put it down, got the bonds, then took it up
and pnt it down on the next ten miles, drew his
second installment of bonds and continued the opcr
alton until he got the bonds for the whole 100 miles,
He then returned the borrowed rails, went to New
York, sold his bonds. and pocketed the proceeds,
leaving the road in exactly the condition in which
he found it.
THE ITVFF ROND FRAUDS,