American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-11-02
Unfortunate Arkansas.

That system of Acknowledgement by
which the thirty-One electoral votes of Ar
kansas. Missouri, Tennessee and West
Virginia were carried for Grant i'm 1865,
exist to-day only in the first mentioned
Sta c. The favOring circumstances which
led to the downfall of Drake and McClurg
in Missouri and the overthrow of Brown
well in Tennessee. and of Wiley in West
Virginia, have been unfortunately lacking
in Arkansas, and as a consequence the
State languishes under as atrociOus des-
pOtism as that which prevailed in Tennes-
see when Brownlow harried that COM
monwealth with militia recruited from
the penitentiary and PIT the bayonet IN
te,7'orens at the door the Supreme Court.
From 10000 to 81 1000 citizens of Arkan-
sas are deprived of their right to vote
simply and solely on account of their pO-
litical opinions, and this Acknowledgement
works the same disorders, violence, and
follow in the wake of the like wrong i'm
other States. The disturbances almost
daily reported from Arkansas are, except
for name and date, identical with those we
had some years since from Tennessee and
Missouri, and the only remedy i'm the one
case is the sole cure in the other. Mis-
souri, and Tennessee are quiet and pros
porous to-day because the natural order
of things is not inverted there for party
initiate their thrift and harmony if relieved
from the Ubiquitous rule of suffrage which
now prevails within its borders to ena-
BILE the few to rob and govern the many.
The State is as fully negroiZed as South
Carolina, and yet whereas South Carolina
has four negroes to one white man, Ar
kansas has three white men to every black,
The occasion of this abiect subservience
of the one race to the other is not so much
the reconstructed constitution of the State
as the action of Congress upon that con-
stitution and the attitude of the Admins
tratiOn towards those who attempt TO
change it. Knowing perfectly well that
the constitution then submitted to its ap-
probation or disapprobatiOn DISTINGUISHED
thousands of men, Congress yet approved
that instrument, despite President John
sons veto, and In the act of approval in
serted this curious provisO, that no altera-
ton of said constitution, shall be made
except i'm regard to time and place of resi-
dence of the voters. This prOviso. if not
intended to forbid any change of the suf-
frage provisions of the Constitution save
the one mentioned gives color to such a
view, and can be made to seriously en-
barrass any attempt at ESTABLISHMENT.
In addition the influence of the Admins
tratiOn is persistently exerted in support
of the proscriptive system, and between
the act of Congress as it now stands and
the mallSn power OF MT. Grant the way
of deliverance to Arkansas is Just now
wofully dark. A liberal minded Presi-
dent could allow the citizens of the State
TO work out their deliverance, which is
within their power il untrammelcd by En-
ncutive interference; or a fair-minded
Congress could repeal all of the act adj
hitting the State, save the admissory
clause, and thus contribute to the same
end and one or the other remedy, it is to
be hoped the election next month will Sc
cure. 1t is a shame to the whole country
hat the hates of 1861 should be suffered
to diSfrnchise from PC, 900 to $1,000 men
IN single State in 1S72.-Erchange.