The Osceola times., 1873-09-06
Baxter as a Vetoist.

We havo often had occasion to
denounco, through the columns Of
the TINES, certain bill which pass
ed the Senate of Arkansas last win
ter, and which was intended to per
petuate the rule of the State House
Ring. We allude TO the Senate
substitute for the House election
bill. The House, after an angry
and noisy debate finally passed an
election bill, intended and well cal
culated TO secure perfectly fair and
impartial registrations and elcc-
tions. Had it become o law, the
liberties of Arkansas would have
been guarded, not as now, by Elisha
Baxter, but by legislative enact
mcnt. Having passed the House,
the bill was sent 10 the Scnato.--
That body, presided over BY little
V. V. Smith, and run by Bolden
and Clayton, q couple of Jack-rat-
ties belonging to Mcclure, struck
out all after tho onacting clause OF
the bill, which they modcstlv called
amending it, and inaorted eubsti-
tute and then passed it. The sub
stitnte provided, among other
things, that the Lieutenant Cover
nor, Auditor and Treasurer, all per-
sonally hostile to the present exec.
ntivc, and two persons chosen from
the senate and house should be con-
si!tu,od state board Gf canvassers
Of Registration and Elections.
There was nothing in the bill which
prohibited any member Of the Board
from being candidates for Office and
thus being judges OF their own clcc-
tions. The board wcrc to appoint
county supervisors of ofclcctions who
were to be removable at pleasure;
the supervisors were to designate
gohs,e and tho nmnJcr Of places for
holding elections, and the supervi-
sors were also to appoint the judges
of election, who were in like man.
ner removable at pleasure. Upon
various pretexts, the State Board
wcro TO have power to exclude the
election returns from any county
or precinct whenever in their SOW
crcign capacity they might deem it
advisable. Thus, fit were neccs.
sary to count in, either themselves
or their friends rs elected to any
Office from Governor down, they
had but to construc n fist fight into
an intimidation of voters, or a dis
turbance of the polls, and the re
turns of a precinct or county could
be excluded from the count. If no
fist fight took place, and nobody
was even In bad humor, they
could still exclude, the only differ
oncc being that in such q case they
would have to lie and cheat without
even the semblanco of truth or the
shadow Of prctcxt.
These were the leading features
of this most infamous bill, which
passed tho senate by q strict party
vote. The sagacious reader will see
at oLce how this measure was in
tended to operate. In tho first
place, he will not fail to notice that
the Governor, the highest and most
responsible of the state officers, was
TO be excluded from the Board, and
was TO have no part in counting the
returns of elections. This innova-
tion upon the settled policy of all
the American States, We believe,
was intended to hedge in the Ring
from the baleful influence of Gov
ernor Baxter's personal and politi-
cal integrity. They knew that Bax
q ter was hampcrod with conscience,
n pccuiiarity which belonged to
statesmen of the cold school," and
which totally untitled him for per-
jury and the yilo arts ofrascally OF.
fee holders. Little v. v. Smith,