The Van Buren press., 1874-12-01
Smith.
Memphis Appeal, November sSd.l

ever the sun glistens. The Chicago
Times says he is a " substantial, reliable
citizen Of every cline Who ever knew
a city or hamlet in which the Smiths had
not honest, God fearing representatives 7
An older family than the Hapsburgs, a
broad brotherhood that smiles kindly on
the vain attempts of the Joneses and
Browns to wrest the numerical scepteri
the Smiths are the aristocratic democra
cy of the world. When Adam delved
and Eve spun, there were Smiths on the
rolls ofParadise voters, When Gabriel
and his celestial oboe players summon
the just and the unjust to range in final
judgment, the myriads of Smiths will be
first and nimblest to respond And it is
precious few of them that will be hustled
over among the disreputable goats. For
averaged a pleasant, conscientious race,
who have loved the Lord, observed his
commandments, paid their newspaper
bills, and kept out of county commits
sioner boards. Great as is the name
of Smith, it has recently received addi
tional lustre Smith, Volney V. Smith,
has bulged up from the rich soil of Ar.
kansas AS suddenly as the crop of armed
men from the dragons teeth sowed by
Cadmus. The V. v Smith, Of Arkansas,
makes his appearance claiming to be gov
ernor of the State. Fearing the bellcose
disposition of the people he proposes to
plunder, Smith, V. V. Smith, harnesses
up the unhappy lightning to flying conun-
drums, asking the President if he would
aid him to suppress insurrcction and sus.
tain him in his usurpations. When
Smiths proclamation was issued order
ing the recently elected officials of Ar.
kansas to dispcrse, Governor Garland
commenced asking who in the deuce aud
Tom Walker is v V. Smith +? Anxious
to capture the impudent stranger, Gov
ernor Garland offered reward of two
hundred dollars, all that the law allowed
for the arrest of the fugitive from justice
This small sum failed to fetch the mvs
terious Smith, and the legislature Of Ar
kansas Increased the reward to one thou
sand dollars; but the obiuscated Smith
is still myth. The people of Arkansas
care nothing about the north pole they
have ceased to puzzle their brains as to
the naughty individual who propelled the
brickbat against the unoiiending pate OF
the unfortunate Billy Patterson, but they
are intensely exercised about V. ".
Smith. The voices of the Little Rock
madens, as they float through the halls
merry as the warblngs of forest groves,
are heard in dulcct strains inquiring for
Smith. The chamber maids, as they
sweep, as they walk, as they rub at the
washtub, are heard calling for Volney
Old men forget their phthysic and rhcu
matism in their anxiety to learn the
whereabouts of Smith Grandmothers
with crimped caps demurely knitting in
the chimney corner, raise their venerable
spectacles and weep over the absence Of
the " lost babe Of the woods. The to-
per, mixing his grog, hears in the bray
OF the distant donkey, the blare Of Smiths
war trumpet. V. V. Smith must be
found. He is somewhere crouched in
the swamps and jungles of Arkansas
This does not comport with the dignity
of the governor of sovereign State of
the Union If the timerous and bastard
ly Smith has the first bowel Of compas.
sion, he will boldly emerge like a hungry
lion from his lair Governor Garland
has important business with the runaway
miscreant, and a sight of him would af
ford joy equal to that of Christopher Co
lumbus when his longing eyes FIRST dis
covered the land for which his weary
heart was yearning. Money having failed
to secure the discovery of the lost pleiad,
if Governor Garland will announce his
determination to continue carpetbaggcrs
in Office, the absent, incxplicablc and
MYSTICAL Smith will emerge from his hid.
den cavern or den with the iapidity Of
bats and owls rushing from their nests
at the evening twilight The people of
Arkansas seem to hate Smith-V. V.
Smith--with an intensity almost daboli
cal in its nature, but in Smith absence
and silence we behold a man who loves
his enemies, and who, when he is revled,
reviled not again. He has made his name
obnoxious, but he stays not among his
constituents, the people who elected him
to the position usurped by Garland, to
defend his reputation. Smith even says
he don't want any blood spilled to place
him in the gubernatorial chair. Only
out of christian courage does such long
suffering and herosm erect itself. What
an unjust world is this-Garland is COM
placently filling the Office to which the
repining Smith is entitled. Bat this sub.
| iect deserves more serious discussion.
The tenacity with which this scoundrcl
Smith holds on to office is another Illus
tration of the carpetbagger's love for
place and plunder Smith has no more
right to the office of governor of Arkan-
sas than lie has to be the chief executive
of Tennessee, yet he makes reckless
fight for the position. The country
stands amazed at his obstinacy and cf
frontery-thc shameless persistency with
which he clutches tor the emoluments he
has long enjoyed by plundering the peo
pie. The desperate attempt of this silly
knave, V. V. Smith, to hold on to the
government of Arkansas under defunc,
constitution is the expiring efforts Of the
worst of evils, and we all await the hour
when it shall be announced that the end
has been reached and its dcspicable car
cass has been buried out OF our sight
The time has come to give it the coup dt
grace, and let us leave the work OF deal
ing it the finishing stroke to the people OF
those communities The United States
government has now nothing more to dc