Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1874-11-25
Arkansas.

A new pretender has arisen to dis
turb the peace of Arkansas just as
that unhappy State had secured
proper and bipartisan Constitution
and a Government chosen by the PEG
pie. V. V. Smith, claiming to be
Governor of the. State by virtue Of
succession of Elisha Baxter, resigned
has name not heretofore recognized
in the political broils of Arkansas. II
is now learned that he was elected on
the same ticket as Baxter, as Lieu
tenant,Governor and, from the fact
that Senator Dorsey now appears as
his patron, it would seem that he has
preserved cordial relations with the
clique that so successfully manipulated
the returns in 1872. While his Sen
atorlal hacker has the ear of Attorney
General Williams at Washington,
Smith has carried off the Seal OF State
and the key Of the Treasury, fled eth
er to the United States Armory or to
the woods, and begun a series of calls
upon the President for troops, for
"recognition," and for the paternal
aid so readily extended in every form
by the Administration in similar cir
cumstances. 1t is plain that what
ever strength this claimant may have
is to be found in the expected support
from Washington. Throughout the
whole contest over the new Constitu-
ton the election of State officers, the
Republicans have expressed an unwil-
lingness to trust the people, threaten
ing to appeal to Grant when the issue
should be finally made. This being
quite in accordance with the method
of the Administration, the Inaugural
ton of Gov. Garland is promptly fol-
lowed by demand from Smith that
the vote of the people be set aside by
orders from Washington, which is now
receiving solemn consideration in the
acknowledgements office under the
promptings of Senator Dorsey.
There is a pretty middle of legal
technicalities, involving the authority
of the Constitutional Convention and
of the recent vote for Governor and
State officers, from which any decision
can be extracted according as the
President and Cabinet are disposed.
Should Smith be recognized" and
come out of hiding under the protec-
ton of United States troops, the re-
suit will be to undo all that has been
done in Arkansas with so much trou
BILE during the year past, to set aside
the work of the Convention which the
people have ratified by an immense
majority, and remand the State to the
oppression of the infamous Clayton
Constitution of 1868, with Clayton's
creatures again npower. This is too
serious calamity to depend upon a
bubble of the Acknowledgement and
Mr.. V. V. Smith, but it follows di.
rectly in the course Of the policy
which invites the States to bring all
their domestic troubles to Washing.
ton for settlement. But for this per
nicious practice, which in the past has
ruined Louisiana and distracted Ar.
kansas, the peace which the people
have so earnestly sought to establish
in the latter State would now be per-
manent. Nothing could be more EN-
phatic than the popular endorsement,
of the Constitution and the Govern.
ment against which Smith now calls
for the use of Federal troops, and
nothing could be more sincerely pat
riotic than the policy of "peace and
order and equal rights to all men re
CARELESS Of race, color, previous resi-
dence or different political opinion,
proclaimed by Gov. Garland in his in
augural. There is no disturbance ye,
inconsequence Of Smiths assumptions
and on the Administration must rest
the responsibility if interference causes
a repetition of the scenes of violence
and destruction which accompanied
the Brooks Baxter imbroglio. = Bos
ton Post. .. r. ....