The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-11-17
Arkansas Again,

Arkansas Again.
For two or three months the general public
have supposed that Arkansas was blessed
with as near an approach to tranquility and
Republican form of government as is attain
able by people who are more familiar with
seven-shooters than schools. Such is not the
fact. There has been lull in the conflict
which will go on in that and like states until
the deluded people give more attention 10
books and less to bowie-knives. It was only
last April that two wretched armies-those of
Baxter and Brooks-confronted each other at
Little Rock. The Leaders who elected Baxter
desired to swap him off for Brooks, who was
the opposing candidate. Brooks was willing,
and one day he took Baxter by surprise, and,
having taken some kind of an oath, declared
himself governor. President Grant was APP
pealed to, and he advised Brooks to give up
the executive chair, which, after giving vent
to his feelings in sundry protests and adj
dresses to the American people, couched in
forid southwestern English, he did. Meta
phorically speaking, Brooks has dried up.
lie is not in the present rumpus, and Baxter,
though not saint, has found rest; and, it is
said, $4,000, in foregoing the honors of the
chief magistracy of Arkansas.
In Arkansas, as in Georgia and Louisiana,
1t is not so important to have voters as the
counters of votes. In 1872, Senator Clayton
had the appointment of the counters or can
vassers by virtue of being Governor. Baxter
WAS 1is man oron Rowan MOS doolo rod
elected. Baxter was installed, but the vote
by some hocus-pocus was to be recounted by
the Legislature. A fail count would elect
Brooks. Baxter Immediately appointed thirty
three members of the Legislature to the best
Offices in the state. and being of that high
type of statesmen who "never go back on
friend" they declared Baxter elected. The
courts also confirmed it.
In course of time, Baxter had to have the
vacancies, made by the appointment Of
large part of the Legislature to executive
Offices, filled by an election. He we'll knew if
he followed the plain provisions of the consti-
tuition and statutes of the state that Elisha
Bakers gubernatorial days were numbered.
This he avoided by calling special election.
with special boards of registration. The
result was that Baxter men were elected in
nearly every case.
After the little trouble between himself and
Brooks, in April, he called his Legislature to-
gether, and in one day bill was passed for a
constitutional convention. Gov. Baxter ap-
pointed judges of elections, and they of
coufss counted the votes as required. The
convention met, and not only framed a con-
sututlon but assumed legislative powers,
abolished constitutional offices and suspended
The registration laws of the state.
This constitution was submitted 70 the
people and the state officers elected Under the
suspension of the registration laws, but
The election of members of Congress was con-
Quoted in conformity 10 those statutes. Bax-
Ter, who was elected in 1872 for term of
four years, retired from office and allowed the
so'called governor elected under the new con-
stitntion to take his place and usurp all the
other offices which had incumbents elected
for four years. AS has been before intimat-
I'd, Gov. Baxter sold out for the sum of
$4,000. But there were men elected with
Baxter who were better Baxter men than
Elisha himself Among them is one named
Volney V. Smith, who was declared 10 be
Lieutenant-Governor. He desires to take a
hand at governing Arkansas and rescue his
name from the multitude lost 10 fame in the
nomenclature of Smith, by having his con-
nected with the executive records of that
delightful state. He protests against Baxter's
action, and claims that he and not Garland is
tie chief magistrate of Arkansas. He takes
The ground that the appointment of registrars
made by Governor Baxter, In 1873, was not
authorized by law, nor was special regstra
tion of those recently enfranchised author
lied by law; that the Governor is not author
lied to determine when legislative vacancies
are created; that the judges of election ap-
pointed by the illegal board of registration
were not lawful judges, nor was the Legisla-
ture SO elected legal body; that the bill
providing for the calling of the constitutional
convention was not legal; that the constitu-
ton OF 1868 was not abolished or annulled by
the action OF convention so called; that a
constitutional convention cannot. by ordi-
nance, abolish a constitutional Office such as
that of Lieutenant Governor; and that. con-
sequently, if Baxter should abdicate or volun-
tariy surrender the office of Governor to
some person claiming to have been elected
under the new constitution, the Lieutenant
Governor would be the executive of the state.
1t is said that Attorney General Williams is
considering these claims, but for the life of us
we cannot see what he has to do with them,
or what the President has to do with this
snarl into which Elisha Baxter has got the
state of Arkansas. 1t properly belongs to
the state courts, but they have no weight and
are not entitled to any, so infamous and dis
graceful is their history.
Meanwhile the disgraceful proceedings al
ready enacted,will go on; murder and robbery
will increase, want and even starvation will
follow, and, worse than all, there is no ground
to hope that the next generation will be any
better than the present, for there are no
schools, and we are inclined to think the
missionaries have given up that country in
despair. There isn't much hope for people
who put their trust in revolyers and bowie
knives and subsist on hog, hominy and
whiskey.