National Republican., 1874-05-16
THE ARKANSAS QUESTION:

In accordance with the Constitution oi
the Unite Of the constitution and
of the Ia o1 the State of Arkansas, the
question as to who is the lawful Governor
of that State, has been settled by the Admin
istrstion. 1t is exactly month ago since
this curious and unprecedented question
arose to disturb our politics and to almost
divert public attention from the graver and
more important matters which agitate the
country. In the novel controversy there
have been two points of prime interest
Washington, the capital of all the States,
and Little Rock, the capital Of the State,
which was rocked in a sort of revolution,
threatening bloodshed, with its rival Gov
ernors and rival cannon. To the one the
Republic has been anxiously looking, morn
ing after morning. as the scene of possible
bloodshed and deadly strife; to the other
as the seat of law and order and justice.
The proclamation Of the president and
the opinion of the Attorney General,
which will be found in their entirety in
other CO .umns, WILL we are confident, satisfy
the whole country. From the very begin
hing the course of the Administration has
been of the most careful and guarded char
acter. The action taken yesterday might
have been taken three weeks ago and COM
manded then, as it will command now, the
approval not only Of the people of the Stale
directly interested, but of the whole coun-
try; but instead of rushing into the contro-
vcrsy with headlOng haste and deciding the
matter as dcspOt would have decided it,
the President and his advisers acted with
the utmost caution and discretion; felt their
way slowly and patiently to the end which
the higher law ofthe country and of the State
clearly indicated. This scrupulous clution
upon the part Of the Government in ques-
ton full Of intricacy, ane will not fail to
receive the commendation to which it is so
justly entitled. The opinion of the AttOr-
ney General will receive the approval of
every lawyer in the country. The pro-
clamation of the President is short, sharp
and conclusive. At this writing we have
not received any intelligence from the State
which has been the scene of this strange
conflict of authority; but we are confident
that its people will have the good sense to
obey the law, as the law is laid down and
defined by the authorities charged with thta
grave and important duty.
This whole Arkansas question presents
almost innumerable phases which might
very appropriately be made the topics of
discussion; but to which We do not care to
advert at present. There is one aspect of
it, however, to which en- PEASANT we desire
TO call attention: The trouble that has arisen
there only shows the unrest and disquietude
Of the whole Southern country, or at least
large portion of it. Arkansas is, after all,
only picture of the entire South in more
than one particular. The ills and distresses
to which it is subjected and which almost
found bloody, though in the very nature
of things a short-lived, arbitrament at the
point Of the shotgun and the bayonet have
their counterpart in more than one South
ern community. They, and they alone,
are to blame. 1t is not the fault
of the Republican party, not the fault
of the National Administration that every
State in the South is not as peaceable as
Massachusetts or Ohio or Illinois. They
live under the same laws, under the same
Constitution, under the same Government.
A difficulty like that which has just oc-
CURED in Arkansas is impossible North or
East or West. Why? In the answer to
this simple query, which we will not in
suit the intelligence of our readers by pre-
senting, we have the solution of the whole
difficulty. The Southern people must learn
10 govern themselves; to depend upon
themselves alone without the aid or inter-
vention of that authority whose exercise
should be as rare as possible for the well
fare of all concerned. These ever-recuS-
ring appeals from the whole Southern
country to Washington are fraught with
danger, and the sooner they come to an
end tlp lptfpr