The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1874-05-08
The Arkansas Revolution.
From the New York Tribune, April 22d.l

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From the New York Tribune, April 22d.l
Notwithstanding an occasional acct.
dental collision, like that reported yes
terday, there seems to be good reason
for believing that the civil war in Ar
kansas is to break up in Il horse laugh.
Every one engaged in it appears to c
gard it more as a joke than anything
else, with the natural exception of Mr.,
Elisha Baxter, who finds himself out OF
his seat and deprived of the hon0rs and
dignities which were all there is of him.
So great O. humorist as Thackeray once
said that, although he had kept the com
pany of clever men all his life, he had
never heard a good joke at his 0wn ex-
pense. We could otexpect, there, that
a politician such as Mr.. Baxter, who,
like most of his class, is probably as
deficient in taste as in morals, should
appreciate the full flavor of Il joke the
point of which is aimed directly at him
self. But his obtuseness will not say
him if his followers enjoy the hnmOr OF
his discontinue, and the advices both
from Washington and Little Rock would
seem to indicate that most men "inside
of politics" think it excessively anus
ing that Brooks has got the State House
and Baxter is on the town. There il
none of the dignity of misfortune about
the dispossessed Governor. He was
counted in by gross frauds. He got q
majority Of the Legislature in harmony
with him by the same means. He re-
fused any satisfaction to his competitor,
who wished a legislative investigation
of the canvass. When Brooks, driven
from the legislature, sought PREPARATION
in the courts, Baxter was so sure OF his
hold upon the government of the State
that he treated the citations of his ON
petitor with contempt, and allowed
Brooks to gain his cause by this contu-
macy. The next thing he knew, Brooks
was in the State House, and he had
nothing to do but to call on the people
of the State to put him back in the place
he had fooled away.
For Il day or two it looked as if "the
people, would answer the appeal and
come to the Captain sufficient numbers
to begin q sanguinary and perhaps dis
astrous conflict in the State. But for
tunately neither side was much in earn
est. The volunteers anne more for a
holiday than anything else. Amuse-
ments are not plentiful in that region,
and the most eligible sprees are funer-
ais and revolutions. So that there was
no difficulty i'm raising a company almost
anywhere to go to Little Rock and vim
dictate the insulted dignity of the COM
~monwealth.n Most of the companies
were colored, and some of them were
uncertain which side they were on, but
this uncertainty formed no objection to
the iannt. 1T is a much simpler thing,
however, to make proclamation and go
on pleasure trips than it is t0cut throats
by wholesale. Neither Brooks nor Bax-
ter has appeared to know exactly what
use to make of the parti-colored legions
which were tllrOnging to the respective
standards. The small detachment of
the regular army, which was fortunate
ly i'm the neighborh0od, has been of in
estimable service in keeping the peace.
The measures of the Administration,
also, no matter from what motive they
proceeded, have been in the highest de-
gree prudent. The simple act oftaking
possession of the telegraph Office, when
it was impudently held by the agents of
Baxter, was wonderfully effective. Bax-
ter himself said, " This breaks me down.
1T showed distinctly that though the
Government was not taking sides in the
controversy, il would not permit II of
the parties to interfere with matters so
essential to the public welfare as the
transmission of intelligence. Mr.. Bax-
ter had sagacity enough to see that he
could not safely proceed to acts of vio-
lence unless he could persuade his fol-
lowers that the President was with him,
and that all they did would be condoa-
ed at Washington. It is highly pro-
bable that the Arkansas delegation in
Congress advised this course of pro-
eeedings, as they seem to be unani-
NOUS against any action which should
restore Baxter to his place by force of
arms.
IL would be hard for those at a dis
lance IT, syGpathize with either party
in thisdisgPacefnl quarrel. Our readers
have been informed full of every phase
Of the affair from the beginning. Brooks
was unquestionablys elected in 1879, and
has been kept out of his place by fraud
and force. He obtained it at last by
proceedings which we cannot assert
were regular ar legal. The Judge who
gave him the decision which placed him
iii positiOn to supplant Baxter was his
intimate friend, and had been a eandi-
date on the sam ticket with him. The
STANDARD of morality is not so high in
Arkansas politics that we can be sure
this was done without any damage to
the purity of the ermine. But the
weight of opinion seems to be i'm favor
of Mr.. Brooks remaining where he Is,
Mt least until some other judicial deei-
sion GUSTS him; and, indeed, the politi-
seem to regard Mr.. Baxter with so
much contempt and distrust that, even
IL the law were on his side, there would
be difficulty in putting him back.