Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1874-04-24
THE ARKANSAS HUDDLE.

been employed by the parties to the
contest.
The history of the present trouble
is in brief as follows: It was recon.
structed after the war under the noto
rious ''carpet-bag" rule of Powell
Clayton, Judge Mcclure, the Rev.
Joseph Brooks, and a long line of in
ferior political spectators. Clayton
became Governor; Brooks was in the
line of succession by an election as
President of the Senate; and Mcclure
Chief Jl;stiae of the State Supreme
Court. These men being Radicals, the
election laws. the Legislative appoint
meats and AL the machinery of the
State wcr" accordingly SO regulated by
them that III spite of the actual ma
jorities the State should be counted
Radical
After a time there was a quarrel.
Clayton and Mcclure worked together
and Brooks in 1872 became the Lib
eral candidate for Governor, supported
by the Democrats. Mcclure and
Clay ton nominated Baxter for Cover
nor. Brooks received majority of
the votes, but the Radicals had pos
session of the entire machinery Of the
election, and the Legislature count
ed in Baxter by n majority OF more
than three thousand votes.
The Legislature soon entered upon
the course of plumber common to Re
construction bodies, but Governor
Baxter would take no part therein
Suddenly the Legislature discovered
that there were irregularities in the
late election. which they had con-
frmed; ana they opened negotiations
with Brooks, who, under tie new order
Of things, saw some hope of success
He applied TO the Supreme Court OF
the State about a year ago, but that
tribunal concluded that, the LPgisla-
ture having canvassed the returns and
decided in favor of Baxter, it had no
jurisdiction. Chief Justice Mcclure
dissented from this opinion. Another
effort was made last fall to remove
Governor Baxter, by a suit in the Cir
cult Court, but with no better success,
and after that it was thought that the
contest would be dropped
It seems, however, that Brooks has
waited quietly-biding his time-until
al opportunity should be offered for
successful coup dttaf. The
chance presented itself MonGay, and
the bow was struck. In the alb
sence of Baxters counsel, the suit in
the Cilcuit Court was pressed and
Judgment il favor of Brooks obtained.
No motion for an appeal being made
for the very good and sufficient reason
that there was no one to make it-a
writ of custer was placed in the hands
OF the sheriff for immediate execution.
The affair must have Eeen deliberately
planned, for Brooks had company at
hand, and in five minutes after the de-
cision was rendered they were in pos
session of the Governors rooms and
of an armory which was quickly occu-
pied as the headquarters of the new
adiutant-generala and his militia. 1t is
reported that Governor Baxter is call
ing in the militia from the neighbor
ing counties, and will declare martial
law, retaking the state Offices By force.
He calls upon the President to sustain
him, and declares that the Brooks
movement is q rebellion.
The Augusta Chr0nicie & Sentinel
says:
"We believe that Brooks is the le-
gally elected Governor of Arkansas,
though we do not pretend to defend
the means to which he has resorted in
order to vindicate his right to the Of
fee. A State Court whose iurisdic-
.io.l l. as unlonbteI as was the ju-
risdiction of Judge Durell's Las de-
cided, upon case being regularly
made, in favor of Brooks and has
directed its executive officer to put
him in possession of the gQy-
ernment buildings. This has bee n
done and Brooks is now Governor of
Arkansas by virtue of the judgment,
unappealed from, of State tribunal.
If General Grant interferes at all he is
bound to espouse the cause of theparty
in possession under legal process. The
case of Kellogg is the case of Brooks.
What is sauce for the Louisiana goose
must be sauce for the Arkansas gander.
The New York Eueninq Post says:
cit must be admitted that Governor
Baxter was not legally entitled to the
Office, but was counted in by fraud ;
and yet he is the only man in the quar-
rel whose character is entitled to any
respectful consideration. The contest
between Brooks and the Clayton-Mc-
Clure party in 1872 was Of most bit
ter and personal character and yet
Brooks only hope of success now
comes from the support of those who
were his enemies in that campaign. The
democrats, who claimed in 1873 that
Brooks should be inapgurated instead
of Baxter, are largely supporting Bax-
ter. Altogether, things are ''a good
deal mixed; and if persons are not
careful to study these complicated po-
litioal relations as the contest waxes
warmer, they may be applauding or
denouncing the wrong party, as ''a
matter of routine" to adopt the Ian
guage of the Treasury. The quarrel
Is fair representation of the slender
foundation of the present division of
political parties"