The Van Buren press., 1874-05-19
VAN BUREN, ARK, May 9, 1874.
j. S. DUNHAM, Editor V. B. Press

will appear i'm our next. We would like TO
ask the gentleman. as he is lawyer. TO reau
il he has not. the review said TO have been
written by Hon. Albert Pike. Of the Whytock
decision. and give the citizens OF the state
his opinion on. If Mr.. Pike is wrong. II
most all the able lawyers of the state are
wrong. and If we are wrong IN tolioWlng out
their conclusions. we should like to know it,
We will wait Tor the gentleman OPINION
with anxiety and give it to our readers with
pleasure in our next
| have read the document referred to
with more than ordinary care, and have
come to the conclusion that its author Is
either ignorant of the great and numer-
Gus frauds resorted to by the opponents
of the State ticket, headed by Joseph
Brooks, which you, and many other
good and true Democrats Of Arkansas,
as well as myself, supported so earnest
ly only one short year ago las fall, or
that he was simply trying to earn his fee
by the use of harsh epithets and bitter
eXpletives in the absence of facts and
right upon which he could rest his eli
ents cause. In short, the production, in
my judgment, falls far below any similar
effort from the pen Of the dis inguished
author of " State or Province, Bond or
Free that has ever fallen under my eye.
To undertake thd fongh review of it
would require more time and labor than
| am at present disposed to bestow upon
the subject and would besides, perhaps,
subject me to the charge Of being un-
charitable towards a gentleman for whose
varied learning, genius and legal attain
ments | have always had the hi hest ad
miration. Nevertheless, | will, in so far
as deem "the citizens Of the State" in
terested, most eheerfully give them my
opinion of such parts of it as more i'm
mediatcly interests them. The citizens
generally, apprehend, are more inter
ested in good government, in the pro-
lection of all in their rights, and in the
dispensaton of substantial and equal
Justice to all, than in the mere special
pleading involved in any case between
any two parties, litigant, even though
they should be Brooks and Baxter The
following is q literal quotation from the
review under consideration. Speaking
of Baxter the author says,
ale never was was democrat. He was a
whig all his life until he become Il republican
~
for which reason many leading democrats
have all the time opposed him bitterly. The
simple truth is that he is in the way OF those
who mean to cheat the people of their right
to elect those who are to govern and repre-
sent them which they can only do by con-
trolling the registry Of voters and the ballot
boxes; and if the President prevents Gov.
Baxter from asserting and maintaining his
authority. he helps the men who mean To con-
tinue, if they can. a system that by force
and fraud robs n people of their rights, and
imposes on them for rulers and representa-
tiveS men rejected by them at the polls, and
imposed upon them in spite of their votes.'
Here the distinguished author is at
fault. In 1860 Mr. Baxter ran upon the
Douglass Democratic ticket Of this State
for Presidential Elector, and your hum
bic servant had the pleasu Of meeting
him in a public discussion (dnring that
memorable campaign) at BatesviIle,
where, if | mistake not, he then resided.
The reasons assigned, therefore, why
"many leading Democrats have all the
, time opposed him bitterly" are without
a application 10 ms ease, nut LneY 90 ap.
ply with accumulated and still accumulat-
ing force and truth to Mr. Brooks. SO
\ of the balance of the quotation. as you
: will perceive if a truthful answer be given
to the following questions. Was Baxter
e elected 10y the voice of the people eX-
| pressed at the ballot box on the 9th day
, of November 1872? Has he at any time
a since his installation, now more than tif
teen months since, manifested any, tie
5 least disposition to have or allow the
many allegations ofgross and outrageous
fro ls al at IN 1atn ,lo N.
= vcstigatcd? ? Rather, has he not prosti.
tuted the Office Of Governor, to the peo.
pie of the State the most important, to
. prevent such Investigation If not, and
/ If all the talent Of the State was not in
! the last Legislature, can he explain why
it was that he sent 50 many members OF
that motley concern, thirty odd it is said,
) home with commissions in their pockets
: Don't these facts look a little sus-
pcious = Let him answer if he will o.
can. But some Democrats say, Brooks
[ has sold out to Clayton, and is no longer
to be trusted Brooks denies the charge
and reiterates his .pledgcs of fidelity to
the platform on which we gave him our
support--they utterly and wholly fail to
produce any evidence to sustain it, and
yet they cry, cruelty him "Oh shame
! where is thy blush -
r But who started this hue and cry that
, Brooks has sold out to Clayton? Are
they not, my dear sir, the identical same
parties, whom you, only little more
than a year ago, charged with betraying
{ and trying to sell out the people of the
, State, l. G. the Liberal Reform party
"Oh consistency thou art jewel,
, But why pursue this subject further
T the controversy, if it has not already
been, will doubtless in few days be set
tied by the authorities at Washington. |
will only add in conclusion, therefore,
that my position may not be misunder-
stood by any one desiring to know it.
that am no man man. II Baxter was
elected, he ought to be the Governor, if
he was not, he is not entitled To- it, and
violates both law and good morals in
seeking to hold it 10y force, even if no
strife had been lomented aud no blood
been shed. These irreversble principles
of truth and justice apply as well to
Brooks. Let justice be done though
the heavens fall ~ is my motto. BY this
motto | have tried to live, and, God will
ing, when | come to die, | snail be able
4, I L,, f,t,