National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-12-08

submitted to and ratified by a m jor-
city of the electors of the State vot-
cling thereon" The only deduction
to be made from this pointed explana
ton is that the pledge made to Con-
gress and to the nation when Arkan-
sas was readmitted under the reconstruc-
ton acts, that her reconstructed consti-
tuition shall be carefully obeyed, has
been violated. But his violation of sacred
pledges might have been expected from
men who are!so bitterly disposed towards
the Government, and whose luminosity to-
wards the Republican party has led them
into murderous excuses. They began the
conspiracy which has ended IN the over
throw of the legal government of the
State with the same cool elaboration that
characterized the steps taken by them
when preparing for the war of seces-
sion. They began, under the recreant
Baxter, TO arrange for it by virtually
recognizing the Legislature. In doing
this they appointed men as members of that
body, in an illegal manner, who were the
mere tools of the BaXter-Garland ring. 1t
was from this bogus body that the call for
the constitutional convention came. They
knew that the call was unconstitutional,
that it was in violation of the provisions of
The constitution quoted by the President
because the question Of their power to do
this reasonable act had been publicly dis
Cussed, and, further, because in the North
Carolina case, two years ago, it had been
condemned as revolutionary by the best
legal minds in the country. But the con-
vention itself proved to be as regardless of
law and Justice as the Legislature which
originated it. 1t boldly assumed legislative
powers in repeating the election laws
which we're provided for under the con-
stitution of 1868, and proceeded with un-
warranted and arbitrary power to undo all
that had been done by the reconstruction
convention to secure the re-admission of
the State into the Union. The natural
consequence Of all this is to be found in the
fraudulent character of the election returns
by which these White Leaguers and their
co-cOnspiratOrs claim the ratification of
their bogus constitution by the people.
The entire vote of the State, it must be
remembered, is less than So, 900, of which
from $4,000 to 1000 are Republicans; but
the returns to which we REFER on which
the conspirators claim the adoption of their
constitution, allege that but few Republi-
can votes were cast, and were so manipu-
lated as to present a showing that the
vote for the constitution was almost unani-
nous.
The duty of Congress, in view of these
indisputable facts, is plain. No time is to
be lost in its performance. The next
House, we know, is Democratic, and will
hasten to ratify all that has been done by
these Arkansas traitors in behalf of that
party. We have the power now to restore
good government and legal government,
and at the same time to rescue a Republ-
can State from the grasp of our enemies.
We must not hesitate to do it, and to do it
without delay. Congress must empower
or direct the President, by the expression
of its opinion, to recognize the legal gov
eminent and to reinstate the legal officers
of the State under that government in the
offices of which they are now deprived by
the effect of one of the most nefarious and
reasonable plots ever developed in the
history of American politics. The Presi-
dent has sounded the alarm, and Congress
should not, must not, falter