The Van Buren press., 1874-07-28
The Arkansas Committee and the Lat
Election.
From the New York worldl

We take the liberty of publishing pri
vate letter from q friend in Arkansas, o
high but disinterested position and sounC
judgment, concerning the recent disor
ders in that State, the late election which
worked complete and peaceful revolu
ton, and the better political prospect,
now opening before its citizens-whicl
the Committee of the House of Repre-
sentatives itselfc can hardly now becloud
LITTLE Rock, July Z, 1874.
My DEAR SIR: You ask me what i,
deemed the significance OF that investi
eating committee sent out to Arkansa,
by the Federal House of Representatives
Well, here is what we think about it
At the time of the collapse Of the Brook,
rebellion there were a handful of dcs
perate political adventures here whC
suddenly found themselves in very
"critical fix " They were the incum
bents Of official positions; from Chic
Justice Of the Supreme Court {" Poker
Jack down to the Sheriff and Clerk o
this county, all had been actively engaged
in disastrous rebellion The game they
had played was "rule or ruin, T" and the
ruin " cut both ways. v Ifthey succeed
ed Arkansas was theirs by fresh con
quest, and their hold upon us would have
been as strong as in the early days Of
reconstruction; if they lost, they were
reminded Of the old hymn
The mercy | to Others chow
That mercy show to me.
Take particular notice that in this in
stance we, the Southern people, were The
loyalists and on the side of the constitut
ed government, and they, the " God and
morality, trooly loil " ofrecent years
were the rebels
What made this distinction the more
palpable was the fact that the Fedora
bay yonets, which at their bidding had al
ways heretofore been used to keep US
down, were now for the first time sue
cesstully invoked in our favor.
Oar State Legislature was also in ses
sion, and in spite of the misrepresenta
tions made by these rebels when suing
for committee, there was no informaity
nor irregularity about the Legislature
And here let me make note. The only
reason that this Legislature at its special
session was largely Democratic was that
since its regular session Governor BaX-
ter had made use of an executive appoint.
ing power which in its scope was enor.
nous, and had made forty or fifty legis
lators, who had been returned elected as
such by Radical "appliances, - circuit
judges, sherihs, county clerks, etc, by
Executive appointment. This, of course,
made so many vacancies in the Legisla.
ture and special elections to fill these
were ordered by the Governor. Now,
here is the point.
Baxter was the Governor elected by the
Clayton Dorsey. Grant Administration
party. They elected him for the purpose
OF carrying out their schemes they sup
posed that he belonged to them body and
soul.
SO when these special elections were
about to be held the Ring" here
thought they were safe in letting them 90
by default, which means that they did
not think it necessary to put their cleo
ton machinery, with its outlay of knave-
ry, work, and money, into effect
This course was adopted by them be
cause they thought they could promise
that Baxter would never call any special
session of the old Legislature. So they
were for the first time caught bapping
The new members being almost entire
" Democratic, these officials had tear
ful looking forward forimpeachment, etc
Besides this, almost every one Of them
in any well regulated community on the
face of the earth might look for indict.
ments if not for treason against the State
at least, for down right fraud and pecu.
lation in office.
SO when Baxter reoccupied the State
house. these WORTHLESS. headed by "Poker
Jack. rushed for MISUNDERSTANDING
in St Louis long enough to rehearse their
parts and get martyrs crown at the
hands of the ST. Louis Democrat ct. 81.
Arrived at the Capitol. they set to
work by systematic wholesale lying to
pro luce the impression that their lives
were not safe in whence they
had fled from persecution as Union men
that a wholesale slaughter Of white I'm
ionisls and negroes was being carried on
under Confederate auspices.
They succeeded at last, as you know,
in getting committee Of five appointed
by the House Of Representatives,
Now, all they ever expected to accom-.
plish by this was simply to use this Com.
mittee as rallying point, around which
the defeated and dcmoralized remnant OF
Radcalism might gather, and. if possible
plan campaign. Without this they
could make no showing as political par.
ty--could not even rally the negroes in
the election which was soon to be held
for delegates to constitutional conven.
ton and in subsequent elections growing
out of it.
They succeeded in convincing the ne
groes that the effect Of the appointment
of committee would be to overturn th,
Baxter Government and put Brooks in
the Executive chair. And it surpasse.
belief the use they have made of tha
Committee as party cry. To them j
was to be the very salvation Of th'
Lord, " or course, every sensible mar
knows that the appointment of the Com
mittce is very small affair, and we SC
regard it.
On last Tuesday the voice Of the peo
pie was heard for the first time since IRE
construction, and u stitutional con
ven,ion was ordered by majority o.