The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1874-04-24
THE ARKANSAS WAR.
The Governors Forces Ready to Com
mence the Fray-United States
Troops Interfere.

LITTLE Rock, April 19.-Colonel
Rose, commandant of the United States
forces, took possession of the telegraph
Office this morning, and opened it to the
public, relieving Governor Baxter's
guards. He has one company station
ed at the Ashby House, where the tele-
graph Office is located, and has interfer-
ed to such an extent with Governor Bax-
ter's military operations that he can
make no forward movement on the State
House. In consideration of this fact,
Governor Baxter to-day sent the follow
ing dispatch to the President:
"L1TTLE Rock, ARK, April 19, IA.
''To the President of the United States:
ga few days since, in the absence of
my counsel, and at time wholly unex-
pected, the Circuit Judge of this coun-
ty, Court of inferior jurisdiction, rem
dered judgment in favor of Brooks
against me for the Office of Governor of
this State, and without notice to me or
my counsel, I was at once forcibly put
out of the Office, and that without any
pretense of writ being served on me.
"All this was done, too, after the Su-
preme Court of this State had twice de-
cided that no Court in the State had
Jurisdiction of the case ct all, and the
Legislature alone had the jurisdiction.
At once, on being elected from the Office,
I took steps to restore myself, to posses
sion of the Office, and to carry on the
Government. The people are coming
to my aid, and are ready to restore me
at once
"In making this organization, am OBJ
structed by the interference of the United
States troops in displacing my guards
from the telegraph Office, and now it is
apprehended that there will be further
interference. Such interference breaks
nIe down, and prevents any effort on my
part to restore the State Government,
and to protect the people in their rights.
l beg of you to modify any order to the
extent of such interference, and leave
me free to act in this way TO restore law
and peace as the legitimate Governor of
the State. Such interference does not
leave me any chance to assert my claim
to the Office of Governor.
ain the interests of peace and of those
people who are focking here to my sup
port by the hundreds, beg of you to re-
move the United States troops back to
the arsenal, and permit me to restore
the legitimate Government by my own
forces, which / will do promptly if the
United States will not interfere. There
is an armed insurrection against the
legal State Government here, and call
upon you to aid in suppressing it. But
il you will not, then leave me free to act
and order the United States troops, with
out an hours delay, to their own ground
and keep them out of my way. have
been thwarted and delayed thus long,
and, in fact, elected from my Office, be-
cause of the fact that had heretofore
disbanded the militia of the State. ]
make this earnest demand to repress in
surrection and to prevent domestic vio-
lence, under my sense of duty to the
Constitution and laws of the United
States, as we'll as the State of Arkansas
and rely, confidently, as have all the
time, upon the assurances contained in
your letter of September Is, 1873, to
prevent the overthrow of my official au-
thority by illegal and disorderly pro-
ceedings.
"An immediate answer is requested
otherwise bloodshed may be the result
"ELISHA BAXTER,
Governor of Arkansas"