The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1875-02-26

Jf the Republican leaders in Congress
should fail to pass the new bayonet OIL
( which they drove through the cancus las
week. the President, whp is in full sy npa
tly with ali their madness, will still adhers
to the reckless policy threatened In M
monstrous message respecting AIkahsas
A failure to lcgisate in this will DE treated
! ov him as a tacit acqulescence IN tne
! ueuacinr alternative which lie recently
fling in the face of Congress. just as ht
fen back upon like pretext Tor his usurpa
tions in Louisiana
! Tn plain terms, he is bent upon strife.
and he will deliberately seek an occasion
to overthrow the peaceable Gov ernment II
Arkansas, which the people fairly and le-
galIy established by an overwhelming ma
! iority. and under one of the best constitu-
I tions to be found in the whole Union.
/ Aud this shocking outrage is to be attempt
/ ed for no other reason than to force Dack
! into Office the gang of piunderers whom
( the people expelled at the ballot box, ana
! 70 stir up anew the passions which subsid-
! ed with the defeat of the carpet -baggers.
/ The iniquity of this criminal design IS
made doubly glaring 10y the Presidents
I former action, in recognizing by solemn
procIa nation as the only "1awful Govern
} neut'' that which he would now strike
down with another pai tisan object. lie
is not alone in this violent contradiction.
/ The conspirators who pull the wires behind
him are equally guilty.
( In 1872 Baxter and Brooks were oppos>
ring candidates for Governor. Both were
Republicans. Baxter represented Grant
and Brooks represented Greeley IN the
political organizations. The State Governs
ment and the Legislature were in the hands
of Clayton and his carpet bag crew. They
/ returned Baxter and gave the electoral
vote to Grant at the sane time.
Crooks appealed to the lie gislai ure against
the count, maintaining that he had been
clearly elected Governor, and shat was
also the popular belief The Legislature
decided against his claim by 62 to s. The
Attorney~General, on behalf of the State,
then brought suit by writ Of quo uar-
rant0 to ascertain who was the legal Gov
ernor and the Supreme Court by five
against one held that the court had no Ju-
risdiction, and that the Legislature under
the Constitution of the State alone had the
power to determine that question. The
Legislature and the highest tribunal were
therefore in accord.
While these roceedings were going on,
CLAYTON and Dorsey, the two carpet bag
Senators who are now running the Presi-
dent were in this city. As soon as the re-
suit was known, they both fastened to
send kilograms to Baxter, which are OF
yalue as showing their position at the out
set of this controversy, by contrast with
the false pretences set up at the present
time. Here they are:
New YORK. June 8, 1873.
"Ifis Ercellency ELISHA BAXTER:
"Quo 1Corrdnto proceedings against you
have been inaugurated without my know
ledge or approval, and are, in my opinion
unwise aud highly detrimental to the inter
ests of the STATE 81 believe you are the
legitimate Governor of Arkansas, and as
much as regret to see our State disgraced
abroad by distractions at home, l hope you
will stand tirm, regardless of results.
POWELL CLAYTON"
NEW YORK, June 3, 1873.
''To EoTerno, ELISHA BAXTER:
you have the unqualified supper Of my
self and friends. The revolutionary pro
ceedings instituted will not be sustained by
the people. 5. w. DORSEY"
The people were tired of anarchy and
msrule, and they acquiesced the more
willingly because Baxter exhibited a de-
sire TO act fairly aud to protect their inter
ests without regard to political differences.
Eut lie Was hardly warm in his seat before
Clayton, Poker Jack, Dorsey, and their
corrupt faction made demands which Bax-
ter refused TO comply with. They wanted
him to approve a bill by which certain rail-
road companies would be released from
paying the State six millions of dollars /;
another bill to make the whole State a
metropolis in which the police might ar
rest without warrant any citizen and drag
{ him to the capital for trial and an election
bill to make three men a returning board,
with power to appoint judges and clerks,
and absolute supervision and review of all
! returns of elections.
Baxter resisted these excuses and would
not submit to this dictation. Then Clay
! ton turned against him, made corrupt
( bargain with Brooks, and has been seek
ing ever since to destroy the work of his own
/ hands, by putting a man in office whom he
and his confederates had not oil ly returned
as defeated, but who had been rejected by
their Legislature almost unanimously.
The events of last spring, when Brooks
attempted by violence 20 gain the footing
/ which the court and Legislature had de-
/ nied him, and which eliminated in the
! formal recognition OF Baxter Dy the Presi-
/ dents proclamation, are familiar to the
! public. The Attorney General, with all
/ his prejudices for the carpet baggers and
/ his bitterness towards the Southern people,
/ was compelled to decide against the pre-
! tensions of Brooks.
After order had been thus re-established
/ and the Baxter Government was working
smoothly, the Legislature, in answer to a
/ great popular demand, passed an enabling
/ act to change the Constitution. The uues-
? IlOH Ol calling u convention IOE tblS DiIl-
pose was submitted to the people, when
/ eighty thousand voted for it aud eight
/ thousand voted against it.
The convention met in obedience to that
expression, and framed the present Con-
| stituton, which is a monument to the wis
dom, patriotism, liberality, and enlighten~
/ cd spirit of the men who male it. On the
/ 18th of last October the people ratified this
/ instrument by maj jority of iifty- four thous-
and. Baxter, who had been CONSPICUOUS in
! all this angry contest, wisely declined to
be candidate for Governor, and Garland
was elected without serious opposition.
! The State seemed to spring into new
: life at single bound. Dependency chang
| ed into confident hope. The order Of a New
/ England village prevailed everywhere, and
the people with noble spirit set to work
! to retrieve their past losses and to restore
/ their true relations to the Union. All they
asked was peace.
I These facts arc intlisDutalIIe and thew