Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1875-03-10

majority Of votes and ought to lave been counted
in as governor. ., . t.,io,o . |
Mr. Poland We have 80 reported. ,.., O. /
MIR butler Of Massachusetts. You 80 uen't' |
Mr. Poland Yes, sir; ! 40 believe nnu
not 50 believed, should not have sald 80 ~ Ivy
report for | am not IN the haht OF Reporting my |
facts do not believe. - -,
Now, sir to begin with the gentleman rom
Illinois MIR Ward says this legislature was
fraudulent and wrong from the outset II did APP |
near when that legislature was assembled, con
sisting of eiehty-two members, that there was yen
majority Of Baxter mcn-thirty-six exactly oi
Brooks men and fory-six Of Baxter ,henL .un.
there were a good many contestants on notn Slut
The Baxter men contested the seats Of the Brooks
men and the brooks men contested the seats OF
the Baxter men, and there was some eNluenVo
tending 10 show these various contestants sot n,
gether and agreed they were the best men TO M,
the places on both sides, and mutually agreed
none Of the contestants should be successful, .he
committee on elections was appointed ny w w
Speaker II the House who, as my iricnd mas slu,
had himself his scat contested. II 50 happened
that presiding officer was at that time one on the
very men who entered into these same schemes
these other gentlemen did and ADHERED uol,e,s,
stead lastly to the same side these gentlemen 90
now hut the committee on elections made re,
port TO the House and these contested cases all
were decided upon the ground of want OF hutlVe-
that no legal notice had been given IN any one OF
Now, Mr. Speaker, precisely how II Is We are to
take IL upon ms here, without any knowledge oi the
facts in either Of these cases to decide any one OF
these men was not legally elected Ia the legisla-
ture, is beyond my comprehension OF our duty
and power.
That legislature went on. It assembled and
legally organized, sat from some time about the
lst Of January until some time in April and dur
ing that time, ~ / have said already, elected
United States senator, who il now holding his
seat. During that session quarrel spmng up
between Baxter and the men who had cheated
him in. There are great many versions Of how
that took place The democrats, the men who be-
came friendly with him, their Versioni is that these
same men wanted 10 carry on the swindling prac-
tees they had carried on under that state admin
istmtion for ycars, and they had SO dissatisfied
the people that portion Of the Republicans had
gone over To Brooks They expected, with Bax-
ter as governor they would be able to go on and
carry out sti greater schemes Of fraud than they
had perpetfated upon the people Of the state be-
| fore but Baxter interiercd and refused Ia be n
party to IT, lie refused To aid in carry ing II out
That il the theory Of one side The theory ON the
other side was stated by the gentleman from Hill
nois Mr. Ward that he was afraid by some legal
means his title 10 the office Of governor would be
brought into question and lac might have Ia main
/ tain himself by force Of arms, and he wanted 10
gather about him the party who we're the best
/ fighters. believe that Is the theory Of the other
/ side Whichever way Il Is, whichever one may
/ be true, or whether one is partly true and the
other partly true, quarrel did grow up between
Baxter aud those who elected, or rather counted
/ him In.
Gentlemen II you will look into the evidence
you VIII Ul Alht IN lllt lAll OF 1919 inc rlttt
l publican committee, at the head Of which was
I Senator Powell Clayton, issued an address 10 the
people, saying, now the supreme court had made
its decision which settled the question Of Baxter :
| right everything was going peaceably and
| lovely Aud both Of these senators, senator Clay
ton and Senator Dorsey, were az the pains 81 APP
pend TO that address by the Republican state COM
mittee n statement, signed by them individually,
saying they had the utmost confidence IN the in
| tegrty and Republicansm Of Governor Baxter
But still, according 10 my friend from Illinois
! Mr.. Ward and my friend from New York Mr..
frem9inl everything had been wrong aud rotten
before that that in the winter prior TO that Bax-
ter had gone over to the democrats, and they were
Matching up all sorts Of schemes Of rebellion, OF
fraud, and were plotting then a revolution. which,
says my friend, they aiterward successfully car
ried out
Now let me say to you, Mr. Speaker, and 10 my
friends, this question about new constitution In
Arkansas was no new thing. by the constitution
Of Arkansas the appointing power was vested In
the governor Of every officer In the state, from
chief justice Of the supreme court down To the
township officers. They want constitution that
Is republican In form, says my friend from Illinois
lMr Ward What sort of Fcpublicanism In form
Is It to have constitution that puts the appoint
ing power Of every officer In the state great and
small, takes It away from the people and puts II
in the hand of the governor How does Il oper
ate Why, sir Arkansas is rs good an llustra-
ton A. We shall ever get, probably one Of these
gentlemen has taken pains 10 tell you that out o
eighty-two members % the House, forty and odd
of them were appointed by Governor Baxter L
various state Offices after the legislature had Ad
iourned aud they had voted Brooks out, l. II any
wonder that the people Of Arkansas wanted dit
feTeut constitution
Why, sir, this Rev Governor Joseph Brooks hae
been the great apostle OF n new constitution. liz
had gone through the state In that campaign o
1872 like fiery cross lie was denouncing Clay
ton and Dorsey aud all Of them. and telling N,
people II they would elect him governor he woul'
I'LL the jail 50 full Of them that their legs Woul,
stick out Of the windows
Now, sir, these gentlemen argue As II this ques
ton OF a new constitution was new thing a new
revelation, that dawned all at once under the lea
OF Baxter and the democrats Why, the yer
! party, the very men that Brooks led were tn
great apostles in favor Of new constitution
y They had beendenouncing the Old one all throug
the campaign of 1872.
SO say, Mr. Speaker, that this question Of a ne,
/ constitution one that had been In agitatio
4 ever since this constitution which is eomplaine
n Of had been in force. There we're very great dc
4 fects In IT, one Of which this appointing power
4 because believe, although We had no evidence @
h any agreement between any member Of the legi,
= lature and Governor Baxter that he should yot
!, against Brooks, and for that receive an Office SO
a those two things came IN such juXtapostion tha
), ! believed it then and believe il now do no
Il stand here TO Justify Baxter have not any To
good an opinion Of him. But have got a. goo
an opinion Of him a. have Of some other gentl,
I. men who stalk like ghosts in our midst
4 This legislature adjourned in April and ihes
- appointments were made very after the lesi,
? lature dissolved and the next fall Governor Rai
e ter ordered special election TO fill the vacancies
J. Well, they say there Was something dcfeCtiy
J., about the registration. Now the reason he CAV
"a 1T might not be q good legal reason-but IN
a reason he gave WAS that. by the constitution
Ie Arkansas, everybody who was concerned la N
rebellion was DISTINGUISHED. But in 1873 the les
islature had passed amendments 10 the constitl
Il tion which cnfranchised these people There wei
A probably twenty thousand men who had becom
~ legal voters 10y the effect Of this enfranchisemer
"a ha not a1 IA t0,fe mil. Fb..l
= registered. 10, whether Governor Baxter violate
m the law in ordering new registration for the.
IL men or whether he did not, he certainly had yer
- good reason-gOod reason In fact am not speal
d ing Of legal reasons-for having that new rcgi
"A tratiOn.
ie Now there is some fault found about that ele
IT ton. But Mr.. Speaker there is not one word ,
is evidence in this whole case there never was pr,
" tense but that every single one Of these men va
At legally elected, The republicans said: I've dl
re not try 70 elect anybody did not run any cal
ar didatei we relied upon BaXter's promise that /
would not call that legislature again together
re all and they did not suppose that he woul,
d There il not the slightest eyidence-these me
T. having been elected In November-that Baxt,
e. ever had an idea Of calling this legislature L
gether or ever would had It not been for this sns
u Judgment which this Rev Mr.. Brooks obtaint
10 and then set up another governors shop by h
side. And when he did call 1t together, he callt
Il together by the assent and advice of the Pres
| dent OF the United States. II is a pretty thin
le that the calling Of that legislature was frar
ID upon the people OF Arkansas and fraud upon II
IN republican party You Just look at the execnti,
is document that the President sent in last sprin
IA and you will find that when Baxter suggested cal
ing the legislature together il met the cordial nj
proyal OF the President Of the United States aud
IN the President Of the United States or anybod
ID else now to stand up and say that 1t WAS fmr
Mt to call that legislature together?
ne But, says the gentleman from New York, NJ
hi lremain, these elections were Illegal because VI
= cancies had not been properly declared. The col
r. stitution OF the State says that a man who is al
u pointed and man who holds certain State d
fees, is not eligible To sit In the legislature n
ID vacancies really existed. suppose that In ord
TO be perfectly regular the legislature should ha
lg declared the vacancies, aud given formal notice
" them 10 the governor: Is state government TO
at overturned because they did not? Why the a
" gument OF my friend from New York reminds u
GO OF story that used To hear long ago as VIII,
was n law student, Of justice Of the peace b
of fore whom pettiogger appeared and set up 81
K teen pleas In abatement, and the justice said tn
e. not one OF them amounted TO anything; but the
OF WAS so many Of them that he thought the wi
te ought to abate.
n, Well, this legislature met In accordance wi
lh the advice Of the President of the United State
~ Governor Baxter sent out his proclamation co
De yening that legislature, and they did meet The
v are variety Of bubbles about that They ~
ne that II the men newly elected were legally elect
nat. q 81