The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1875-02-18
A TURBULENT AND DLSORDERLY Y
PERSON.

Atthe Arkansas State election in 1872
Joseph Brooks was the Liberal and
Democratic candidate for Governor, and,
according to the general belief, was elect
ed by some 1000 over Elisha Baxter, the
Republican candidate. The election did
not begin, however, till the voting was
over, and Baxter having on his side
Powell, Clayton and the Federal Admin
istration, was counted in by the Legisla-
ture. Brooks contested, but the General
Assembly decided against him.
Baxter, however, quarreled with the
Clayton ring, and Brooks got on terms
with them. On this came the Little
SRock war in the spring of 1874, when
Grant issued his proclamation as fol-
lows:
.'Whereas, certain turbulent and dis
orderly persons, pretending that Elisha
Baxter, the present Executive of Arkan-
gas, was not elected, have combined to-
pether with force and arms to resist his
authority;;" and whereas, said Elisha
Baxter has been declared duly elected
bv the General Assembly of said State,
as nrovided in the Constitution thereof,
X and ought by its citizens to be
considered the lawful Executive thereof.
Now, therefore, |, Ulysses S.
Grant. President of the United States, do
hereby make proclamation and command
ali turbulent and disorderly persons to
d;snerse and hereafter submit
themselves to the lawful authority of the
said Executive" So said President Grant
on the 14th of May, 1874 Under au-
thority of the State Government thus
sanctioned and recognized a new consti-
tuition was subsequently adopted, a new
Governor was peaceably chosen. The
State is at peace. The people are appar-
emily satisfied. A committee of the
House of Representatives has reported,
after long investigation, that nothing in
the condition of Arkansas calls for the
interference of the General Government.
Suddenly, without the knwledge of his
Cabinet. without consultation, so far as
can be learned, with anybody except
Powell Clayton, Gen. Grant sendsa mes
sage to the Senate on Arkansas affairs,
using this extraordinary language: Il
will venture to express the opinion that
all the testimony shows that in the elec-
tion of 1872 Joseph Brooks was lawfully
elected Governor of that State; that he
has been unlawfully deprived of the pos
session of his Office since that time;" and
he declares off-hand that the new Consti-
tuition is invalid; that the new Governor
has no title to office; and that Baxter,
whom he sustained with troops nine
months ago, never had any. He closes
with distinct threat to upset the whole
Garland administration and reinstate
Brooks, unless Congress saves him the
trouble.
'The President seems to be bringing
himself within the terms of his own proc
lamation. If there is any disorder il
Arkansas after this it will be of his caus-
ING. He labors under vague and misty
notion that if this new Constitution is
allowed to stand some other Southern
State may be encouraged to make new
Constitution, to the great injury of the
office-holders and the consequent dimi-
mutton of the Republican vote. What is
to preventY he asks. What, indeed?
Congress might perhaps forbid any State
to change its Constitution without the
consent of the President but even the
turbulent and disorderly person who is
threatening to upset Garland, has not
vet proposed measure like that. There
is " possibility of the reconstructed
std is violating the pledges" upon which
they were readmitted to the Union, for
those pledges were finally and irrevoca-
bly, fulfilled when the amendments be-
came part of the Federal Constitution.
They have passed beyond the control of
State Conventions. Indeed the Presi-
dent seems to be equally unaware what
he is saying in the present message to
the Senate and what he said in his proc
lamation to the people of Arkansas"