Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-03-26
JUDGE roLAND's SPEECH

Arkansas Affairs.
JUDGE roLAND's SPEECH.
The following j. the closing portion of
Judge Poland's famous Arkansas speech.
delivered in the House Of Representatives,
March 81, 1873.
Vow let me say t. you, Mr.. Speaker, and
to my friends, this question about new
constitution in Arkansas was no new thing.
By the constitution Of Arkansas the ap-
pointing power was vested in the Governor
OF every officer in the State, from Chiei j Us
tice Of the Supreme C0u.t down 10 the town
ship officers. They want constitution that
i Republican in form. says my friend from
llinoi- Mr. Ward What sort OF Kepub-
licanism IN form Is 1t 10 have constitution
that takes the appointing power OF every
officer in the State, great and small. away
from the people, and puts 1t ~ tue
hands Of the Governor? How does II ope-
rate? Why, sir. Arkansas IS as good an
Illustration as VIC shall ever get, probably.
One of these gentlemen has taken pains 10
tell you that ont Of eighty-two members Of
the HoGsc, forty and odd OF them were ap-
pointed hy Governor Baxter to various
State oiHce> alter the Legislature had ed-
j1urned and they had voted Brooks ont.
i il any wonder that the people OF ArAau-
.4s wanted different constitution
Il is true that when Brooks obtained his
Judgment and turned Baxter out of hiS
rooin in the State House. be gathered all
hi, armed forces there and there were two
rival armies. two cT three thousand troops
on q side hut a. soon as President Grant
recognized Baxter a. Governor, Ga most
sensible and wise decision and on5 that
our committee endeav0red - follow to H.
legitimate re-l.ts.) just 81 soon as that DE-
ci>ion was auuolnctd the troops were d.
persed and went home, aGd there wsS no
more martial law and there were 10 more
military lines and then this Legislature
passed tie lcs calling tue constitutional!
convention.
Now. a great point has been made tina,
where the constitution contained mode ier
IL amendment. no other mode was ainli-sl-
be Bat that has hcen abandoned /, l.
laid down n5w by Mr.. Jameson, the only
writer upon this subject, that IN i cas3 81
that sort, where there Is Z mode Of amend
men, pointed ont by the constitution, II =
perfectly legitimate for the Legislature O.
pass an &C; submitting q the people the
question whether they will have coS-iitu-
tional convention. lE is not Irregular IN
the s'lshtos' ueSFee NS9 "ee" -
majority Oh 'he o'.'rs % tu's ,.'r
tnls so'ernin j" al A@il9a'
eu'; tneh t''o I u'i';-- ii-a;, H..
IN Nts-achG Gse ''' 'u~ III i'''u0i' "'0 81 40
wiped on; also.
But they say that there were irrcSuiarl-
tics in the manner OF submitting thls con-
s,itution: thai this constitutional c0nyen
ton instead OF taking the machinery taat
was already provided, undertook l. make
machinery ol 'HelF OWN I"at ~
done ever anu ever - many N. .iI.Lii -
country i9fneIy " Va t"e q -.
lIHcucr' l "a1 nm .',-
LAG 10 nave '"' = q q i - -, . -. Af
OF INC Sp-e0"v' vi -iS 'Ii.nN -
ouu-el'S' .Iarc i" ~ w '.e'''' -
'eh''A o' Niss ~ -
convention az 1e'-SI N4uA-.t p."eaI "a
were eAefelseG "1 ms V''is'i' I'.ot'''I
Nth'Io" ~ i A"i'9a'. -o s -
'ideu tns iLacu'LeiS '"N- e'9' ''N' -f
pos5G We Ie-' --.,;, ,,..,,-,.
M ~ ~ u. h,ar mi hs,o -. ro,-
'a5s Nnl'" NJ, - ~, -.,in;o,, 80. 0e
S.itu'iui'a' ''"''
'"V 'HV9' Ou4ln'I' - .,
country suPpoNeu my LHu 'No -
90 TINS same 'nlus. lHe o-pISH9 'I'. o'
the stare Sa'u Il 70 az -
people oo"h IN ArAan.a, Nat NOV oI1,-'' .'J
80 learned OF "l>e 'ut '''a. 'H.J "a -
the cohsil'u'ioi.a4 ',H' eii'''" ,'u.N
the y Achihe'N l't -u'ull'''"s '"o ''"''''"
tI'n % 'he feo!io- ,...-,.,t.
heh '"'S qu,''io'l W - 80
people "hether 'ney "ou.l "a;o .u'
stltqtiOnal convention OF h''' elSuN ..'1.
sand against eis ut u susdnu 'o'e'A tuA'
should oe conStltutl1ha' c'h'elil'o'' A"u
when thty hsu irau'et tHe cJn9tita a'ioh AL-
Submitted II 70 me peof.o 70 oe Nuteu ui'on'
| ihey ra',He1 II " VIC U. eu' ~
thousand 10 Nt"N-i 1ao"sanu- "a
Gariand was nonilha'eu q 'oI "oNeIhoi' i "i'I
a i1u ticket oil STATE ollcels anu It0eI'eN
between se'en'y SIX lLousaSu anu -. ,-,r.
p;,e,, ,,o;Hs. tbor ilI olfc.rs oi tho roy
'e-rnor,s Cnvsrn,r D,vter and the men who
| LaIJ ,r9inot, ofices under him welded
"e'. ;,;e,s o,,ie,Iv ,, ,heir .,,,,s.-
r. ur 'TT,' 3D. ,be now constitntion. There was
! -, 80 ,,orernrrc,.in in rho Sta.s bet,re
-. - -. r., h,,, ono ,,,ver,mcnt IN tA,
80 -,
r. Fro-,,,S;n,, hos heep qo;,g an NJ o,ietlv
-, -, - -, 80 a. ,,, ,ucr.
- Ia II eve- was beiore in the State of
Arkansas. Since Garland came in as Gov
crnor of that State it Is lust a. pcaccable
and ouiet as the State OF Massachusetts
/ Not a single instance has been shown Of yio-
lerc, since the calling of this constitutions
al convention. except that there was one
/ Ned Abe killed. The whole circumstances
! show that be had nothing t. 90 with poll
ties in aBy manner or io1n, nor had pni-
ties anything 10 do with his helny Killed
When my brother W ara was down there
taking testimony, IN July, believe, a lei
low snatched pitcher OF ice-water away
from his boy and struck ham with his shoe,
and my colleague ceeined II an important
fact to be placed IN evidence. But was
down there in November. and am happy
to say on this floor and IN the presence OF
this House and tins Union hat the by was
alive and well then.
TLere j. not a narticle Of eyidencc--ppt q
scirt;lla of evidence in this case that there
I was a single fraudulent vote east at either
of these elections. There Is not particle
Of evidence that any single man oheted to
vote or wanted to vote, who did not have an
opportunity to do 50. But, SAYS my friend
IRON Illinois, the sir was inIi Oi terror,
there was great c.ond oil terror resting
over the wnole State OF Arkansas and every
body was under IT.
WHY sir. IL was the purest piece Of fancy
that vas ever invented not particle ot
truth IN il | know nv friend from lii
,.ois is a man of vivid Imagination. lie
easily brings himself to believe anything