The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1901-11-23
Davis on the War Path.

The governor Of Arkansas Is becoming
desperate. he intends to have Editor
Kendrick of the Fort Smith News.
Record indicted for criminal libel and
then he will do the rest. - That
editor has got to wear stripes. ~
want stripes on him, and nothing less
than that will satisfy me, says JEFF in
his letter to Prosecuting Attorney
Cravens. But it is not this that Jared
US when we read Jeff's letter. It was
the intimation, plainly put, that he
might be forced to take his shotgun and
the law into his own hands. The thing
that freezes the blood iu our veins Is
contemplating the spectacle of JEFF
astride his tall sorrel, blood In his eye,
his shotgun In hand, chasing Editor
kendrick down Garrison avenue and
round and round through the back al.
legs. 1t gives us the weak trembles -
to think of jeff with shotgun In close
pursuit Of human being. We all know
that when he talks about shotguns and
blood nothing but gore will satisfy him.
II Editor Kendrick wants to save him.
self he should at once cross the Poteau
and take to the woods. Let him skip,
ana skip at once. Arkansas Democrat.
Here In Arkansas we might afford to
laugh at the governor antics If they
did not present another and very ser
ious aspect.
1t has been but few years since the
state was brought into unenviable no.
toriety by governor drawing q pistol
upon 4 member Of the legislature ian
editor, too, by the way) and splitting In
his face In the lobby of u prominent no.
tel one Sunday evening. The echoes Of
that disgraceful episode have hardly
died away when we are presented with
the spectacle Of another governor
threatening to 20 cunning for IN editor
because the latter had castigated him
for the commission OF an unwise official
act.
These two episodes have done more to
disgrace the name of Arkansas and con-
firm the impression which exists abroad
that 1t Is q land of desperadoes aud law
less characters than anything that ever
occurred.
Arkansas has suffered untold Ills
from not overly savory reputation
abroad. People who live In Arkansas,
or who travel here and know our people,
are well aware that the slurs which
have been cast upon her are unjust but
such acts az those we complain Of tend
to confirm, abroad, the opinion In which
our state IL held. This Ia where 1t hurts.
Just ut this time such conduct rs that
INDUCED In by Governor Davis Ia partic-
ularly injurious. The public spirited
people OF the state have, by dint Of IN
firing labors and the expenditure Of
their private means, succeeded In at.
tracing the attention Of the business
and industrial world TO the vast re-
sources presented In our fields OF mine.
raj, timber and agriculture for develop
nent. As q consequence hundreds Of
thousands Of dollars are coming within
our borders yearly To make our waste
places blossom and put our state In the
rank to which 1t "a, by reason Of Its
great resources, entitled.
These are the influences affected by
the indiscreet and reckless acts Of pub
lie officials. What person Of wealth
would lcare to invest his means In n
state where tho chief executive threat
eus TO commit murder and announces
such intention In letter to another
official.
A prominent gentlemen Of this city
informs the editor Of the Elevator .
that n day or two ago, while visiting
one of the largest cities In the union,
he had Governor Davis letter to Mr..
Cravens fourished In his face no less
than half dozen times The effect can
be imagined.
Governor Davis antics would seem
funny TO people at home did they not
have such u serious effect abroad. Fort
Smith Elevator.