The Washington herald., 1907-06-15


years ago to-day Her application for
Statehood was the cause of many bitter
debates I'm Congress. The slavery ques-
tiCu was paramount then. and when she
was admitted il was the result Of a COM
promise The Ohio anti-slavery members
Of Congress desired a definite settlement
Of a State boundary line. and the Terri
tory Of Michigan wanted 10 come in as "a
free State. The Ohio and Michigan forces
consolidated with the Arkansas advo-
Gates. and IL was agreed that the two new
States should come in. one free and one
slave. John Quincy Adams led the op-
position in the House Arkansas was ad-
mitted on June l. 1895, and Michigan
came in the next January
Arkansas has suffered more than any
other State because of a joke. THE Ar
kansaw Traveller" was good story that
was kept alive by q ripping good tune
for the average fiddler. and there may
have been a baCkwCOds prototype for the
man who was so mOnumentally indlffer-
ent 10 patching his roof But no state
would care 70 be known 10 fame by the
standard OF its most shiftless citizen.
Therefore Arkansas rebels against the
Arkansaw traveller idea.
Few Of the States have more varied or
abundant resources. The buckshot soil
Of the Mississippi bottoms n Arkansas
produces cotton I'm almost incredible
abundance. The western part Of the state
has as good corn land as may be found
apples that cannot be beaten in the
world for quality or quantity Coal and
zinc and lead undcrlie her hills i'm great
abundance Her forests have scarcely
been touched by the AK, and there is
greater percentage Of virgin timber here
than in any other State.
The first white man TO enter Arkansas
was de Soto, who crossed the Mssis
sippi River. which he discovered, and
went Tar into the interior Of what is now
Arkansas. De Soto was III, even then,
and the Indians told him of "a wonderful
healing spring They took him there he
bathed I'm its hot waters. and was much
benefited. The Hot Springs of Arkansas
are now a Federal reservation. and many
thousands Of persons go there each year
tho virtues OF these springs and from
their tales the Credul1us Spaniards Gre
at-I the story of the Fountain of Eter-
nal Youth. De Soto died In Arkansas and
was buried i1 the Mississippi or in the
Arkansas River. near its mouth That
was in l54l, sixty-six years before the set
Element Of Jamestown.
The first permanent settlement on the
7Tfc-rH-fr.r1f ~aF in
The great territory Of Louisiana was at
Arkansas Post This was established by
the Chevalier Henri de Tonti. the man
with the iron hand. twelve years before
dIbervi.ie built his fort at Biloxi, which
was the forerunner Of the New Orleans
settlement De Tond. is known as "the
Father Of Arkansas.
John Law the Scotch fnancier. who
duped the French nation with his Mis-
sissippi Bubble sent a colony Of Ger
mans into Arkansas. but with the burst
ing of the bubble they deserted and went
south into Louisiana 10 settle "the Ger
man coast" The little post de Tonti had
set ND. lived. but did not grow. when it
was hundred years old it boasted Of
but 1876 persons. When the territory OF
louisiana was bought 10y Mr. jefferson
and became a part Of the United States
Arkansas Post. had but f13 inhabitants.
No sooner had the Stars and Stripes been
uufurled. however, until there was "a tide
OF immigration from the States on the
other side OF the Mississippi The two
little settlements at Arkansas Post and
H9pefeld were soon % have scores Of
rivals.
The population had grown So much that
on tile Fourth Of July. 1918. the present
State began ifs separate existence as
Arkansas Territory. James Miller. of
New Hampshire. the hero of Lundys
Lane was appointed governor. but he
failed 20 arrive at once. and the duties Of
the position faIl upon the shoulders 90
Robert Cr.ttard4u. If Fraukf0rt Ky. the
appointed secretary Of the Territory Crit
tenda1 was only twenty-five years old.
lgr he took hold without hesitation. con-
verei legislature and organized a gov
eminent
II rs remarkable coincidence that the
usiEhh1ri1E States Of Arkansas and Lou
isiana should both have been started off
UU their careers bv men so young Gov.
William g. O.. Claiborne. whom Jcffsr-
son appointed governor of the whole Ter
rlrgrv of Louisiana. and who was first
governor 0f the state Of that name was
the youngest man who ever served fro
Congress fTe was elected 70 Congress
when barely twenty-five. and served two
terms as the successor Of Andrew Jack
son. although he had not reached the age
Of twenty-five. as required by the Con
Critteu1el. the father Of Ar
kansas politics. was the brother Of John
j. Critteuden. the great Kentucky Sena-
tor. He died before Arkansas became
State.
Matthew Lyon. late Of Vermont, the
character who was sold from
Ireland 10 New England In slavery for
a yoke Of oxen and whose favorite oath
was BY the bulls that bought me" was
a candidate for Delegate to Congress in
the first Territorial election in Arkansas
Brilliant as his record was he was de
feated by James Wo6dson. Ambrose II.
Sewer. one Of the greatest men the state
has produced. went five times rs Dele
gate from the Territory, and Ct was he
who managed the fight for Statehood.
When the State was admitted and Sc
vier and Chester Ashley had been sent
to the United States Senate. a fight which
had become acute at home was removed
to washington. Senator Sewer pro-
nouuced it "Arkansaw." Senator Ash
ley called it Arkansas" The presiding
officer OF the Senate recognized one Of
them as "the Senator from Arkansaw, "
the other as "the Senator from Ar-kan-
sas." This controversy went on merrily
for many years, when It was settled f.
nally by the legislature, which decided
in favor Of the termination saw" and
declared the final "s' forever silent The
name was taken from the Akansa IN
dians. and the French spelling with its
useless final IS" caused the confusion.