The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-06-15
;fhday of Arkansas
By FREDERIC J. HASKIN

upset the ship of state. There was a
strong union party in the State. but
the majority sympathized with the
South, and the State Joined the seces-
sion movement. Arkansas sent 45
troops to the Confederate army and
about l2.00O to the Federal army She
gave such celebrated commanders ss
Patrick r. Cleburne, Thomas c. Hind
man. Lucius f. Polk and Albert Pike to
the Southern cause.
During the war the Confederates were
driven from the State and the native
loyalists assumed control Isaac Mur-
ply, the one member of the State con
vention who voted against secession
was elected Governor. The Federal an
thorities refused to recognize the Mur.
ply administration. the war ended and
then began the rule Of the military and
the carpet -baggers under which Ar
kansas suffered almost as severely as bv
actual war
The process of reconstruction was
slow, but finally on June 20, 1868, Ar
kansas was for the second time ad.
mitted to the Union, the bill passing
over President Johnson S veto. the
President holding that the State had
never been out Of the Union. Powell
Clayton, still the Republican leader in
the State, and sometime Embassador
TO Mexico, was elected Governor. The
Republicans had complete control, bur
soon fell out among themselves. The
regular Republicans were dubbed "min
strels' and the liberal Republicans
were called Etbrindles. The regulars
nominated Elisha Baxter for Governor,
the 'brindles' selected Joseph Brooks.
The Democrats supported Brooks, but
Baxter was declared elected.
Baxter surprised the people by max
ing non-partlsan appointments and ov-
erturned the system of loot and graft
which the carpet bag and negro Leg
lslatures had inauguratcd. bin was
introduced to release the railroads from
their indebtedness TO the State. and
TO tax the people to pay the interest
on the railroad bonds. Baxter opposed
1t. Then revolution set in. The
MINSTREL Republicans began to sup
port Brooks, who was contesting for
fraud In the election, while the Demo
Gratis Were gathering to support Bax-
ter Brooks lost before the Legisla-
ture, and the United States Supreme
Court decided il could not 60 back of
the Legislature s decisions. Then
Brooks filed a suit in a Circuit Court,
got favorable decision and proceeded
TO D1tLlc ROCK lie went INTO the
Governor S Office, ousted Baxter by
force and installed himself as Gov
ernor, Baxter went TO st. John s mill
tary college for protection. The cadets
volunteered to take up his fight. He
declared martial law and thousand
men were enlisted. Brooks called out
the militia. The Federal troops were
called upon. and their interference pre-
vented civil war President Grant
decided that the Legislature must be
the sole judge of the election of the
Governor, and after Brooks had held
the Office thirty days, Baxter was re-
stored TO power, Thus ended the
Brooks Baxter war and the era of re-
construction in Arkansas. The Demo-
Gratis came into power at the next cleo
ton unopposed and have held it ever
since.
Within four years afterwards Ar
kansas was at the Philadelphia Cen
tennial with a display of the products
of her fields and dairies, and the dawn
of her prosperity was already redden-
ing in the east. From that day until
now the State history has been more
industrial than political. Her farms
and mines and forests are her chief
concern, her people are more prosper
Gus than ever, and all of them are just.
" proud of Arkansas.