The Nevada County picayune. (Prescott, Ark.) 190?-current, 1912-09-06
which he regarded fraudulent ana to

us placed the COnIrOl OF the Sl1L5
government In the hands of carpet
baggers and negroes. Resident white
citizens were DISTINGUISHED. Adyen--s
turers and recently liberated slaves
controlled the government.
THE assessor, under this Repubii-
can law, appointed one regular judge
and one alternate to serve If the reg
ular judge failed to attend. Both tho
judge and the alternate were Repub-
licans. No other party could be rec
ognized, because one judge held the
election.
The assessor, as an election o..
ficer. was given all the power of the
circuit court, and any person distIrD-
ing him in the performance of his du-
ties, or hinderlng any person In go-
ing to or from the place of registra-
ton was deemed guilty of a felony
and punishable with Imprisonment In
the penitentiary for not less than two
nor more than five years.
Think OF It! A county assessor
with power to punish for contempt!
"A political henchman empowered
to send citizen to the penitentiary
for five years on the mere pretenca
that the citizen had annoyed him AZ
an election officer!
Section rs of the Republican cleo
ton law which I am discussing. pro-
vided that no ballot should be so
marked that 1t might be known how
any person voted
This enabled the election judge to
substitute new ballots for those voted.
and thus totally change the result OF
the election without any possibility OF
detection.
Worse than that! The election
Judge was authorized to send any dis
orderly person to Jail for 60 days. or
to fine him 500.
THUS, the men who had made ARR
ansas. the white citizens who ha0
fought in the Confederate army, were
all disfranchised. Ignorant negroes.
totally unfamiliar with political ques-
tions. and but few years befors
given their freedom: political free.
hooters, many Of whom had fled
from justice In other States. became
the governing class. All sorts OF
shames and crimes were committed
and went unpublished. Oppression
prevailed throughout the State. Tor.
ture, robbery, arson, and assassina-
ton more hideous than during the
Civil War, were general.
This oppressive election law con-
tanned humorous provision. SEQ
ton 81 required the Judge, upon OPEN
ing the polls, to open the ballot box
in the presence of the people there
assembled, turn 1t upside down, and
then lock it and keep 1t locked until
all the people had gone.
False bottoms were frequently
used. The ballots actually voted were
distracted and others substituted.
This Republican election law and its
administration became the subject OK
Congressional investigation. Th
chairman of the investigating COM
mittee, himself Republican. report
ed to Congress in part:
at is hardly necessary to add.
after setting forth these facts.
that in the State of Arkansas
elections are but mere farces.
Under the constitution and laws
the registrators can and do dis
franchise just as many as they
please. ALL THE GREAT OF
FICES ARE BOUGHT AND
SOLD.
RAILROAD bonds and levee
bonds, as well as positions In
which Official robbery may be 4
perpetrated, are granted and
awarded to political partisans
until it is the merest mockery to
say that reconstructed Arkansas
has a republican form of govern
ment'
This is the Judgment of great ana
unbiased Republican on the record Of
the Republican party in Arkansas.
When my opponent, Mr.. Roland. de-
nounces election frauds under Demo-
cratic election laws. l point him to
this record OF shame and crime writ
ten in the blood and tears OF an OPP
pressed people, and challenge him to
obliterate it or to mitigate 1t.
THE only answer made by Repue-'
lican speakers is plea OF the statue
OF limitation. 1t does pct avail against
a political party giving no evidence
Of reform. offering no apology FOR its
oppression and failures. The same
man that dominated the Republican
party during reconstruction. controls
it now. He selects Mr.. RemmeI a.
chairman Of the state Central Com
mittee, Mr.. Roland as the nominee for
governor. names the delegates to tho
national convention. writes the State
platform and parcels out postofficeG
and marshalships with unquestioned
authority.
1.-THE Republican party has record