Year: 1862

emitting to do those things they supposed they were doing. A more high handed substitution of the will of one man for that of the expressed win of the people, and more deliberate tramp ling upon legislature WAS never known in the history of 8 republic.

 The General Assembly, almost unanimously, resolved to abolish the present militia system and not to appropriate more money to be squan- dered among family fayorites and kindred.- They passed bill, the leading provisions of which were:

 l. Abolighment of the present militia system, relievine the present officers from further duties and reourinc speedy settlement from them.

 g. Providing fer the enrolment, by civil town shin of all males over eighteen years of age, the number of arms, and for system of drafting when necessary, so as to equaize the number of persons in the military service, according to the popuia- tion.

 j. To provide for auditing accounts by civil officers and not leave it to the control of family paymasters.

 4 To require persons coming into any county of the State to obtain permit, or, failing to do this within five days, to be enrolled as citizen and be subject to military duty

 This bill passed both houses almost unani- mously, and the members fiattered themselves that they had rid the country of a weight that was crushing us to the earth, and doing infinite mischief while it filled the pockets of parasites and [" lite Barnacles." This bill finally passed on Wednesday and was returned to the Senate on Thursday It was enrolled and at noon of that day delivered to the chairman of the com- (l,, upon the application of a spur by the Senate, the chairman of that committee was induced to carry it to the Governor. The General Assem- bly, heretofore, had resolved to adjourn, sine die, on Saturday. This left the Governor two days u which to examine the bill. By the con stitution he is allowed three days, when, if tAe legislature Is in session, and he fails to return it, it becomes law. If that body is not in session, it dies for the want of the fornality of his ap> proval.

 Supposing that the bill, so expressive of the ascertained views of the people, would be sign~ ed, the General Assembly then passed an ap~ propriation bill. We do not know who drew it up but it was either most cargtiHly or most carelesslg worded. The following is 9 copy: AN ACT making appropriations to pay the Confed- crate tax and for other purposes.

 SECTION. l. Be u enacteG by he General ASsGa- t!y q tte State of 4rkaasas. That the following sums of money be, and the same are, hereby, re- spectively appropriated out of any money iii the treasury not otherwise appropriated; l. To pay the Confederate tax. the sum of six hundred and fifty thousand dollars

 ?. To pay for carrying into effect the present military law of this State, the sum of seventy five thousand dollars.

 3. To pay the necessary expenses of cauling the amounts and claims ofthis State against the Conted crate States to be audited under the of the late extra session of the General Assembly of hs State. | "TO provide for the payment Of the war tax i'm posed by act of the Provisional Congress Of the Confederate States approved August tue l9th, | 1861, and for other purposes, the sum of five | thousand dollars.

 1. To pay members and officers and the con tingent expenses of the General Assembly, the sum of twenty thousand dollars. ,. That the sum of five hundred thousand dol lars is hereby appropriated for military purposes

 t. That the appropriations herein made shall be paid in treasury warrants.

 The members supposed that the term pre- sent military law of this State," applied to the system just adopted and not to the old system which they fondly hoped they had aboshed.- The appropriation of $75, ,00O was intended to carry the new law into effect, and the appropria ton of half million for military purposes was made without any restrictions, as 1t was sup posed they were provided in the bill before re ferred to.

 It was well known that the Governor wanted bodyguard to be recognized as commander in. chief of the militia, and to have more money placed at his disposal. To carry out his object he signed the appropriation bill and pocketed the militia bill, so that the appropriation which specifies the 'prese1t' military system, can be construed to refer to the old militia system and not to the intended new one. The General Assembly began to see how completely they might be out maneuyered and passed sup- plemental bill, expressly providing and declar ing that the money appropriated should not be used to pay militia officers under the old system. The Governor very quietly pocleted that also. By Friday night some of the members had left, 50 that no quorum could be had to rescind the resolution to adjourn, and enable them to re- main in session until Tuesday, when the Gov ernor would be compelled to assign his reasons for his action or nOnaction. Thus the people were left powerless and the clearly expressed will of the legislature disregarded, thwarted and trampled under the heel of despot

 live read the journals and votes of the special session, the wise policy and patriotic intentions of the legislature are manifest. If we read the acts, as approved we find they are shown to have done the things they denounced and tried to avoid. There never was like instance of a body of men so placed wrong on the record and made to stultify themselves. Instead of guard ing the expenditure of money, they have been made to vote over half million without any re- strictons Instead of abolishing the present oppressive and costly militia system, they have been made to. recognize it and to appropriate money to carry it on. They were called here to vote money into the pockets of the family and those parasites, who

 "Crook the pregnant hinges of the knee,

 That thrift may follow fawning,

 and to perpetuate militia system, with Rector as commander.in- chief and the family and their lackeys as paymaster generals, brigadier gen> erals, quartermaster generals and God only knows how many more offices, with salaries that would open the eyes of the tax-payers.- They were, also, expected to provide body