Year: 1872




repulsve first sight that one draws back In disgust
and hesitates to dip into tho dirty TO learn what
thero is below the surface Open robbery and secret
theft official corruption Of the most shocking descrp-
tion bad men in Office and good men dsfranchised ana
prescribed political morality at 80 low an ebb that rev
traces Of s existence apparent the State Govern
ment q machine for plunderDg the taxpayers and
eniching horde OF vulgar unscrupulous adyen
turers unknown tho people before they felt their grip
upon their throas-ths what sees at first glance
Go little deeper into the sreekDg mass and one hnds
that the fabric Of government Is uphed Dy worse
crimes than that OF public plunder Balotoox stuing
and election frauds Of the gosses kind have been prac
tced thousands Of citizens have been deprived OF tne
right vote by secret edct OF the State Government
directing the registrars to strike OIL their sts 30 many
hun dred names in one county and so many in another
on the night before election and worse STILL assasslna
ton political opponents been resorted TO IN order
10 create excitement turbulence and give excuse for
procaiming martial law, 80 that entire counties
may be terrified and overrun by militia
made up OF desperadoes, and thus Kept from
voting by fear Of violence and massacre. Fraud ana
forco are all the ring OF robbers who rule the state de-
pend upon for proonGation Of their power Lest tho
reader should find this picture OF Arkansas politics so re-
pusive at first glance and should turn away in disgust
from any further examination Of IT, will refrain from
giving detailed description at this time Of the corrupt
and criminal practices OF the ring and the character
and history Of its members reseryDg tho suec for fu-
ture letters and will glance at the composition and
attitude OF parties in the State, and the prospects OF tho
state and National canvass.


THE FOUR STATE ORGANIZATIONS.


There are four political organizations in Arkansas,
known by the following des sgnatiOns: The Minstrel Re
publcns the Brindle-tail Republicans the Liberal Re-
pubcans and the Democrats Each party has It's state
Central Committee and all except the Liberals have
their county and other local organizations The Minstrel
tao he tha rino
is the maserspr They have possession of the offices
and the punder and about year ago bargained with
Grant to support him for reelection, and thus got control
Of the Federal patronage. The Minstrel leaders
are the most corrupt and desperate band
OF adventurers that have fastened upon any Southern
statefar worse than the South Carolina ring because
they possess courage well cupdity and hesitate at
no crime sustain themselves IN power. II they
lose their hold upon the State Government most Of them
Will DO obliged to fec from Justice to escape punish
ment for theft and completely in murder. Their power
lies In the support they receive from the Federal Ad-
mnstration and tho control that support enables them
to exercise the negro vote. They claim to have
from 1000 to $4,000 of tho $1,000 coored voters in the
State and about 10000 white votes Probably not over
5000 whites voting with them, and these Office
holders and others who participate in some way in the
plunder OF the State for the part with few former
Union soldiers living in the mountain districts Of the
northwest whom they have kept with them thus far by
appealing the passions OF the The whole force
black and whie-of the Clayton party, am confident,
does amount to 10000 votes out Of total voting
population OF yet this Insignificant minority
rule the State and expect to carry the coming election
and rerpetuate their power for four years How
they expect to do this will explain hereafter.


BOTH LIBERAL BRANCHES TO UNITE.


The Brndleail Brooks party seeded from the reg
ular Republican organization in 1870 Tie
OF tho two factions were first given in
the campaign OF that year. The Clayton men
say that the Brndles quaueed with them
they did not get large share Of the spOs as
they wanted The Brndes account of the of the
rupture Is that they became shocked at the depths Of
corruption and villdiny into which Clayton
leading the party, and tried to get
rid Of him and his associates but falling in this they
refused act with them any longer. think the latter
the probable explanation for thefrauds and crimes
that tho Brndes have proved upon the Clayton ring
are certainly outrageous enough to shock the most cor
rupt politicians that 1ourshed in Tammany under
the reign Of Tweed The Brindles made Clayton
in the last Winter and tried to have him expelled
but found their efforts useless after Grant openly threw
the power the Administration in his favor They did
not send representatives to the Cincinnati Convention,
but on the 23d OF May they held State Convention re-
pudiated Grant, declared for Greeley and Brown,
and nominated a free State and electoral ticket,
hea ded by Joseph Brooks for Governor who perhaps
the ablest man and best orator in the Republican party
I'm Arkansas Beside Brooks the leaders of the Brinde
party are Senator Rce Congressman Boles j. r. Berry,
State Auditor the Hon. W. Hynes ex-United States
Marshal Catterson, and ex-Distrct-Atorney Whpple
(both removed by Grant, at Cayons dctation, because
they were instrumental in having him indicted for cleo
tion frauds, and many other prominent Republicans.
IL IA impossble to make any accurate estimate OF tho
strength OF this party They making vigorous can
vass have large meetings everywhere, and appear to
have nearly entire honest white Republican element
with them and 10 be making great inroads into the negro
vote They think they will get nearly half OF it. In
this county the large negro membership OF the Greeley
and Brooks Clubs indicates that they have more than
half of the coored their side. The Liberal Re-
publican organization composed OF few men who
Republicans but who have not acted with either the
Minstrel or Brndle-tai parties since the split They
were represented at Cincinnati, and after Greeey's
nomination they organized Central Committee and be-
can correspondence with In different parts Of
the state who indicated desire TO act with
them They are not numerous but are men of unques-
toned character They claim and believe entitled,
10 the credit OF attempting tho formation OF Liberal
party OF honest Republicans opposed to Caytonism and
moderate Democrats far back 1869, year before
churz and Gratz Brown naugurated the Liberal move
ment In Missouri. Naturally they were good deal
chagrned 10 see the Brndles in at the eleventh
hour and steal their thunder without giving them any
recognition. The Brindes have since recognized tho
wisdom of inviting cooperation OF these original Lib
erals and the committees OF both parties are now In con-
sultation with view arranging the State and electoral
tickets in manner satisfactory to all tho opponents of
Grant and Clayton.


THOUSANDS OF DEMOCRATS DIsFRANCHIsED.


The Democrats in Arkansas have unquestionably
clear majority OF at least 10000 all other parties
combined il large number OF their voters were not
disfranchised by the State Constitution. All men who
are DISQUALIFIED by the Fourteenth Amendment from
holding Office prohibited from voting by the Re-
construction acts, by the Arkansas Constitution de-
pryed of the right Of suffrage The class thus disfran
chsed comprises the most intelligent and worthy in
,ba state--men whose intelligence and property gave