54 



ARKANSAS. 



tinuing as hereinafter prescribed, until completed, to 

 determine whether conventions shall be held, "for 

 the purpose of establishing constitutions and ciril 

 governments for the States loyal to the Union," and, 

 in case a majority of the votes cast are in favor 

 thereof, for delegates thereto. 



2. In order to secure as nearly as possible an ex- 

 pression of the voice of the people, the election will 

 be held at each precinct of every county of the 

 States, in the district, and as required by law un- 

 der the supervision of the county Boards of Regis- 

 tration. The method of conducting the election in 

 each county will be as follows : Immediately upon 

 receipt of this order each board of registrars will 

 meet divide the whole number of election precincts 

 of their respective counties into three portions as 

 nearly equal in number as possible, and assign one 

 of the shares thus made to each registrar, who will 

 be responsible for the proper conduct of the 

 election therein. Thereupon each registrar will 

 appoint a judge and clerk of election, who, with him- 

 self, will constitute the " commissioners of election," 

 for all the precincts of his district. Each registrar 

 will provide himself with a ballot-box, with lock and 

 key, and of sufficient size to contain the votes of all 

 the registered voters in his largest precinct. Each 

 registrar will give full and timely notice throughout 

 his district, of the day of election in each precinct, 

 so that he, with his judge and clerk, can proceed 

 from precinct to precinct of his district, and hold 

 election on consecutive days when the distance be- 

 tween precincts will permit with a view to the early 

 completion of the voting. The election will be by 

 ballot, and will be conducted in all details, not herein 

 prescribed, according to the customs heretofore in 

 use in respective States. Each ballot will have writ- 

 ten or printed upon it, " For a Convention," or 

 "Against a Convention," and in addition the correct 

 name (or names) of the delegate (or delegates) voted 

 for. Each voter, in offering his ballot, must exhibit 

 his certificate of registry, across the face of which 

 the clerk of election will write his name in red ink, 

 to indicate that a vote has been cast upon that cer- 

 tificate at the same time the registrar will check off 

 the voter's name on the precinct book, serving as 

 the "poll book." The polls will be opened at 10 

 o'clock A. M., at each precinct, and will be kept con- 

 tinuously open until sunset, at which time the polls 

 will be closed, the ballot-box opened, votes counted 

 by the commissioners, and a written return thereof, 

 under oath of the commissioners, immediately made 

 to these headquarters, in duplicate. The votes cast 

 will then be securely enclosed and forwarded by 

 mail to the assistant adjutant-general at these head"- 

 quarters, with a letter of transmittal, setting forth 

 the number of votes cast for, and the number against 

 the convention, which letter will be witnessed by the 

 deputy sheriff present, in accordance with the re- 

 quirements of paragraph 5 of this order. (Special 

 instructions will be given hereafter with regard to 

 the voting of some of the more populous precincts, 

 in which it would be difficult to take the entire vote 

 by the above method in one day.) 



3. Judges and clerks of election will be selected 

 by registrars, preferably from among the residents of 

 their respective districts, but if they cannot be ob- 

 tained therein competent and qualified under the 

 law, then from among the residents of the county, 

 and if not attainable in the county, then from the 

 State at large ; they are required to take and sub- 

 scribe to the oath of office prescribed by the Act of 

 Congress of July 2, 1862, which oath may be admin- 

 istered by the registrar. The oaths, properly sub- 

 scribed, will be forwarded immediately for file in the 

 office of the assistant adjutant-general at these 

 headquarters. 



The pay of these officers will be six dollars 

 per diem, for each day actually employed on their 

 legitimate duty, and their actual expense of trans- 

 portation within their district will be reimbursed. 



4. Commencing fourteen days before the election, 

 Boards of Registrars will, after having given reasona- 

 ble public notice of the time and place thereof, revise, 

 for a period of five days, the registration lists, and, 

 upon being satisfied that any person not entitled 

 thereto has been registered, will strike the name of 

 such person from the lists, and such person shall not 

 be allowed to vote. The boards will also, during the 

 same period, add to the registry the names of all 

 persons who at that time possess the qualifications 

 required by law, and who have not been already 

 registered. All changes made in the lists of regis- 

 tered voters will be immediately reported to these 

 headquarters. 



5. The sheriff of each county is made responsible 

 for the preservation of good order, and the perfect 

 freedom of the ballot at the various election precincts 

 in his county. To this end he will appoint a deputy 

 who shall be duly qualfied under the laws of his 

 State for each precinct in the county, who will be 

 required to be present at the place of voting during 

 the whole time the election is being held. The said 

 deputies will promptly and fully obey every demand, 

 made upon their official services by the commission- 

 ers of election, in furtherance of good order during 

 the election, under penalty of immediate arrest and 

 trial by military commission. Sheriffs, in making 

 their appointments, will exercise great care to select 

 men whom they know to be in every way able to 

 serve. The persons thus selected are required to 

 accept; no excuse will be taken for failure to 

 serve. 



6. As an additional measure for securing the 

 purity of the election, such registrar, judge, and 

 clerk, is hereby clothed with all the functions of a 

 civil executive officer, is empowered to make arrests, 

 and authorized to perform all duties appertaining to 

 such officers under the laws of the States, during the 

 days of election. 



f. At every precinct during the election, all public 

 bar-rooms, saloons or other places at which intoxicat- 

 ing or malt-liquor is sold at retail will be closed from 

 5 o'clock A. M. until 10 o'clock p. si. Should any 

 infraction of this order in this respect come to the 

 knowledge of the commissioners of election, or the 

 deputy sheriff in attendance, they will immediately 

 cause the arrest of the offending party, or parties, 

 and the closing of his or their place of business. 

 All parties so arrested will be placed under bonds, 

 of not less than one hundred dollars, to appear 

 for trial when required by proper authority, or, in 

 case of failure to give the required bond, will be 

 held in arrest to await the action of the general com- 

 manding. 



8. Should violence or fraud be perpetrated at the 

 election in any precinct, the general commanding 

 will exercise to the fullest extent the power vested 

 in him for the prompt punishment of offenders, and 

 the election will be held over again under the pro- 

 tection of United States troops. 



9. No registrar, judge, or clerk will be permitted to 

 become a candidate for office at the election for 

 which he serves as commissioner. 



10. When the election returns are received from 

 all the counties, the result of the election will be 

 made known, and in case the majority of the legal 

 votes cast are in faror of a'convention, the names of 

 the delegates elected thereto will be officially an- 

 nounced, and further orders published assembling 

 the convention. 



By command of Brevet Major-General ORD. 



0. D. GREENE, Assistant Adjutant General. 



An order of September 18th stated that the 

 oath required of members of the convention 

 would be the same as that required by regis- 

 trars. 



On November 8th the following order was 

 issued : 



