ARKANSAS. 



IllADQUABTIU SVB-DltTEIOT OF ARKANSAS, I 



LITTLE ROCK, AKB., tfovtmber 9, 1847. ) 



ll.ii.i.y SPRINGS, tTorember 8, 1867. 

 General C. U. Smit/t. Commanding: 



i ho ii.mil- or names of any official or other 



i.f-ii or may make inflammatory 

 '.'ivi'dincn, ni- en hinder tbo public peace 



iting one class or color against another. Con- 



mr,;. indium and nili.-r officers for facts, and 

 fiililMi this i. ],'_TU!n. I desire to make prompt ar- 



.nul trial of such offend' 



Tini' 1 and place of offence, and name of witnesses, 

 -hou!d a'-coinpiiny the charge. (Signed) 

 K. (>. <'. dljli, lir.-vrt M.ijor-General Commanding. 



The result of the election was in favor of a 

 r. invention, but the votes showed that only 

 two-thirds of the registered voters had 

 to the polls. The majority for the con- 

 vention was about 14,000. Nearly all the dele- 

 gates elected to the convention were Radicals. 



On December 2d, a public meeting was held 

 in Little Hock "to initiate a united movement 

 on the part of the white people of the State 

 apiin-t negro supremacy, and to preserve the 

 principles of tlie national Constitution by co- 

 operation with the Democratic party of the 

 Union." A State Central Committee was 

 formed, who subsequently issued an address to 

 the people, in which they said : " That a very 

 large majority of the registered voters of the 

 State are opposed to the adoption of a consti- 

 tution which confers the elective franchise 

 upon a class of persons who have just emerged 

 iViiiu slavery, and are in every respect unfit to 

 be intrusted with so high a privilege, and the 

 practical operation of which would have the 

 effect to give the control of the State govern- 

 ment to that class, no truthful man will deny. 

 That such majority will vote against a consti- 

 tution embracing a provision of that kind, if 

 they vote at all, is equally certain. That the 

 people of this whole country those whose 

 fathers established the Government and have 

 made the American name respectable and re- 

 spected everywhere have determined that 

 tliU shall be a white man's government, will 

 not bo questioned. In view of the astonishing 

 results of the recent elections in different por- 

 tions of the Union, the voices of the Demo- 

 cratic and Conservative masses of the North 

 call upon us now to assist in defeating the at- 

 tempt of radicalism to destroy our old consti- 

 tutional government and set up in its place one 

 in which others than white men shall have 

 the controlling influence. We must heartily 

 respond to that call." The result of this move- 

 ment was not manifested until the next year. 



On December 5th General Ord issued an- 

 other order, stating that the question for a con- 

 vention had received a majority of votes ; and 

 that such convention would be held at Little 

 Rock, on Tuesday, January 7, 1868 ; and that 

 a similar convention would assemble at the 

 same time at Jackson, for the State of Missis- 

 sippi. Irregularities in the conduct of the 

 election in certain precincts having been re- 

 ported, the vote in those precincts was sus- 

 pended, to await official investigation. 



Another order established boards of arbitra- 

 tion to adjust the claim of laborers ami otlu-r* 

 upon the crop of the year in any loraliti 



Another order informed the collectors of 

 r. \.-iiiie for the year 1867, "that they would 

 be required to make n-tnrns in accordance with 

 orders from headquarters in special cases, or 

 they would be immcdiai'-ly proceeded against. 

 And if the State courts failed to take cognizance 

 of such offences', they would be tried by mili- 

 tary commission. No further time would bo 

 given for the payment of taxes, or for settlement 

 of revenue by the collectors, than that pre- 

 scribed by law." 



Another order forbade all persons, not in the 

 Federal military service, and not properly en- 

 gaged in the execution of the laws, from carry- 

 ing concealed weapons, under a penalty of a 

 forfeiture of the weapons and of being tried 

 and punished by military commission, for dis- 

 turbing the public peace. Justices of peace, 

 magistrates, and sheriffs were authorized and 

 directed to execute the order, go far as to ar- 

 rest and confine the offenders and seize the 

 weapons. It was supposed this was prompted 

 by the knowledge that the freedmen were all 

 armed throughout the district. 



Another order was issued, on December 12th, 

 directing that whenever a citizen was arrested 

 by the military authorities, he should be fur- 

 nished with a copy of the charges against him, 

 prior to his arraignment for trial ; and further, 

 that writs of habeas corpus issued by United 

 States courts should in all cases be obeyed and 

 respected. 



In December a petition was addressed to 

 General Ord by the grand jury, judicial offi- 

 cers, and citizens of Chicot county, asking for 

 his protection. The petition stated as fol- 

 lows: 



That the colored population of said county is 

 largely disproportioned to the white population, 

 constituting nine-tenths of the whole; that the re- 

 sult of the present year's operations is the failure of 

 the freedmen to make provisions to feed them and 

 their families until the first of January nexf, and 

 the utter ruin of the planting interest not one in 

 ten of our planters will be able again to renew plant- 

 ing as formerly, and cannot feed or employ the 

 freedmen and their families now depending upon 

 them for support ; that the freedmen, as a general 

 thing, throughout the county, are already depredat- 

 ing upon our stock, and the agent of the Freedmen's 

 Bureau is unable to present their depredations, and 

 by the first of February we believe they will nearly 

 have consumed all of our stock, unless some means 

 can be devised for supplying their wants. 



Your petitioners further show that a collision be- 

 tween the races is apprehended as the result of 

 their depredations on stock and other property, a 

 contingency which your petitioners most earnestly 

 desire to avoid. 



In consideration of the foregoing, your petitioners 

 earnestly request that you win order a company of 

 troops, under an efficient officer, to our county, for 

 the protection of our families and property, and that 

 you will use your official influence to procure neces- 

 sary food for destitute colored families in our 

 county, and that you will give us all the aid within 

 your power toward obviating the troubles antici- 

 pated. 



