32 



ARKANSAS. 



The message was, however, received and 

 ordered to be printed, and at the same time 

 the following resolution was adopted : 



Resolved, That it is the sense of this body that the 

 action of his Excellency Governor Powell Clayton, 

 in voluntarily declining the exalted position to which 

 he was elected by almost a unanimous vote of this 

 State, entitles him to the admiration and hearty 

 gratitude of all loyal and patriotic people, not only in 

 this State, but the United States ; and that his mag- 

 nanimity and nobleness of character in thus acting 

 surpass any thing of which ancient or modern his- 

 tory gives us any account. 



In the House it was simply ordered that the 

 message be published with the report of the 

 impeachment managers which had been sub- 

 mitted the same day. This report was to the 

 effect that the committee had made every 

 effort to obtain information to enable them to 

 prepare articles of impeachment, but had 

 "failed to obtain any facts as data that would 

 warrant them in attempting to prepare par- 

 ticular articles of impeachment against his Ex- 

 cellency Governor Powell Clayton." The re- 

 port closes as follows : 



The committee entered upon the discharge of the 

 duties imposed upon them with a full determination 

 that to the best of their ability they would vindicate 

 the rights of the people ; but, while they are ready 

 and willing to vindicate the people's rights, they are 

 unwilling to prosecute this case further, when they 

 have no grounds to believe that they can, from any 

 proof within the knowledge or reach of the commit- 

 tee, prosecute this case to a successful termination. 



In view of the facts above stated, and the further 

 fact that the people demand at our hands such relief 

 as we are able to give by legislation, the committee 

 would respectfully recommend the adoption of the 

 following resolution : 



Resolved, That further proceedings in the impeach- 

 ment of Powell Clayton be dispensed with, and that 

 the action of this House, heretofore taken, be set 

 aside and cancelled ; that the Senate be informed of 

 the action of this House in the premises, by the Clerk 

 of the House, and that the committee, as the board 

 of managers, be discharged. 



The report was adopted and ordered to be 

 printed, by a vote of 49 to 18, fourteen mem- 

 bers being absent or not voting. At a later 

 period in the session the proceedings against 

 Judge McClure were dismissed. 



All hostile movements being thus. at an end, 

 peaceable measures were adopted for securing 

 the objects originally aimed at by the Govern- 

 or. He induced Mr. Johnson to accept the 

 position of Secretary of State, and thus vacate 

 the office of Lieutenant- Governor. Mr. A. O. 

 Hadley, a friend of Governor Clayton, was 

 then chosen President of the Senate, and thus 

 made successor to the Executive chair in case 

 of vacancy. Matters being thus arranged, Clay- 

 ton was again elected to the Senate of the 

 United States on the 14th of March. The two 

 Houses voted separately, the Senate giving 

 Clayton 18 votes to 7 for other candidates, and 

 the House giving him 42, to 34 for others. On 

 the 18th of March he turned over the books 

 and papers of his office to Mr. Hadley, and 

 proceeded to Washington to take his seat in 

 Congress. 



Besides the time taken up with this affair 

 in the Legislature, a good deal more was con- 

 sumed in the consideration of contested elec- 

 tion cases and the investigation of alleged 

 frauds. The result was generally in favor of 

 the sitting members, although there appeared 

 to be some evidence that illegal registration 

 and voting had occurred to some extent, es- 

 pecially in the counties of Pulaski and Hot 

 Spring. The general legislation of the session 

 was small in amount, though some of it was 

 of considerable importance. Petitions were 

 received almost daily, asking for the removal 

 of political disabilities. The constitution gives 

 to the General Assembly the power to remove 

 the disabilities imposed in that instrument, 

 provided, "the General Assembly shall have 

 no power to remove the disabilities of any 

 person embraced in the aforesaid subdivisions 

 who, after the adoption of this constitution 

 by this convention, persists in opposing the 

 acts of Congress and reconstruction there- 

 under." This proviso caused much hesitation 

 and discussion, but several bills were passed 

 affording relief in Individual cases, and finally, 

 toward the close of the session, a bill was 

 passed containing several hundred names of 

 persons whose disabilities were thereby re- 

 moved. Several resolutions had also been 

 introduced in favor of memorializing Congress 

 for a removal of the disabilities imposed by 

 the fourteenth amendment of the Federal 

 Constitution. These were referred to a com- 

 mittee from which two reports were made, 

 one merely instructing the Senators and Rep- 

 resentatives of the State in Congress to vote 

 for a bill for the removal of disabilities, and 

 the other submitting the following resolution : 



Whereas, Comity and friendly relations exist be- 

 tween us and the other States of the Union, and our 

 relations with the Federal Government are harmo- 

 nious and satisfactory ; law and order, peace and 

 security, reign throughout our borders, and tinder 

 the benign influence of our free institutions, and the 

 faithful enforcement of the laws, old feuds are rapidly 

 dying out ? old animosities are being forgotten, and 

 old prejudices eradicated ; therefore 



Be it resolved by the General Assembly of the State of 

 Arkansas, That this General Assembly doth respect- 

 fully ask the Congressmen of the United States to 

 remove all political disabilities from the citizens of 

 this State, imposed upon them by the fourteenth 

 amendment to the Constitution of the United States ; 

 and that our Senators and Eepresentatives be re- 

 quested to use all laudable efforts to carry this reso- 

 lution into effect. 



This passed in the lower House by a vote of 

 51 to 9, twenty -two members being absent or 

 not voting. 



An amendment of the State constitution on 

 the subject of the elective franchise was also 

 proposed, a bill for the purpose passing both 

 Houses by a decided majority. In order to be- 

 come part of the constitution, it must be 

 passed by both Houses of the next Legislature, 

 and be ratified by a vote of the people. If 

 adopted, it is to be known as article eight, and 

 is as follows : 



