26 



ARKANSAS. 



8. They have increased taxation to an enormous 

 extent, and, at the same time, increased our State 

 indebtedness t'> millions, without any corresponding 

 benefit, to the people of the State. 



4. They have, whore in their power, prostituted 

 the courts of the State until they have become the 

 engines of injustice and political oppression. They 

 have required from the officers oi the School De- 

 partment, political services of a most disgraceful 

 character, and have thereby seriously injured the 

 public-school system of the State. 



5. They have fraudulently and corruptly assumed 

 patronage which did not belong to them, and have 

 most .shamelessly abused the patronage intrusted to 

 them by the people ; therefore, we hold it to be the 

 duty of all friends of honest and just government to 

 use all fair and honorable means to drive the mis- 

 creants from office : therefore, be it 



Resolved, That we are in favor of " universal suf- 

 frage, universal amnesty, and honest men for offi- 

 cers." 



2. That we are in favor of such legislation as will 

 secure to the people an honest election, and a full, 

 fair, ami free, expression at the ballot-box. 



3. That we are in favor of a reduction of taxation 

 to the actual amount necessary to an honest and 

 economical administration of the government. 



4. That we are in favor of sucn a reform in the 

 courts of the Stale as will make them respectable, 

 inspire confidence in them as legal tribunals, whoro 

 equal and exact justice will be awarded to all men, 

 irrespective of political opinions or personal ani- 

 mosities. 



5. That we are opposed to the enormous appoint- 

 ing power now exercised by the Governor of the 

 State, and are in favor of all officers being elected by 

 the people, whom they are to serve. 



0. That wo are in favor ami demand that the pub- 

 lic-school system l>e managed in the interest of edu- 

 cation, rather than a political machine. 



7. That we are opposed to the present corrupt 

 management of the finances of the State, by which it 

 is necessary to issue scrip at a discount, whereby the 

 burden of taxation is greatly increased. 



8. That wo are in favor of civil as against military 

 government, and unqualifiedly condemn the use of 

 the, military power in times of peace to carry elec- 

 tions against the choice of a majority of the legal 



9. That we are in favor of setting apart the lands 

 of the State as homesteads to actual settlors, instead 

 of having them legislated away to corrupt rings of 

 State officials. 



10. We are in favor of so adjusting the salaries of 

 State, county, and municipal 'officers, as to secure a 

 fair but not exorbitant compensation. 



11. We are in favor of changing the management 

 of the State penitentiary, which now costs the State 

 about $200,000 per annum, so as to make it as near 

 self-sustaining as possible, and the enormous ex- 

 pense of t he, public, printing, which costs about $150,- 

 o 10 per jrear, should bo reduced to a reasonable com- 

 pensation for such service. 



12. That we oppose the repudiation of every hon- 

 :>t, but we are equally determined to shield the 



State, against all pretended debts imposed upon our 

 people by the fraudulent issue of levee and railroad 

 bonds. 



13. That all officers nominated at this convention, 

 or at county or district conventions, if elected, will 

 be. held to a strict accountability to the people for 

 their official aots. 



11. That, we reiterate our relentless adherence to 

 the '/rent central doctrine of republicanism that all 

 men are created IV.'. ;md equal, and are of ri^ht en- 

 title. 1 to equality of civil and political rights before 

 the law, regardless of race, color, condition, or re- 

 ligious belief; and we declare ourselves in favor of 

 the removal of civil and political disabib 1 



Tho following additional resolutions occa- 



sioned some discussion, but were adopted by a 

 large majority : 



And whereas. A large number of persons were in- 

 dicted in the 1 ederal courts in this State for a most 

 flagrant violation of the election laws, and President 

 Grantj upon the application, and in the interest of 

 such indicted criminals and their accessories, sus- 

 pended honest and efficient officers, for no other rea- 

 son than that they would rigorously enforce the law, 

 and allowed and permitted such indicted criminals to 

 designate and name the marshal to select the jury by 

 which they were to bo tried, and the attorney to 

 prosecute them for such offences, whereby the crim- 

 inals were turned loose without punishment, and the 

 law trampled under foot, and fraud and crime en- 

 couraged, and has seen fit to take sides with and sup- 

 port and sustain the corrupt State-house ring in their 

 iniquities against the people ; and whereas, it is now 

 evident that President Grant will receive the nom- 

 ination for President by tho convention of office- 

 holders to be held in Philadelphia : therefore, be it 



Resolved, That we emphatically condemn the 

 course of the President, in his intermeddling with 

 Arkansas affairs in the interest of crime and disorder, 

 and decline to send delegates to the Philadelphia 

 Convention. 



And whereas, Horace Greeley and B. Gratz Brown 

 are now before the American people as Republican 

 candidates for President and Vice-President, upon a 

 platform which wo heartily approve, and that they 

 are men of unquestioned ability, integrity, and pat- 

 riotism, and have for many years been the earnest 

 and consistent advocates and champions of republi- 

 canism and universal freedom : therefore, be it 



Resolved, That wo most cordially indorse tho nom- 

 ination of Horace Greeley and B. Gratz Brown, and 

 the platform upon which they stand, and pledge 

 ourselves to cooperate with the friends of civil gov- 

 ernment and reform throughout the land in secur- 

 ing their election ; therefore, to the end that a free 

 Cople may be disenthralled from the unjust and un- 

 vful burdens and calamities which are imposed 

 upon them, we cordially invite all tho friends of free 

 government, law, order, and justice, to cooperate 

 with us in this fearful but determined conflict which 

 a wronged and a robbed people are waging against 

 corrupt and despotic rulers, under Grecley'srallyin^- 

 cry of "honest men for office, and thieves to tho 

 rear." 



The Liberal Republican Convention, which 

 met on the 18th of June, reaffirmed the plat- 

 form of 1869, ratified the action of the Nation- 

 al Convention at Cincinnati, declared it the 

 especial duty of the party to combine all the 

 elements opposed to the existing State and 

 national administrations, and adopted the fol- 

 lowing resolutions regarding nominations : 



Resolved, That the question of nominations for 

 State and electoral tickets bo referred to the Stato 

 Central Executive Committee, with full power to nom- 

 inate, to receive resignations, and to fill vacancies ; 

 and that they bo authorized and instructed, on or be- 

 fore the first day of October next, to assist and con- 

 cur in the arrangement of a presidential electoral 

 ticket, so as to unite the votes of all the support- 

 ers in the State, of the nomination of Greeley and 

 Brown. 



The Democratic Convention of the 19th of 

 June, after a stormy session of three days, ac- 

 cepted the nominations and platform of May 

 22d, in adopting the following resolutions: 



Whereas, It appears to us, tho representatives of 

 the Conservative and Democratic party of Arkansas 

 in convention assembled, that tho. majority of men 

 constituting the present Stato administration have 

 proved themselves unworthy tho high trust rcpos.exl 



