ARKANSAS. 



51 



II. F.ii_-lis!i; Associate Supremo Justices, Da- 

 vid \. iiaui M. Harrison; Secretary of 

 Stato, II. II. lli'iiv.-r*; Auditor, Wm. R. Millor; 

 I'. . I. Chun-hill ; Attorney-General, 

 ( \uinuis.-iioiier of State Lauds, 

 . Chancellor, John K. Eakin. 

 jikiilorm adopted was as follows: 



/<, The Constitutional Convention, recently 



.i>led at Little Kock, framed a constitution for 



Arkansas, and the same has been sub- 



. to tli.' people tor ratification on the loth dny 



A. D. 1874 j and 



-M'W, la the opinion of this convention the 

 utioii so submitted is just, liberal, and wise, 

 1 11 secure to the State peace and prosperity, if 

 }>r '|>urly enforced: therefore be it 



Jio#olvd, That the people be, and they are, ear- 

 no>tly requested and advised to use their best efforts 

 to secure the ratification of such constitution, and 

 r<> have the same carried into effect and enforced 

 according to its letter, meaning, and spirit. 



Rttolvtd, That in this movement all persons with- 

 in the State desiring her future welfare, regardless 

 '. issues and differences, are cordially invited 

 to secure the equality of all men before the law, hon- 

 .ud capability in the administration of every 

 public duty, the speedy and just punishment of 

 irime, the purity and freedom of the ballot, 

 tlio advancement and perpetuity of public education, 

 economy in every, department of the government, 

 an 1 the' rightful use of every prerogative of power 

 to the end that the protection of the rights of the 

 whole people shall be complete. 



Re*olctd, That this convention pledges its un- 

 i exertions to secure the adoption of such con- 

 stitution, as well as the election of the persons nom- 

 inated by it for tha different offices on the State ticket. 



A State Convention of the Republican 

 party met in Little Rock, September 15th. 

 There was a strong .feeling among the dele- 

 against the course pursued by Baxter 

 and the Constitutional Convention. Resolu- 

 tions were passed pledging fidelity to the Re- 

 publican party, denying the authority of 

 Elisha Baxter as Governor, pronouncing in fa- 

 vor of Joseph Brooks, and declaring all the acts 

 of Baxter, subsequent to the decision of the 

 Circuit Court, null and void ; and that the 

 Constitutional Convention was a conspiracy of 

 members of the White League, Ku-klux, and 

 leaders of the lost cause, to overthrow the re- 

 constructed government. 



The convention further declared " that 

 the late so-called Constitutional Convention 

 recently assembled, having been called by a 

 revolutionary Legislature, without warrant or 

 authority of law, and in violation of the exist- 

 ing constitution of the State, all acts had and 

 done by that convention, as well as those of 

 the Legislature which called it, are revolution- 

 ary, null, and void, and it would be both im- 

 proper and impolitic for the Republican party 

 to place men in nomination as candidates for 

 any of the offices provided for by said so-called 

 convention." 



And " that the officers, whose election is 

 provided for in the constitution of 1868, and 

 the laws passed thereunder, be nominated and 

 voted for at the general election to be held on 

 Tuesday, the 3d day of November next." 



No nominations, therefore, were made to 



be voted upon at the election of October 18th. 



This resulted in thy success of the Democratic 

 ticket Garland, as candidate for Governor, 

 having received 76,453 votes, and the other 

 candidates about the same number. 



The congressional election was held on the 

 3d of November, and resulted in the choice of 

 Democrats in all of the districts, viz. : I. Lu- 

 cian G. Ganse; II. William F. Siemens; III. 

 William W. Wilshire ; IV. Thomas M. Gunter. 



On the 10th of November the new Legisla- 

 ture assembled, as provided by the new con- 

 stitution, and soon after Governor Garland 

 and the other State officers recently elected 

 entered upon their official duties. Another 

 contest now arose for the possession of the 

 Executive office. V. V. Smith, who had been 

 elected Lieutenant-Governor on the ticket 

 with Baxter in 1872, and had since held that 

 office, issued a proclamation to the people of 

 the State on the 13th of November, in which 

 he declared that the recent Constitutional 

 Convention had not been called in accordance 

 with the supreme law of the State; that its 

 proceedings were therefore illegal, and the 

 constitution which it framed null and void ; 

 that the election held under such constitution 

 was unlawful, and the officers chosen were 

 usurpers ; that the office of Governor had been 

 abandoned by Baxter and usurped by Gar- 

 land; that in 1872 he himself had been elect- 

 ed Lieutenant-Governor for four years; and 

 that, according to the constitution he was en- 

 titled to succeed to the office of Governor, 

 rendered vacant by Baxter. After these decla- 

 rations, and the assertion that " the attempt to 

 seize and the seizing of the legislative, execu- 

 tive, and judicial offices of the State" was 

 " revolution, and nothing but revolution," the 

 proclamation ended as follows : 



Now, therefore, I, V. V. Smith, Lieutenant-Gov- 

 ernor of the State of Arkansas, by virtue of the au- 

 thority vested in the Lieutenant-Governor by the 

 tenth (10th) section of Article VI. (6) of said constitu- 

 tion (Elisha Baxter having abdicated and abandoned 

 the office of Governor), do hereby command all per- 

 sons claiming to derive political authority under and 

 by virtue of the so-called constitution of October 13. 

 1874 ? to desist and retrain from the exercise of all 

 official authority thereunder, and all persons that 

 may have assumed to act under the authority of said 



Ereteuded constitution, whether executive, legisla- 

 itive, or judicial, are hereby commanded to relin- 

 quish and surrender said offices to the persons enti- 

 tled thereto, under the constitution of 1868, and the 

 laws passed thereunder, within five (5) days from 

 the date hereof, or I shall take such measures as 

 will, in my opinion, result in the observance and 

 enforcement or this command. 

 In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my 

 hand, and caused the seal of the State to 

 [L. 8.] be affixed, at Little Rock, this, the 18th 

 dav of November, A. D. 1874. 

 V. V. SMITH, Governor of Arkansas. 

 By the Governor : 



EDWARD WHEELER, Secretary of State. 



On the same day Smith made application to 

 President Grant to guarantee to the State a 

 republican government, and protect it from 

 domestic violence. 



