ARGENTINE REPUBLIC. 



ARKANSAS. 



35 



productive investments, or when the consumption 

 of imports is excessive, the only alternative is to in- 

 crease labor and production, and lessen, at the same 

 time, all sorts of expenditure, as well public as pri- 

 vate. Our people now begin to open their eyes to 

 this, and the adoption of a general system of econo- 

 my is visible in the great reduction of the imports 

 (for the past and current year). 



I cannot perceive a single cloud on any side of our 

 horizon. Our home policy is one of clemency and 

 reconstruction ; and our policy, as regards the rest 

 of America, is one of peace. 



The only negotiations of importance in the 

 Foreign Department were those with Brazil, 

 which may be succinctly related as follows : 



On .April 24th, Dr. Tejedor, minister plenipoten- 

 tiary from the Argentine Kepublic to Brazil, was 

 received in official audience by the Emperor Dom 

 Pedro II., for the formal presentation of his creden- 

 tials. Dr. Tejedor remarked in his address that, 

 npon the friendly relations between the empire and 

 the republic depend not only the commercial pros- 

 perity and the civilization of the Atlantic states of 

 South America, but the maintenance of peace in the 

 Platine republics ; and that perhaps the only ob- 

 stacle to the unification of Brazilian and Argentine 

 policy was the question of limits still pending with 

 Paraguay and the military occupation of its terri- 

 tory. 



A friendly solution of this vexed question seemed 

 probable at the commencement of the negotiations, 

 and was, for a time, confidently expected ; but the 

 Argentine envoy returned home before July, with- 

 out^ having effected any appreciable change in the 

 position of aifairs. The Brazilian negotiators were 

 the Viscounts do Rio Branco and de Carvelhas. 



The importance, in a strategic point of view, 

 of the island of Martin Garcia, situated at the 

 head of the Rio de la Plata, near the conflu- 

 ence of the Parana and Uruguay, and com- 

 manding the entrances to those great fluvial 

 arteries, is well known. But as that island 

 has of late heen a snbject of no little discus- 

 sion, particularly in the European press, whose 

 interpretations of Argentine policy appear to 

 conflict, not only with Argentine professions, 

 but with facts, the following extract from a 

 speech, delivered by President Avellaneda in 

 September last, on the occasion of the inaugu- 

 ration of the submarine cable between the 

 national capital and the island, may not be 

 found inopportune in this place : 



I inaugurate the submarine telegraph which unites 

 the city of Buenos Ayres to the island of Martin 

 Garcia. You know, gentlemen, he who arrives from 

 Europe or from the United States sees for the first 

 time floating the. Argentine flag, with its glorious 

 colors. It is there to announce free labor and gener- 

 ous hospitality, and to accord a welcome in the name 

 of fraternal institutions to the people of all nations. 

 May the new telegraph serve to transmit these sal- 

 utations of a kind reception, which offers a new 

 country to those who seek a new world. The isl- 

 and of Martin Garcia is the key of our rivers, not 

 the key which Dr. Francia forged for Paraguay with 

 the tools of colonization, in mixing up with the 

 cautious superstitions of the Indians the narrow 

 policy of his dominating retrogression. It is the 



bellion, and some of the largest real-estate holders became 

 bankrupt, or insolvent debtors. The Importing community 

 suffered more than any other, for, while they had millions of 

 outstanding debts in the hands of the dealers, these, having 

 their capital for the most part engaged in real estate which 

 they were unable to realize upon, could not pay, and many of 

 the oldest importing houses were forced to suspend. V. 



key which opens and not that which closes, and 

 which, handled on a day memorable by the expan- 

 sive spirit of human progress ? has consecrated the 

 universal access of our great rivers, declaring them 

 free as our seas, and belonging to the common do- 

 main of nations. I inaugurate the telegraph at Mar- 

 tin Garcia under the auspices of that imprescriptible 

 declaration. May it always remain attached to the 

 destinies of these Platine waters ! I pray that each 

 of these transmissions may identify itself with the 

 announcement of new immigrants, and with fresh 

 progress arriving at our shores, without ever sep- 

 arating them, as it is impossible to detach from the 

 waves of the ocean the torrents which supply it. 



ARIZONA. See ANNUAL CYCLOPAEDIA for 

 18T4. 



ARKANSAS. There has been a very peace- 

 ful state of affairs in Arkansas during the year. 

 Early in January a document was submitted 

 in the United States Senate signed by 195 

 persons calling themselves "soldiers of the 

 late Union Army," and setting forth the ex- 

 istence of outrages and intimidations which 

 put their lives in constant peril. As soon as 

 this became known in the State, Governor Gar- 

 land brought these persons before the grand- 

 jury to substantiate their declarations and 

 furnish evidence for the indictment, under the 

 "Ku-klux"law of 1869, of any persons con- 

 nected with leagues and combinations which 

 disturbed the peace of the community or en- 

 dangered the lives of citizens. He also sub- 

 mitted a special message to the Legislature, 

 then in session, in which he said : 



If there is terrorism or any denial of right to any 

 person in this State under this government, or if 

 there is a White League in this State, or any similar 

 or kindred organization, I do not know it, and I do 

 not believe such to be the case. But to ascertain 

 this definitely, and assure protection to those who 

 say they do believe these things, I have requested 

 the prosecuting attorney of this circuit to have these 

 persons brought before the grand-jury now in ses- 

 sion, to testify fully about them, with the intention. 

 if there is power in this government, to break up all 

 such organizations, and to punish all parties belong- 

 ing to them, as well as all parties who may threaten 

 or try to alarm citizens of the State, or to deprive 

 them of any right. The prosecuting attorney has 

 assured me he will at once aiford every facility to 

 those persons who believe this state of affairs exists, 

 to appear before the grand-jury and establish it ; 

 and if it does, he will spare no efforts to suppress 

 it, and to bring to immediate and severe punish- 

 ment those who are concerned in it. 



I call your attention to these matters, that you 

 may consider what legislation is necessary to secure 

 the end indicated here. 



If the act of March 13, 1862, in relation to " Ku- 

 klux," which is still a law, is not broad enough, I 

 would advise that it be so amended, changed, or 

 modified, as to meet the necessities of the case. The 

 most stringent law you can pass to suppress and put 

 an end to all such evils, if they exist, will meet with 

 my ready and unqualified indorsement. 



Under the liberal, just, and fair constitution we 

 now have, we want no man in the State to be afraid, 

 or to carry his life in his hand, but all must be free 

 and unembarrassed, that they may remain long in 

 the land, and do well and prosper. 



No evidence was furnished npon which any 

 indictment could be found, and no further legis- 

 lation was found necessary. Meantime an in- 

 vestigating committee from Congress had been 



