Rensselaer Republican, Volume 21, Number 6, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 October 1888 — ARKANSAS OUTRAGES. [ARTICLE]

ARKANSAS OUTRAGES.

Democrats Setae and Destroy a Bat-; lot -Box at Mid-Day. The Iteign of Terror In Union-Sixteen ‘ Xegr..** Keportrd *' Killed—Refuge* Flocking let© Camden— Bow Ak»i»-a» County Wna .CaiHed—-lia j„ t Burning In Tittle IIWH- -O her Political Notes. Little B«efc qiyfrg p rmn A reign of terror has succeeded the the election outrages in. Union County, Meager reports of the deplorable condition pf affairs there trarve been coming for several days but not until this morning was a detailed account obtainable. Union is in the extreme South* rn tier of counties. It is about midway between the Mississippi River and the Texas line. El Dorado is the county seat. There is neither railroad nor telegraph ind 'nion.* Camden and Magnola, the nearest railroajLpoHitH? arelnnsdjoining counties. '"The statement of what lias occurred, in Union was obtained from responsible whiteonnty, who have

-just come from there. ''~TSi..we«di befe** the election the Democrats yi9ited_£nd Wrecked the printing office from ,'wtuclT the Union Labor newspaper had been issued up tot hat time. On the Saturday night before the election they called upon the leading colored men who were going to vote for Norwood, and warned each one that it he presisted in voting on Monday he would be whipped or killed. To show that they were in earnest the Democrats took out twenty-five negroes,representing nearly all of the precincts in the county, and flogged them. On Sunday they went to a colored church, killed one negro and wounded several. At I) o’clock. Monday morning 100 white men armed with guns and pistols, assembled at El Dorado, the county seat, to direct the election. By the time the polls opened tfeey had killed one negro and whipped another so severely that tie will probably die. Whenever a negro caTnein sight they would ride up to him and punch him withfa gun and warn him off with insulting This kind of work wrs kept up all day. When It was over the white men who had been witnesses to the outrages, and were known to oppose such things, were visited and at the muzzle of a gun were made to promise that they would not prosecute any of the perpetrators. The candidates on the opposite tickets were obliged to pledge themselves not to make contests for the offices out of which they had been defrauded by such tactics. El Dorado has about 000 votes. With a fair election the precinct would have given 100 majority for Norwood,’ but the situation was one that neither white men nor negroes on that side voted. No votes were cast save such as the Democrats put in the box. In Champagnolle Precinct, State militia, which had been organized after the campaign opened, went armed to the pplls and formed two lines. Eyery voter had to march up to the polls between the ranks of armed.jnqp. This was one of the precincts which would have given Norwood a large majority. About noon the Norwood ticket had, according to the tally, 102 aheiad of the Democratic ticket. At this time three men with their heads covered with bandana masks marched uptojtbe polls between the two Tines of -armed men, selzetD 'dig~ ballot-box, marched back between the militia ranks and proceeded to destroy, the box and its contents, no one molesting them. When the bandana knklux first laM hold of the box at the polling place, one of the judges of election resisted. The kuklux drew a pistol, put it to the judge’s quieted him. When the masked men got beyond the militia lines they fired their guns and proceeded to destroy the box. ..After this episode the Democrats opened another poll, at which only Democrats voted. That night Mr. Cook, a merthe leading citizens of Campagnolla, who Had been an avowed supporter of Norwood, had his store and all his goods burned. A majority of 500 were given'Eagle, where there -yrould- haver been a majority of at least 200 for Norwood with a.Bee'BanoTlMia'a"falFd6ißstr The cry of “negro domination”can not be raised in defense of these gross outrages in Union. Three-fourths of the people in that county „ are white. The most of the Norwood leaders were white mem who served in the Confederate armv and until recently voted the Democratic ticket.

Another Union county white man, who is here trying wo make arrangements to leave there permanently, says: “Every road to El Dorado was guarded with armed men orr ejection day. As the negroes came in they were met and driven back. Unless they struck a trot homeward they were shot or whipped. Gordon Gray was made to pull of his shirt, and was then pounded with the guns and prodded with the v bayonets. He is in bed now - . It. was<reporte-d when ! left the county that sixteen persons had been killed since Sunday evening. You never saw so many scared people. A negro was killed at' Lisbon on election day. At Champagnolle the ballot-box was stolen by Democrats at noon. At El Dorado on election day the square was a regular arsenal, and • a stray shot fired about noon started the popping on all sides. The negroes ara threatening to turn the stoek into fields and move away from the county, leaving the crops ungathered. I learned as I came through Qamden that there were many refngee negroes there from Union.” What has been given about the condition of things in Union represents the statements of no less than three responsible white citizens of the county. 11. corroborative evidence is desired, it may be found in the letter received here to-day from a white Republican in Southwestern Arkansas, he writes’: •“I see by the papers that the Deinocrats, as usual, resorted to their last trick —that is, to steal the ballot-box after they have run the a cussed set of fools we seenrto be, ever, to hope to elect a man in this State. If I was a disbeliever in the doctrine of future rewards and punishment I should. ' certainly change my opinion, for I believe some punishment will be meted out to these Democratic thieves and murderers, and nothing short of eternal punishment and damnation will ever satisfy the Almighty in their cases. “I see yon have a Globe Democrat reporter in your city. Can not you get him to go down to Union county in disguise and find out the facts about, the late election? I say go in disguise, for were he known to be a reporter his life would be in danger. The tenth part of the diabolical cruelty and rascality in

that county Las, not been told. I saw a letter from the re stating th Bt-srxteetrcob ored men had been killed in thaWcomity, dozons more shot and whippedpdJaird man) and ! Millner and Smith (merchants), all white, run out of the county; ballot-boxes stolen, fete. It is reported that only 3 votes (opposition | were cast in El Dorado Township. No wonder the Democrats carry the county. ~~~? ' “On Tuesday evening I saw three colored men from Union county. Thev said a parfyrof thirty had started for their homes, and that ..they kept the woods until within seven miles of Cam-" den, as they understood they were to be headed Off and made to return. These three did not know what had become of the remainder, but I presume they all got there as a great m ny came in the next day. They leave their families, their stock and their crops, saying they will never go back, but will hunt work and then send for their families. The Cdmden Beacon, a Democratic paper, has the following local. ‘Many Negroes passed through this week from Union county. Some said they were going to Jefferson county, others' stopped in this CPUPtw’.,„—

“The above tells the tale. The paper does not say why they left, but we all know they are afraid of their lives, and even when, going into Camden they hunt the. by-ways and paths and dare not keep the main streets. I forgot to add that Cook, a merchant at Champagnolle and a reform Democrat, had his store burned during the troubles.” A dispatch to the Gazette, the organ of the Democratic party, from Arkansas county,'says: “Last night we had the disgraceful scene of eighty heavily-armed men escorting the ballot box in from Prairie township. They swore thev would have the stolen box of Old River counted or have blood, but when they saw the determined stand of the Democrats they failed to put their threat into execution. The official count to-day gives Eagle a majority of 232 over Norwood. The whole State and county Democratic ti cket-are-eleeted-by-a -small majority, this by leaving out Old River township, which is strongly Wheeler. The Wheelers will contest. Bricked, Democrat, received a majority of 43 over Langston, Republican, in this county, for State Senator. Everything is quiet.” The fate of the ballot box from Old River precinct was told in recent dispatches to the Globe-z Democrat, but the important bearing the outrage would have upon the result in that county was not known at the time. Mr. T. L. Krichr started to DeWitt, the county-seat to deliver the Old River ballot box. On the way he was stopped by three masked men who took the ballot box from him and then permitted him to go. The return has not been heard from since. And now it turns out that by the robbery of the Old River township return the Democrats carry Arkansas county, just ashy the stealing of the nine township returns at Little Rock they are able to show a majority for all but one of the candidatas on their ticket. A letter from De Witt says that the canvass of the Arkansas county returns, without Old River, gives Democratic majorities ranging from 116 to 150. In the Old River box the Republicans Had majorities ranging from 310 to 324. There is a largo Republican and Wheeler vote in Arkansas county. The plea of “negro domination” cannot be raised to palliate the crime of ballot-box robbery there. ' Mr. M. P. Venable, a reputable citizen of Paris, Ark., furnishes a corrected ver-. si on of the trouble in Logan county on election day. The first report, telegraphed to Little Rock, and sent from here to the Globe-Democrat, was that a negro preacher had been carried off for dead; that several other negroes had been badiy hurt, and that Democrats from Patterson’s Bluff had ridden over with their Winchesters. Mr. Venable says: The facts are these: In Cane Creek Township about eighty negroes came up in file to the polls. The judges of election, two of whom were Republicans, questioned a young negro as to his age, thinking him too young to vote. The leader of the squad began to abuse the judges, and called upon the negroei "To rally round their haqner. and pulling a stone from his pocket, ne hurled it at Dennis Griffin, a white man, striking him iu the side. Immediately Gordon was knocked down with a stone, and he also received a slight knife wound in the side. Tne negroes retreated from the polls, but, at the invitation of the whites came hack and voted. There was no riot, and no one was there with Winchesters, from Patterson’s Bluff nor anywhere else.” Little River County is in the extreme southwestern cornet of the State. The Red River is its southern boundary and the Indian Territory is on the west. In Johnson Township, a strong Norwood township, Democrats took possession of the polling places toward evening, and burned thff ballot-box and ballots. This information is conveyed by a letter just received from the county, which has no telegraph or railroad. Leading Democrats have spoken with commendable promptness in denunciathe theft of the nine township returnkfrom the County Clerk’s office in this city, but the indignation has not gone beyond words. If any progress has been made toward clearing up the mystery and punishing the thieves, it cannot be learned. A real estate dealer of Little Rock said to-day in an outburst of feeling: “There are hundreds of men who know who did this devilment. This talk of indignation meetings and offering a reward is all a blind. They say it will ruin the fair fame of the city and hurt ~the National Democratic ticket among honest Democrats at the North. In the name of God, what will the rising generation be when taught to approve of such acts of cowardly scoundrelism? My advice to any man who has ever contemplated coming to Arkansas to make a home is to stay where he is, unless he wants to give up all his independence and self-respect. He may be well treated by his neighbors in all matters of a business nature, but whenever the subject .ofpoliticsis mentioned, he »ill readily see that the spirit which actuated these men in 1861 is as bitter as ever.” The real estate man, perhaps, puts the situation too strongly in his fit of disgust. Arkansas has been disgraced by election outrages in less than a dozen of her seventy-five counties. It is possible to find sections of the State, indeed the greater part of it. where ballot-stealing is not countenanced and ex-Confederates are as tolerant and fraternal as any neighbors can be. In this late contest the white voters of Arkansas were

divided as never before. Thousands of ey-Confedrates stood on the progressivereform of Norwood and the Wheelers. So divided were the white voters that for once the old rallying cry of “negro domination,” save in here and there a county, could not be made available by the Democracy. y.™ ... It was hoped when Gov. Hughes, Governor-elect Eagle and Chairman Harrod, of the State Central Committee, came out so strongly in condemnation of the stealing of the returns that thiß sentiment plight take some praetieal form. Leafing Republicans of Little Rock have called on Gov. Hughes during the past few days and urged him to offer a State reward for the detection of the thieves lybo broke into the Countv Clerk’s bffiqe in this city. TJtey claim tjiat he has ample funds at his disposal for such a purpose. But so far, he has not taken the desired action, although he has promised to consider the matter. Republicans think that if the Democrats do not follow up their declarations with something more substantial, it will show pretty plainly that the denunciations were for the purpose of breaking the fume of these outrages in the North;and not inspired by honest desire to see a stop put to such practices in this State. W. B. S. The Free Trade Bill. New York Mall and Express, Thfe argument that the Democratic party is for free trade cahnot be too often insisted upon. The Democrats assert that the Mills bill, as it passed the House, is not a free trade measure. We have answered that,but we w ant to point out now that if the authors of the bill had had their way it would have beep a much longer step than it is in the direction of free trade. Here are some of the important changes which tbe House made in the bill. In the first column of figures will be found the proposal of the bill, and in the second the duty fixed by the House: Proposed bv Fixed by Mills., ' -'House. ~ Glue Free 21 per cent Free 35 per cent Fish glue , Free 25 per cent Essential Oils Free 25 per cent Barks, berries, Arc Free Unchanged china,porcelaln.etc 45 per cent T 53 per cent Earthen and stoneware 40 per cent 50 per cent Flint and lined glass bottles GO per cent 40 percent Polished cylinder _ and crown glass U 24 130. not exceeding 24x5) 15c sq it 20csqft Trbletaux, mulls rind crinolines 25 per cent 40 per cent Finx, b leached, known as dressed line Free - SlOper tonhjggiDg lor cotton Free IV, & 2c pd Card clothing .. ISciqft 30c tq st Gloves 40 per cent 50 percent Linen Free 10 per cent India rubber fabrics 15 per cent 26A36 p c P-nknivas, etc, 35 per cent 50 per cent Marble ...... Free 40e cubic ft These are a few of the articles in the tariff list which are placed at higher rates of duty by the House of Representatives than they were by the authors of the Mills bill. It will be seen from an examination of the table that the free traders would have made a more damaging attack on the protective system if they had dared.

Tlie Free-Whisky Mill. Bill. Philadelphia American. The clans e of the Mills bill which would lighten the burden of national taxation on beer and whisky is as follows: Sec. 40. That all clauses of section 3244 of the Revised or other laws which impose any special taxes upon manufacturers of stills, retail dealers in liquors, and retail dealers in malt liquors are hereby repealed. This'clause is omitted from the copies of the bill published by the National Democratic Committee, by the New York Evening Post and by the Philadelphia Times. The latter has mutilated its .edition of the bill still further by omitting — Sec. 29. That whenever in any statute denouncing any violation of the internal revenue laws as a feiony, crime, or misdemeanor, there is prescribed in such statute a minimun punishment, less than whiehminimumnQtme,penalty,Or imprisonment is authorized to be imposed, every such 'minimum punishment is hereby abolished, and the court or judge in every such case shall have discretion to impose any fine, penalty, imprisonment, or punishment not exceeding the limit authorized by such statute, whether such fine, penalty/ imprisonment, or punishment be less or greater than the said minipaam so prescribed. —This clause leaves it to the discretion of the judge to punish illicit distillers, traders without a license, and the like, by a merely nominal fine. Both clauses are directly in the interest of the liquor traffic and its worst representatives Both would’ reduce the revenue the country now derives from taxes on that traffic. In some districts and under some judges the revenue might disappear altogether, but there would be no reduction of the salaried officials we maintain to collect it. Both are the work of the party which is horrified at the suggestion of a repeal of the tax.

Th« Vttoeti o( Pension Claims. New York Pres*. The claim that the Democrats have been favorable to the liberal pensioning of soldiers is utterly absurd. President Cleveland’s attitude is given in the sub-joined-table, which shows the number of private pension bills passed by Congress and the action taken thereon by the several President’s of the United States from March 4,1869, to the latter part of August, 1888. y j ~ Bills pssfed by Ap- DisapPrestdent. Congress. proved, proved Grant, 8 years 553 575 8 Haye*, 4 y. ars 307 307 Aithur, 3 yrs. 8 rnos... 734 737 Cleveland. 3 yra 6 mos 1,084 668 416 Five bills were vetoed by President Grant because the beneficiaries had been pensioners~under Lie general pension laws. The other three vetoes of pen.siqnLbills by_ President Grant werd 0 on the ground that lhe records of tbe YVar Department showed the beneficiaries to have been deserters. The test of" a Presidenfairiendimess toward pension legislation is not. on how many bills he approves. The test is on his reverse action.