be furnished to each board of registrars; the remainder can be officialized by a staff officer at your headquarters. The general commanding desires you to see that these copies are promptly distributed. I am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant, NAT. WOLFE, Second Lieutenant 34th Infantry, A. A. A. General. Brevet Brigadier General C. H. SMITH, Commanding Sub-district of Arkansas, Little Rock Arkansas. WM. ATWOOD, First Lieutenant 19th Infantry, A. A. A. General. No. 27. LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS, February 28, 1868. General GILLEM: Your order of elections is changed here so that candidates may be registrars. The elections are separate, but the candidate depends for success on the adoption of the constitution, and he is directly interested. Is not this contrary to your wishes expressed to us? Answer by telegraph. HEADQUARTERS FOURTH MILITARY DISTRICT, (MISSISSIPPI AND ARKANSAS,) Vicksburg, Mississippi, February 28, 1868.. L. B. NASH and N. M. ROSE, Little Rock, Arkansas: The State elections are not under my control. The fact that some person is registrar and candidate, I have nothing to do with. Official copy: ALVAN C. GILLEM, Brevet Major General U. S. Army, Commanding. WM. ATWOOD, First Lieutenant 19th Infantry. A. A. A. General.. Brevet Major JOHN TYLER, No. 29. [Telegram.] HEADQUARTERS SUB-DISTRICT OF ARKANSAS, Acting Assistant Adjutant General : Will the revision of registration be limited to five days, or can the books be kept open for a longer period, when it is found to be necessary to give all an opportunity to register? Official copy: C. H. SMITH, Brevet Brigadier General. WILLIAM ATWOOD, First Lieutenant 19th Infantry, A. A. A. General. No. 30. [Telegram, 2.40 p. m. HEADQUARTERS 4TH MILITARY DISTRICT, (Miss. And AKR.,) Brevet Brigadier General C. H. SMITH, Little Rock, Arkansas: JOHN TYLER, First Lieut. 43d Infantry, Brevet Major U. S. A., A. A. A. G. Official copy: WM. ATWOOD, First Lieutenant 19th Infantry, A. A. A. G. No. 31. HEADQUARTERS 4TH MILITARY DISTRICT, (MISS. AND ARK.,) Vicksburg, Mississippi, March 7, 1868. GENERAL: The general commanding directs that the pay of registrars employed in conducting the ensuing election in Arkansas cease respectively tw (2) days after the completion of the election in the last precinct, and that you cause them to be discharged at that date, except one for each county, who will be retained for a period sufficient to enable you to carry out the following instruc tions with reference to the completion of the work upon which they have been engaged: The property pertaining to the boards will be disposed of by them as you may direct, by either delivering them at your headquarters, sale by auction, or otherwise, as the public interests may be best served. The books of registration, and all other records properly pertaining to the boards, will be delivered at your headquarters by the registrar temporarily retained in person. Upon their being brought there they will be inspected, and if found to be correct and in a satisfactory condition, will be received; if incorrect, they will be corrected by the registrar under your supervision. The pay of the registrar will continue until his arrival at your headquarters with the books and records, provided there has been no unnecessary delay on his part; if there has been much delay you will exercise your discretion in fixing the date at which his pay ceased. Reasonable expenses for transportation incurred by registrars in carrying books to headquarters and returning thence to their homes will be allowed. No final settlements should be made with registrars until it appears to your satisfaction that their duties have been fully discharged. I am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant, JOHN TYLER, First Lieut. 43d Infantry, Brevet Major U. S. A., A. A. A. G. Bvt. Brig. General C. H. SMITH, Commanding sub-district of Arkansas, Little Rock, Ark. Official copy: WM. ATWOOD, First Lieutenant 19th Infantry, A. A. A. G. No. 32. HEADQUARTERS SUB-DISTRICT OF ARKANSAS, Little Rock, Arkansas, March 3, 1868. SIR: I respectfully request information upon the following points, to wit: 1st. Up to what date will retained registrars be continued at two (2) dollars per day, and from what date will they receive six (6) dollars per day? 2d. Will retained registrars, who resigned just before election, receive pay up to date of resignation? The pay of registrars who resigned just before the last election was stopped from the time the registration ceased. 3d. At what time will the appointment and pay of registrars terminate? 4th. What disposition will be made of the precinct books after the election? With regard to the pay of registrars, I recommend that those newly appointed receive pay from the time they actually entered upon the duty of revising the registration till such time as the general may direct, and that the retained registrars be continued at two (2) dollars per day to same day. The date of acceptance or filing the oath is not an equitable guide. I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, C. H. SMITH, Colonel 28th Infantry, Brevet Brig. Gen. U. S. A., Commanding. Brevet Major JOHN TYLER, A. A. A. General, 4th Military District. Official copy: WM. ATWOOD, First Lieutenant 19th Infantry, A. A. A. G. No. 33. HEADQUARTERS FOURTH MILITARY DISTRICT, (ALABAMA AND ARKANSAS,) Vicksburg, Mississippi, March 11, 1868. GENERAL: In response to your communication of the 3d instant, I am directed by the general commanding to reply as follows: 1. Retained registrars will be paid at two dollars per day up to the time fixed for the beginning of pay of the other registrars appointed for the ensuing election ; and that should be from the time they actually enter upon their duties, the date of taking the oath not, as formerly, being taken as the guide. communi 2. Retained registrars who resigned just before elections will, in the absence of any cogent reason to the contrary, be paid up to the time of their registration. It is believed that a full reply to the 3d and 4th questions of cation will be found in letter from these headquarters of the 7th instant. I am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant, your JOHN TYLER, First Lieut. 43d Infantry, Bvt. Major U. S. A., A. A. A. G. Brevet Brigadier General C. H. SMITH, Commanding Sub-district of Arkansas, Little Rock, Arkansas. Official copy: WILLIAM ATWOOD, First Lieut. 19th Infantry, A. A. A. G. No. 34. [Telegram.] HEADQUARTERS SUB-DISTRICT ARKANSAS, Brevet Major JOHN TYLER, A. A. A. General: Shall I give instructions that the registration lists will be the only guide for commissioners of elections at the polls, and that any appeals from the registra tion lists must be made to the district commander? Very absurd ideas prevail in regard to challenging voters, and unless the matter is well defined will lead to irregularities. Official copy: C. H. SMITH, Brevet Brigadier General Commanding. WILLIAM ATWOOD, First Lieut. 19th Infantry, A. A. A. G. No. 35. [Telegram-2.45 p. m.) HEADQUARTERS FOURTH MILITARY DISTRICT, (MISSISSIPPI AND ARKANSAS,) Vicksburg, Mississippi, March 9, 1868. Brevet Brigadier General C. H. SMITH, Little Rock, Arkansas: Registration lists will be the sole guide for commissioners of election. Give positive orders. Official copy: JOHN TYLER, First Lieut. 43d Infantry, Brevet Major U. S. A., A. A. A. G. WILLIAM ATWOOD, First Lieut. 19th Infantry, A. A. A. General. No. 36. [Telegram-3.20 p. m.] HEADQUARTERS FOURTH MILITARY DISTRICT, (MISSISSIPPI AND ARKANSAS,) Vicksburg, Mississippi, March 10, 1868. Brevet Brigadier General C. H. SMITH, Little Rock, Arkansas : Your General Order No. 5 received. Troops must not be posted immediately over the polls, but may be held at convenient distances, to be used in case of necessity, of which the commanding officers will be the judge. Official copy: JOHN TYLER, First Lieut. 43d Infantry, Brevet Major U. S. A., A. A. A. G. WILLIAM ATWOOD, First Lieut. 19th Infantry, A. A. A. General. APPENDIX C. No. 1. VICKSBURG, MISSISSIPPI, April 22, 1868. MAJOR: I have the honor to report that in obedience to Special Order No. 76, dated Headquarters 4th Military District, April 10, 1868, I started from Vicksburg on the afternoon of April 10, and arrived at Little Rock April 13, and returning arrived in Vicksburg the 22d instant. I further beg leave to report that I made investigations of alleged frauds at recent elections in Arkansas, and find the facts to be as follows: The registrars of Pulaski county permitted (except in the precinct of Ashley, where the election was first held) all persons who presented certificates of registration showing that they had been registered at any precinct in the State, to vote. They allowed many persons to vote where certificates showed that they were registered at other precincts, and in other counties, than the county and precinct where they did vote. With very few exceptions, they did not require from persons so voting any oath whatever. They did not ask persons so offering to vote if they had resided in the county or precinct any length of time whatever. The registrars did not take the names of persons so voting, or the number of their certificates of registration, or the names of precincts where such persons were registered; so that they had, and now have, no guide or check in the matter, and said registrars of Pulaski county cannot now state who thus voted or the number of such votes; but the registrars declare that they believe the excess of votes polled over the number of registered votes in the county of Pulaski is thus explained, and they cannot otherwise explain such excess. Without any doubt, fourteen or fifteen hundred persons registered elsewhere voted in Pulaski. The registrars of Jefferson county pursued the same course and allowed persons, wherever registered, to vote at any precinct where they presented themselves, taking no record of the same, and only checking such votes by marks upon the certificate of registration which was returned to the voters. No fraud by registrars appears to have been intended in this matter, as they allowed persons elsewhere registered to vote only after mutual consultation and consideration of act of Congress passed March 11, 1868, but their conduct was very unfortunate, as the registration law was thus virtually impaired. Any person who presented an uncancelled certificate of registration (the registrar could not tell if the same was forged or not) was allowed to vote, and such |