To the Militiamen of the State of Arkansas.

Executive Office,

Little Rock, Ark.,

Sept. 22, 1860.

I have caused to be published, the foregoing laws of his State and of the United States, on the Subject of the militia, for the information, observance and government.

The constitution of our State declares "that the military shall be kept in strict subordination to the civil power." The constitution of the United States declares "that a well regulated militia is necessary to the security of a free State."

I appeal to you to remember that it is the duty of every good citizen to yield to his country such services as the law requires of him. You cannot perform those duties without a knowledge of them, nor can officers without being thoroughly organized. "To keep the military in strict subordination, and a well regulated militia," to be such security as is meant in the constitution declares to be necessary.

I point you to the State of Arkansas: I point you to the laws of the United States, and appeal to you to prompt, zealous and active duty. In doing so, I would remind you that those who continue to hold office, and who shall be elected or appointed to perform, as far as possible, the duties of their respective offices, as well as those who are different on the subject of organizing the militia, are mistaken. We do not know how soon the strong arm of the military may be needed. Then, if we have any State pride, let us be prepared, and let us work together, and have the returns made as required by law. By the laws of this State and of the United States, each officer is required to furnish his own arms and equipments. The State has a quantity of arms, such as muskets, pistols and carbines on deposit, at the U. S. arsenal, at Little Rock.

The State of Arkansas is entitled to receive, under the acts of Congress, seven hundred and ninety-four muskets, at an aggregate valuation of thirteen dollars for each musket. If armed with artillery, or cavalry accoutrements, the State is entitled to but three hundred and forty-seven muskets. Let arms be applied, the number of them will be according to their value and cost. There has no law of this State authorized the Governor to receive this or any other company of militia with arms. In 1856, the quota was 1,172 muskets. The General Assembly has not yet passed any law to distribute these arms to the militia. But the whole amount of arms due from the United States to the State of Arkansas, would be sufficient to arm all the militiamen in the State. In 1856, the quota was 1,494 muskets now due from the United States, or an aggregate valuation of $21,169. It is therefore manifest that the militia, to be armed and equipped, must first be fully armed by the State, nor by the United States, until the volunteer companies are called into actual service of the United States. The expense of arming all the volunteer companies of the State, or of the United States and of this State require that each company shall be furnished with such arms and equipments as the law prescribes; and the volunteer companies authorized by law in every county in the State should be organized and thoroughly organized and disciplined, and bearing the state flag or national banner as soon as possible. The only mode, as I conceive, for the volunteer companies, there is one mode by which the State or county could procure them and have them placed under the control of the proper authorities of the State, for the use of the State, when in use by the volunteer companies.—That is, for the county court to levy a tax, or by voluntary subscription, to raise money to buy arms and equipments to arm all the volunteer companies in the county; or a portion of these companies may be organized in each county in the State, as a company of cavalry, or infantry, one of light infantry or riflemen, or a company of artillery. This company shall be wholly independent of the militia regiments, except at battalion and regimental parades.

Were the whole of the volunteer companies in the State, organized and armed as they should be, each composed of fifty men, including officers, making the amount in the aggregate to twenty-two hundred men, well disciplined, equipped, and at all times ready for service, in addition to the volunteer companies, we should now have six-two regiments, and which will soon be organized.

Under the provisions of chapter 112, provides that volunteer companies "shall elect their own officers," and the place to be ordered by the colonel of the regiment, and the certificate of election commissions shall issue.

The law in section 20 of chapter 113, that "out of the militia enrolled, there shall be formed for each battalion, at least one company of light infantry, or one of riflemen, and that to each division there shall be at least one company of artillery, and one troop of horse." These volunteer companies are to be formed as part of the regiments of the regular militia.

Under section 22, a volunteer company shall consist of not less than thirty-four nor more than one hundred non-commissioned officers and privates. Section 23, each company may have not less than three commission officers—a captain, first lieutenant, and second lieutenant.

A battalion cannot consist of less than three companies.

No regiment shall consist of more than two battalions. All volunteer companies in a regiment are designated by the letters of the alphabet.

Volunteer companies are designated by proper terms indicating the character of troops—infantry, riflemen, or cavalry. Each volunteer company is entitled to three officers, and the colonel of the regiment of the regular militia is entitled to but two—a colonel and lieutenant colonel.

It devolves upon each colonel commandant to organize his regiment, but he is also to have formed within the bounds of his regiment these volunteer companies, independent of his regiment, as well as the required quotas, and the number of militiamen will not exceed forty or fifty men to a company, in the bounds of any regiment than necessary to form three volunteer companies, containing one hundred non-commissioned officers and privates each. If there are an excess of the militiamen, all the volunteer companies are formed, and there should still be a surplus, the colonel would have to apply to the brigadier general of the brigade to divide the regiment and make a new regiment out of part of it.

The law in section 20 of chapter 113, prescribes that "it shall be the duty of the colonels, at all times, to keep the vacancies of all officers in their regiments filled."

Every officer will promptly comply with the important and solemn duty so positively and clearly enjoined upon him by the laws of his State, and he will feel himself in conscience and law bound to obey as long as he holds the office of colonel commandant of a regiment, the militia of our State will be organized, and will be kept continually organized.

Let every officer remember that the chief honor derived from holding an office, is that which an honest and intelligent community will ever accord to an officer who promptly, faithfully and efficiently performs his duties. To know "what these duties are," he must read the law. He must study to understand the laws and the duties required of him, and he will then be prepared to act, and if he have pride and energy of character, he will promptly and efficiently discharge the public trust reposed in him.

I have prepared and had published with the militia laws, a register of the divisions, brigades, regiments and companies, with the names of the major generals, brigadier generals, colonels, and lieutenant colonels. If these officers will go to work in earnest, as they ought to do, under the law, they will acquire credit and distinction for themselves, and put the militia to be such to the security of the State as the constitution declares to be necessary.

While the constitution declares to be necessary to the security of a free State; and while I urge the militia by preparing and organizing under the law, to avert coming danger;

It is for no purpose for trouble or danger, which can certainly be brought upon our borders, that I would move you to less and indifferent the security of the people of Arkansas and their property. The dangers which threaten the political status of the people of Arkansas are of such a character that no patriot, however he may hope, will be willing, calmly to encounter them. He will be willing, nay, anxious to exert his influence in favor of raising money in the county where he resides, to buy arms to arm and equip the volunteer companies of his county. He will take hold of this matter and petition the General Assembly, at its coming session, to pass such a law as I have suggested, to enable every county may be enabled to have its volunteer companies fully armed and equipped, so that they would afford ample protection to the people of the county, in their persons and property. Is there any reason to doubt that the British government, or her abolition emissaries, or the non-slaveholding States, or the unconstitutional acts of our government shall have placed her armed forces or her political mercenary agents stationed in our midst, or in our neighborhood, in every county in our State, and near every slaveholder's house, and that things ready at the appointed time, to incite and encourage slave insurrection? The open and notorious acts of the British government, the long continued, deep-laid and settled secret policy of the British government to destroy the supremacy and equality of the United States. That it is her object to break up and destroy our government, and establish her own power and supremacy over the whole of the British possessions on this continent, and then establish her own power in America.

In 1850, the British, French and United States governments entered into a truce, for ten years, between the Empire of Hayti and the Dominican Republic. That truce has expired. The British government has entered into a treaty with the Dominican Republic, by which the Dominican Republic gives its adhesion to the said truce under the guaranties of the same powers: 1st. Not to alienate, lease, hypothecate, or cede gratuitously, either temporarily or permanently, any portion of the Dominican territory, particularly in the Bay of Samana, to any government whatever. 2d. Not to contract any engagement with any foreign State; not to accept any subsidy from a foreign company; not to hypothecate much of the revenues of the Dominican Republic to any foreign State; 3d. Not to accept any protectorate, nor to submit to any foreign intervention, or any other act contrary to her independence.

The political status of the slaveholding States is now such that no reflecting man, who was fully aware that the British government was acting in concert with the abolitionists of the non-slaveholding States, in a policy that disturbed the domestic tranquility of the United States, but must admit that there is an "irrepressible conflict" between the free States and the slave States. Is it not a fact known to all men, that British gold have been and will be spent in multiplying abolition emissaries in the United States to stir up and intensify this "irrepressible conflict" between the free States and slave States. That the policy of the British government has been to use all her efforts to overthrow our government, (by using her abolition emissaries and domestic emissaries,) that the mischiefs and outrages of the non-slaveholding States would seem to have been prompted by the British government for the purpose of destroying the States. It is my opinion that the British government has been at the bottom of all of the mischiefs and outrages perpetrated against the slave States, and that the identity of one federal government, and of the domestic policies of the United States to hold the British government in check, and preserve the domestic tranquility of the United States. It is my opinion that the British government has determined that, as long as the federal government exists, that she henceforth has no domestic tranquility in the United States, and that British gold has been and will be used to hire unprincipled abolitionists in the free States, and send them into the slave States, with a view to excite or encourage that the people of the South will become weary of the Union, and the north, and the aggressions and outrages perpetrated upon the slave States, and those hired abolition British emissaries, prompts the people, in 1860, to elect, and it is voted that civil war will be produced, the Union dissolved, the non-slaveholding States left with domestic evils and deeds of plunder, robbery, arson and murder, and under prevailing.

I believe that such a conspiracy exists against our federal government, and that, if successful, it will be carried into execution, as above indicated, and the names of the secret agents and emissaries of the British government, distributed throughout the United States, to stir up abolitionism, were detected and made public, the patriotic people of the United States, when he announced with astonishment; and having that disclosed, every honest author and instigator of the mischief, all anti-slavery men in both free and slave States would at once be dismayed.

It would then be seen that abolitionism would become formally and more firmly united with the British government, and that the patriotic citizens of the whole Union would unite, as one man, against those agents and emissaries, would be so completely unmasked and declared against the British government for her interference of months.

In conclusion, in making these statements, I my duty to the people of the State of Arkansas to urge them to organize, and arm, and equip themselves, and thoroughly prepare themselves, for any emergency, to be ready to protect themselves and our State against all foes, and to be satisfied that our government intends shall not be violated, and that the "irrepressible conflict" is indeed "irrepressible" and terrible.

Every county in the State of Arkansas should have at least one or two volunteer companies, well armed with arms; and that every citizen who has a gun, should keep it in repair and unmolested, and that volunteer companies should be ready at all times to defend the State.

Let these important matters not be lightly considered, but promptly and maturely considered. We must look as far as human foresight can reach, and prepare to guard against evil before it is too late to prevent it.

Then as wise men and prudent, as men who feel a deep interest in the welfare of the militiamen of the State of Arkansas, let us put our shoulders to the wheel, and emergency which shall call for their strong arms in defense of our rights and our country.

HENRY M. RECTOR, Governor of the State of Arkansas, and Commander in chief of the militia thereof.