The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1863-12-04


volumes of abuse of the administration and
of the military authorities at New Orleans:
We reliably informed that an election was reg
ularly held on the first Monday in November. the
State laws direct, and that Mr.. E. Riddeil. OF New
Mess Fsd Meow paan o. .h Joshua saber
of ST. Mays Parish. and Thomas Cottman, of As
cension. were elected Representatives to Congress
The Chase and Stanton faction in New Orleans tried
TO prevent this election in der TO keep Louisiana
out OF the Union until slavery be abolished; and we
understand that Stanton used the military TO inter-
fere with the electors, but unsucccssfuy. These
facts raise issues and the President must be
Ready to meet them according to the constitution.
Now what are the simple facts? The Her.
aid says, "an election was regularly held, as
the State law Directs and then goes on to
set forth that the State is INSTRUCTED in its eff
forts to pnt itself right under the Constitu-
tion and to resume its proper place in the
Union, by the power of the General Govern
ment; and this mischievous fallacy is pub
lished in the copperhead papers in the hope
that their readers will be deIuded into the be-
lief that the General Government has assumed
Union. 1t would, probably, be difficult for
the Herald or any other paper to designate
the State lars which are nog operative, either
in relation to the question of State election
or any other matter, for the State laws are all
10 allegiance in consequence Of the State be-
ing under martial law and military COVER
norship 1t will be remembered that not
State officer is now in commission in Louisiana
whose authority is recognized by the loyal
men Of the State or by the national authori-
ties. When the Union flag re-appearcd in New
Orleans and Baton Rouge, the State Govern
ment--all in the interests of rebellion - took
TO Its heels, and from that day to this it has at
tempted the exercise Of no power within the
region over which the authority Of the Gen
eral Government has been restored. In other
words, Louisiana may have constitution,
and 1t may have laws in conformity to that
Constitution does NOT recognize its subordina-
ton to the Constitution of the United States,
for it has been made subordinate, and requires
allegiance, to the constitution of the rebel con
federacy, and every State officer qualified un-
der that State constitution takes an oath OF
allegiance to the same rebel confederacy.
Such are the Constitution and Laws as ex-
isting" at the present time in Louisiana, and
yet we have been told that an election has
been regularly held as the State laws Direct
The reader will see the absurdty Of the prop
osition.
Perhaps we shall be told that the whole act
of secession being unconstitutional, the chang
es referred to in the constitution and laws of
the State are null and void, and the constitu-
ton and the laws as they existed prior to the
ordinance OF secession, have become operative
and in full force. Admit all this for argument
sake, and then see how the case stands. We
find the old constitutional Constitution and
Laws as they were, but with no officer in the
State to put them in force. The Ship of
State remains. with her compass and chart
but not an officer on board to give an order.
ora man to pull as the ropes, or heave at the
windlass, to weigh the anchor which rebel
lion has caused to become buried deeply in the
debris of the bottom of the sea on which she
rests. In a word, there is no one In commits
sion, and no one in the State authorized to put
any one in commission. An exigency has
arisen never contemplated in the laws, and
for which no provision has been made. No
precedent can give light, because no precedent
exists.
Now, to put the Ship of State In sailing trim
and get her off before the wind, some power
or authority must be found somewhere to give
the first order. And wnere shall this power
be found, while the State constitution and
laws are imperative through the total absence
of executive officers, and military law is tenn
porarily supplying their place?
If we go back few months we find self
constituted Committee of planters-Bradsh
johnson, f. NJ. Mathoit and Thomas Cottman
---on visit to Washington, calling upon Pres
ident Lincoln "to seek of the General Govern
ment full recognition of all the rights of the
state louisiana as they existed previous to
the passage of an act of secession but we
do not find these indigiduals-whose mission |
was applauded by all the anti-administration
papers, which were unsparing in their con-
demnation or the President for not acceding
to their Misunderstanding any right of any
citizen of Louisiana to put the inactive state
machinery into operation. What did they
demand? We copy from the Argus-the
same paper now so ready to play second-fddle |
TO the New York Herald-the following ex-
tract from their "formal application" After
stating their object as above quoted, they
say:
With the view of omplishing the desired object
we further request that your Exceency will. as
commander.in-C chief of the Army of the United
StGtes, direct the Military Government of Louis-
lana 10 order election In conformity with the Con.
sfitntion and laws Of the State.
We think it perfectly defensible PROPOSE
ton, that the only way by which the old Con-
stitution and laws of Louisiana, in the absence
of all executive officers elected under them.
can be made operative and made to succeed
the present military rule of the state, is that
asked for in the application above quoted
from-by authority from the President, to the
Military Governor of the state, ito order an
election in conformity Nth the Constitution
and laos Of the State" and the action of that
committee, and those whom they claimed 10
represent and the endorsement of their ac-
tion by the copperhead press generally, binds
them to that mode of procedure as the only
regular way to be pursued.
The President, for reasons sufficient for his
own mind and which he frankly stated declined
to comply with their request, and from his de-
clsion there could be no appeal except to the
pouer Of rebellion. 1t was but few weeks