The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1866-08-15


Address Of Gov, Wells.
! ToTHE LoYAL PEOPLE OF LOUISIANA.
The bloody tragedy enacted in tho city
Of New Orleans on the 30th day Of Jnly
1856, in which more than three hundred
loitizens were killed OF wounded, has, ia
the credit OF humanity, created profound
sympathy in the breast Of every man
throughout the length and breadth of this
country. The remote and immediate eau
SEES of this outrage demand thorough in.
vestigation and explanation, and, as the
Chief Magistrate Of the State, / feel sol
emn duty resting upon me to give plain
and unvarnished statement fits origin and
progress. In doing this, it becomes neces-
sary for me to commence in the year 1854,
at the reorganization Of civil government
in that portion of Louisiana which had
been wrested from rebel authority. | re-
greet that / shall, in this connection, be
obliged to speak of myself. 1t is not to
! crafty any feeling Of vanity that do so !;
for fully realize that am but an insig.
nifcant atom in the great cause of main
tanning and perpetuating the Union of
these States. The political history Of the
country teaches us that under the policy
Of the late lamented President, all the 10y.
al citizens of Louisiana in Parishes then
within the Union lines, were invited and
authorized, in the proclamation issued by
the military commander of this depart
ment, to hold an election on the 22d day Of
February, 1864, for State officers. The
election was held; and then being a refu.
gee from my parish in the rebel lines in
consequence Of my Union sentiments, l
was nominated by the Free State party, as
it was called, and also By the extreme
Radical party, of which Thomas j. Durant
was the acknowledged leader, as their can.
didate for the office Of Lieutenant Cover
nor. The first named ticket, headed by
Michael Hahn for Governor, was elected.
Gov. Hahn served until the 4th Of March,
1865, when. BY his resignation, succeeded
to the office Of Governor In the mean.
time, and by virtue If military authority,
Nh election for delegates toa State Con.
yention to amend aid revise the constitu.
ton Of 1861, had taken place, the Conven.
ton had met, tramsd q constitution, de.
claring slavery to b abolished, which con-
stitutiOn is now the tundanientallaw ofthe
State. 1t is fartherwel known that the
Convention did notAd10urn !" sine die but
subject to the call Of the President "for
any cause" A Leislatufe had also been
elected and was insession at the time of
the assumption byme of the duties of the
Office of Governor.
| Shortly Afterwards, the collapse Of the
so.ealled Confederate Government took
place; and, by the surrender ofthe forces
III the Trans-Missksippi Department, the
entire territory ofihe State was restored to
the lawful AUTHORITY Of the United States.
When this event tok place, what was my
conduct towards the population Of the
twenty.eight paiahes reclaimed Al
though had Bee prosecuted and driven
from my home By the rebel authorities, / |
suppressed oil feeling Of rancours 80 natural !
to the human brest under the circumstan-
ces, III the belief nat a majority had been
seduced from ther allegiance to the old |
flag by the wilesSf the artful demagogues
who brought on he rebellion. Idetcr1aiu-
ed to try the efot ofs kindness and copcil~
iation in weanily them back to their first
love. / addressed them proclamation,
congratulating hem Oh tleir restoration
to the protectioiof a Government Of law
and order; and that, as far as was con-
eerned, was wiling to forget the past. ]
begged them tosubp.t chee,fully and un-
reservedly to til neS order Of things, and
assured them TIT, aithouhg State Gov
eminent had ben organized, yeti was
anxious that ageneral election for State
officers should 5 held, in which the whole
State could Participate. ! fulfilled every
word Of nv pmises. appointed men
recommended b them to fiji the offices in
the several pashes; signed their appli-
cations to TIL President of the United
States for spesal pardon; ! persisted in
my course Of iconciliation, notwithstand-
ing the warnings and circumstances of |,
Union men, w0 believed that my policy
would be unaailing in accomplishing the
purpose inferred, and who predicted that
at the very fit election, those men, in ey-
cry parish were they held the power,
would prescrib every man from Office who
had not beenh the rebel army and fought
for the rebel tuse.
These pretbtions have been realized to
the letter atevery subsequent election,
with the exiption Of my own case; and |,
it is well kngn, for it was publicly ayow.
ed that waput at the head of their tick
ct simply beause it was thought I could
be useful irsecuring representation of
the State iiIOngress. 1t Is further well
known thathe platform reported by the
committee bpointed for that purpose to
the Denloctic Convention held in this
city, was aeiteration Of the doctrine Of
the right fsecession; and it was only
through thiexertions Of a few Of the more j
cautious al polite OF the party that this I
platform W. made to assume the form in /,
which it vs adopted. At the same con-
vention, asell known citizen and lifelong I,
Democrat Jas publicly censured by reso-
luton becase i'll aspeecl, delivered before !.
that body he said that secession was
worse thala crime it was binder"
Notwithstanding my nomination by the (
Democrats party, another candidate was t
put III thsield in opposition to me, who &
had OBJECTED as Governor under rebel r
rule, and h0, had he been in the country. .
aud sigIkd his assent, have no doubt, r
would hSe been overwhelmingly elected. =
Whcnse members Of the Legislature J
met III eAa session III the neuth of No 8
yember, B65, convened by me for the pur- !!
pose OF rising money to restore the broken ]
leyees Al to take measures to redeem the '
credit ollie State, / found they were more
intent q calling convention to change a
the conatution Of 1854, than to promote d
the lnafial interests Of the people. Their !,
chief oBction to that instTument was the :
charact Ut the men who framed it aud !.
the abqion thereby Of slavery. Having
failed ahe extra session to pass bill cali
ing 4yention, the attempt was renew c
ed ut Il regular session, held in the month r
OF Janfry, aud more than half the time of i
that Ny was spent in discussing that, d
qqestis Finally, a committee was sent q
to Wilmington to consult the President !; I
aud u Legislature only abandoned the {
lneasu through his advice. .