The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1866-08-06
OH A RI ES T O N
MONDAY MORNING, AUGUST 6, 1866.
THE NEW ORLEANS RIOTS.


ments of riots and disturbances in New Or
leans. We think we are correct in assuming
that very few of US have proper appreciation
of the condition of affairs prevailing in that
part of the South; and we have, ther efore,
taken some pains to ascertain the state of par
tics, and the general tone of sentiment there
prevalent, which has at last resulted in the
lawless demonstrations that disgraoed the
country during the past week.
In many respects the state of affairs in
Louisiana Is analogous to that of Tennessee.
A State government was inaugurated there
two years ago, under Mr.. LINcoLN's we'll
known proclamation, that ten righteous men
were sufficient to save State to the Union.
A Convention was called pursuant to this
plan by General BANKS, then in command of
Louisiana. This is the "Convention Of 1864"
to which our late kilograms have been allud-
ing. It assembled under military protection.
The certificates of election of many of its
members were signed Gin United States camps
and aboard United States gunboate" 1t
adopted Constitution, comforting on the Le-
gislature authority to determine the limits of
suffrage, and adjourned, it is said, after pass
ing a resolution authorizing its President
Judge DURELL, to reconvene it at discretion.
The war ended in the GUNNER of 1865.
The ex.Confederates returned to their homes;
and as they certainly Represented the larger,
more Intelligent and influential class of the
population, control Of the affairs of the State
naturally soon passed out of the hands of
these "loyalists." The process of destruction
at the date of the close of the war had not
progressed as far in Louisiana as in Tennes.
see, Arkansas and Missouri, owing to derelic-
tion of duty on whose part we are not able to
say. The Radical leaders in Congress deter
mined that the State must be revolutionized ::
and with that view they directed this defunct
Convention of ga to be resusctated The
programme was, that Congress should remain
in session, and by arbitrary power protect the
Convention in their unlawful, revolutionary
acts. But the heat of the weather made q
longer stay at Washington undesirable; and
the Louisiana destructives find themselves
outside the pale of Congressional guar dian
ship.
This Convention, we need scarcely soy, is
composed of just such material Us we have
found in analogous bodies in Virginia and
other States. They call themselves "original
Unionists," while many of them had actually
been in Confederate service, civil or military.
1t is we'll known that secession all over the
South was eminently O popular movement,
AM 10 ha hor
hypocrisy to assume that leading men, in any
part of the South, who could decen tly claim
to speak as representatives of the people,
were original loyalists, and had remained
such all through the war. 1t is simply false.
We confess there were some true and con-
sistent Union men some, too, who were men
of mark. But they were few and far be-
tween.
The leading men of Louisiana protested
against the reassembling of the Convention
of 1864, upon the irrefutable ground that it
is illegal, and has not the shadow of author
ity for claiming to represent the State. Pre-
cisely such an outrage was committed in Mis-
souri, and in Tennessee. The best part OF the
population disfranohised, not to say outlewed,
by faotious and unprircipled minority. But
in Louisiana they had less excuse for enact
ing such radical changes in the organic law
of the State, as the number of anti secession.
lists in that State is much smaller than in
either of the other two States mentioned.
Even the Louisiana Radicals themselves do
not pretend that this Convention is legal. The
New Orleans Tribune, of July "a iRadioal
organ), says: 1--WE admit this Convention to be
illegal but at the same time we must reoog-
nize that it has exercised q power de facto,
and that it bids fair to still exercise q similar
power" And again it makes this confession
6 The Contention is an ertraneous power,
Which does not emanate from the whole peopleD
We confess we are somewhat surprised at
this clear admission, on the part of the Radi.
Gals, of the Illegally of their proceedings!
Tho same paper also says that this Conven-
ton will "inaugurete political revolution
more deep and more important than any of
the reforms already attempted or partially
realized"
Mr.. BOUTWELL, also gave us glimpse at
the programme of this Louisiana Loyslists'
Convention. He said on the. 18th ultimo, in
caucus, that "The Louisiana Convention would
meet on the 30th for the revision of the State
Constitution, and amendments would be adopt.
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