The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1866-09-03
The New Orleans RIM.
THE RESPONSIBILITY OF PRESIDENT JoHxso,,
TIE HORRIBLE prrcurn,.

The New Orleans Riot
THE RESPONSIBILITY OF PRESIDENT JoHNsor
THE HORRIBLE BurcHrpv
The New Orleans ariot", as IL ia callod f,-.
sacre is the proper word) will be cited be,easta,
as an era in the history of this nation. An a.
semblage, assuming to be state convent,on
met in the city of New Orleans. The oueat;on
whether it was, or was not, legally constitut-
ed body was properly to be determined by the
courts OF the state, for more than year had
elapsed since Louisiana was declared by the
President to be entitled to all the privileges ofa
state in the Union. The meeting of this CON-
vention was however. the occasion of one of
the most frightful massacres ever known. Sim
liar outrages have occurred in time of war, but
never, since the middle ages, has such wholesale
murder been committed in time of peace The
facts Of the case are familiar to our readers. It
only remains to place the responsibility of this
unprecedented butchery where it belongs.
Ihere can be no question as to where this re-
sponsioiiity lies. Without the action of Andrew
Johnson, President of the United States. this
terrible massacre would never have occurred.
ne encouraged disloyal men by issuing pardons
70 the most notorious rebels and by adoptingin
| his messages and speeches the old secession
doctrine OF state rights. he showed plainly and
unequivocally his sympathy with Southern
| politicians when he appointed well known reb-
els to office and even approved of the election
of men who were chosen by the people solely
because of their prominence in the rebellion.
For the Union men of the South he had no
word of encouragement except in the ordinary
MI ifuda xuskh t.
The places of power and influence were given
to the most notorious rebels.
On the 18th of July Lieut.. Gov. Voorhees, and
Attorney General Heron telegraphed sensa-
ton dispatch to the President stating that the
negroes were called to arms, that riot was
pending and that he, 1.-THE President) was "bit-
terly denounced" President johnson tele-
graphed to Governor Wells to know by what
authority he had called the convention This
was matter entirely beyond the jurisdiction of
the President, but nevertheless Governor Wells
replied that the convention was called by its
president and not by himself On the same day,
July 18th, General Baird telegraphed to the
President that the civil authorities proposed to
break up the convention by arresting the dele
gates, and that although he had been called up-
on, he could take no action until he received
instructions from Washington. No reply was
sent to this telegram until two days afterwards
on the receipt of the news of the riot, when the
President telegraphed to the Attorney General
Of the State, entirely ignoring the Executive, as
| follows:
EXECUTIVE MANSION,
WASHINGTON, ID. c. July 3d. 1866
10 Andsess - HeTTo'l, attorney General, " Orlcdns
fou Will call on Gen. Sheridan, or whomeyer
/ command n ma Goa
sustain the civil authority in suppressing all IL
legal or unlawful assemblies, who usurp or as
sumo to exercise any power or authority with
: people of the State. If there is to be conven-
tion let it be composed of delegates chosen first
from the people of the whole State The peo-
5 | pie must be first consulted in reference to
changing the organic law Of the State. Usur-
, | patton will not be tolerated. The law and the
Constitution must be sustained, and thereby
: | peace and order. ANDREW JOHNSON.
As it is not the business of President johnson
: to suppress "illegal or unlawful assemblies" in
q a state, of course he could not delegate to any
of his subordinates the power to de al with such
matters, and the fact that he did assume to reg
ulate the municipal affairs of the city of New
Orleans must stamp him at once as the most
daring usurper who has ever occupied the Pres
iden.ial chair
To this despatch General Heron replied as
follows:
. His Excellency President JoHSsos,-yopr
despatch received. General Baird has declared
, martial law in this city. The Grand jury haa
indicted the members of the convention who
met yesterday as an unlawful assembly. The
process for their arrest in the hands of the
Sheriff is suspended by General Baird until he
receives direct instructions from Washington.
L showed him your despatch to me-
ANDREW j. HERON, Attorney General
Thus it appears that the whole power was
placed in the hands of the civil authorities Of
the city, all ofwhom were notorious rebels, and
the only purpose for which the military were to
be used was to aid the civil authorities Thisis
clearly shown By the preliminary despatch of
the President which seems to have governed
General Baird in his action. Had it not been
) for this delay, the military forces would have
effectually prevented this terrible riot. The
President telegraphed two days before the riot
| as follows:
EXECUTIVE MANSION,
WASHINGTON, d. c. July %, 1866.
To Albert Voorhees,, Lieut.. Governor of Louis
lana, New Orleans
The military viii be expected to sustain and
no to obstruct or interfere with the proceedings
OF the court. A despatch on the subject was
sent to Governor Wells this A. NJ
ANDREW JOHNSON
The editor of the New Orleans Times, the
rebel organ, who was in Washington during
the riot and assumed to speak by authority of
the President, sent the following despatch to
his paper. 1t only confirms the idea that the
President Undertook to regulate the political
affairs of the State of Louisiana We COPY from
the N. Y. Herald:
The following is from New Orleans news
| paper of Monday July 80, 1866:
| PRESIDENT JOHNSON AND THE CONVENTION
The military expect to sustain not to obstruct
the proceedings of the court.
| The following despatch from President John
| SON TO Lieut. Governor Voorhees, is one from
which, in the circumstances that called it forth.
satisfactory deductions may be drawn. We can.
| not doubt the President gives no countenanca
| to the pretensions of those members of the Ia
| funct convention of 1854 who are endeayorinp
to reinstate it and we can only believe that az
commander in chief he will see that ON proner
| occasions the judicial and other authorities Of
the State as now constituted will be protected
by the military against violence from within
and without. ~
| IN A., WASHINGTON, July o. 1896.
| 10 Albert Voorhees, Lieut. Gown OF Louisiana:
| Inc military will be expected to sustain and
not oDstruct or interfere with the proceedings
OF the courts. A despatch on the subject ofthe
| convention was sent to Governor Wells this
/ morning. ANpRrw ,JoHNsoS-
The whole gist of the matter comes out in
the dispatches between General Sheridan and
General Grant, and the President and General
Sheridan. The President undertakes to argue
| the case in hia dianatch hut tho taraa aud Con,-