New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1866-10-03

The Report of the Military Board OF COMMISSION
appointed to investigate the causes OF the New'Or'
leans massacre is OF last before the public, furnished
to The TRIBUNE exclusively. from our Washington
Bureau, and obtained with much difficulty. The
President in spite Of the universal demand Tor It's
publication. has kept this extraordinary document
secret and there was reason to fear its entire sup
preston. 1t will easily be seen why he dared not
allow it to be published.
The whole responsibility of the massacre Is p'aoou
upon the civil authorities of NeW'orIeans' anu
through them upon the President VINO sustained tne
conrse. The Radical Convention is exonerated from
tho CHARGE ofinctng the negroes to violence and is
proved that the negroes who paraded were generally
unarmed, and could have had no hostile intention
When the Convention was attacked, it is established
"bevond shadow Of doubt that, except the two or
three pistols in the hands of the procession negroes
the besieged party were totally unarmed." On the
other hand the Commission found that the Mayor ex-
pected that an organized attack would be made
on the Convention, and that on tho
morning of the massacre he withdrew the police
from the streets, armed them, and held them to
await orders The city was left to the mercy Of the
rioters The first attack was made by ex-Rebel SOL
diers upon the negroes and this followed by the
advance of the police in three columns, firing on
the negroes and the Convention. Organizations of
Rebel soldiers joined in the attack. The alarm bell
gave the wcll-known signal which, during the Re-
bellon. summoned the Rebel soldiers TO the defense
of the city against a Federal attack. Sweeping
through the streets, in answer to the tollng bell,
came Hays's Brigade and bodies of men bear
ing the insignia of Rebel troops They fell upon this
helpless Convention this poor procession of negroes,
who, carrying the flag Of the United States blndly
trusted to its protection and pursued the work OF
massacre with a cowardy ferocty unsurpassed in the
annals of crime" 1t was not the duty of the Com
mission TO describe the scenes which ensued, but the
report gives startling evidence of the endsh spirit
Of the police and the mob, and state, as firm con-
vcton that "but for the presence of the troops, fire
and bloodshed would have ragged throughout the night
in all negro quarters Of the city, 0nd that the lives
and property of Unionists and Northern men would
have been at the mercy of the mob" They also de-
clare that Mayor Monroe knew what the action oil the
police would be, and intended the inevitable con-
sequences of his own acts" Yet this is the man. and
these the men, that Andrew johnson has defended as
the friends Of order
In bis speech at St. Louis three days after the date
of this report when the substance Of it had in all prob
ability reached him, and when, at least, the main
facts were known to the whole country, Mr.. johnson
declared every man in the Convention to be trait
orr and the Congress of the United States to be the
cause and origin of every drop Of blood that she'd
As in the first place. he gave full power to the Civil
Government of New Orleans to do as it pleased with
the Convention, and refused to take any steps
for its protection, SO he has since been the
consistent defender of Mayor Monroe and
his police, and the traducer of the loyal men they
killed He has denounced Congress, and the Com
mission, by the same implication, has indicated his
own policy as the cause of this massacre. Between
the two the people will not find it hard to choose
There is Sheridan, Baird, and Commission Of Amer
can soldiers, on the one side and the other Andrew
johnson violently appealing at Coppsrhead banquet
to mob Of sppauding Copperheads
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