New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-08-11
GENERAL SHERIDAN AND THE RIOT.

1t is stated ia the Northern papers that
General Sheridan, after telegraphing to Gen.
eral Grant that he had intended to arrest the
members Of the so-called convention, consid
ering their proposed action Illegal and revo
lutionary, the next day sent another dispatch
declaring, as the result of his "inyestiga.
tons, that the convention difficulties were
the development of preconcerted scheme, OF
some weeks standing, to massacre ''Union
men, that Mr.. Monroe is bad man and that
! the people of New Orleans desire his removal.
These are certainly very extraordinary state
ments, and the more extraordinary that they
embrace conclusions reached after an
&c investigation" of two days at the utmost,
and conducted, so far as the public
knows, in perfect secrecy. As to the first
dispatch, we presume it to be genuine
because it is published in full and with Gen.
| Sheridans name attached to it. We need not
stop to inquire by what authority the general
had intended to substitute his will for the
operation of the laws, and his opinions for
the decisions OF courts of justice-because
| events precluded such action on his part.
The discussions to which proceedings of the
nature intimated by him would have given
rise, have been averted or replaced by discus
sions arising out of the very remarkable con
duct of Gen. Sheridan's representative. But
We cannot avoid natural incredulity as to
the contents of the second dispatch which he
is said to have sent, It is scarcely probable
that the statements of the newspapers as to
its character are pure inventions; yet il is
almost easier to believe that they are inven-
tons than that they emanated from Gen. Sher-
idan, That officer was absent from the
city when the riot occurred and he had been
absent for several days. Before his departure
he knew nothing, and suspected nothing Of
the existence of any oonspiracy--that is plain
from the wording of his first dispatch. Never
theless he had been in the city but two DAVIS
when, according to the newspaper statements
he ferreted out this wicked scheme, found cut
that Mr.. Monroe is bad man, and discovered
that the people of this city are anxious to get
rid Of him-and all, so far as the public of
New Orleans is informed-without consulting |
anybody but the members of the so-called |
convention and their supporters This would |
be little short of inspiration, and we pre-
sumo that General Sheridan lays no claim to
o possession of that peculiar faculty. We
know that military commanders, especially in
these days, and in this part of the country.
possess unusual powers but the power to
discover what has no existence, and to see
what is not to be seen, does not come within
Telescope of even martial law. Mr. Monroe
may be bad man, but the people of New
Orleans find no indications of wickedness in
his conduct during the recent difficulties
They knOao that he is not responsible for the
outbreak of the Both Of July They know
90, exactly where the responsibility rests
md if they knew it in no other way they
would find the proof Of it in the official cor
dependence and reports which have been
to the world. As General Sheridan
s presumed to have read those documents,
We find it very hard to believe that he could
lave sent such a dispatch as that which is
TO him in the Northern papers.