Delaware State journal and statesman., 1866-08-14

petWeen the President and Congress in th
policy OF restoring the States lately in rebe
lion, and rubbed their hands with delight q
the idea of a civil war in the loyal States
In view of all this array of strong, stubborn
facts, freely acknowledge my views of
conciliatory policy in turning hack to allie
glance those who have been engaged in
war to destroy the Union, have undergone
change. The intolerant spirit engendere
by slavery still exists. The loss of propert,
and failure OF hopes can never be forgiven
and though / regard them as impotent TO re
slst the constitutional authority enforced bl
tne presence of the military, yet l ain con
vlnced they would renew the rebellion to
morrow II they had Prospect of success.
impressed with the truth of these views
ioreseeing the necessity for the future secu
rlty OF the Union men in the South, that the
amendment TO the Constitution adopted by
congress and submitted to the several States
lor ratification should prevail, and fully
realizing the fact that the amendment would
nI 'er be ratified by the present legislation,
own l was in favor Of the reassembling OF
The Convention of 1864, as the only means
ol securing the ratification required, and
leleDyt 10 insure the admission of our repre-
sentatives in Congress.
The legal right of the Convention to con.
tlnue its functions, is a question, suppose.
properly pertaining to the Courts to decide.
senators and Representatives in Congress, OF
great learning, and men of high legal attain
lnents in New Orleans, have expressed the
opinion that under the resolution of adjourn
ment, the Convention could lawfully assem-.
pie. A distinguished Democratic Senator in
congress took the same view. For myself
Il mad any doubt on the subject, have
ueierred to the opinions of ADLER men. The
total number OF delegates com! sing the
tJ0nVpntinp
was 72. The quorum was fixed al "a. this
number being majority of the whole
lhere were twenty-seven parishes u-repre-
sented IN the Convention that were entitled
to 1ity..one delegates, I'd adding thereto ten
vacancies TO be filled, would make sixty.one
delegates TO be elected.
BESIDES, there w some ten or twelve
delegates who, disapproving of the emanci-
patton clause, reiusedto sign the constitution,
ana these may be ranked with the extreme
conservatives, Counting the sixty.one dele
gates to be elected to be of the same class
and the balance of the Convention 10 he
radical, 1t will be seen that the parties would
have been really equally divided
l nave gone into these details TO show the
lastly oil the charges that have been made
that The Convention would not have renre
sented the Whole State, and that IL was in
tended to be packed Every parish would
have been represented, about one half hay
ing elected their delegates in 1866, and the
other CT nan IN 1866, making just equilibrium
VI ulose VINO opposed and those who sus-
tanned the cause of the Confederacy.
There are disfranchisng clauses in the
Constitution of 1864. The much abused
members of that Convention had in their
power to have made Constitution as strin-
gent against those who engaged In the rebel.
lion as Tennessee and Missouri have done.
lhey, however, pursued an opposite course
and trusted that these men would be actuated
by spirit OF tolerance and forbearance in
return Tor the liberality shown towards them.
HOW the members of that Convention have
been treated individually by the verv men
whose 900. faith they trusted TO. IL ssv
nothing of the scorn and villifcation mi.
minated against them as a collective body,
and against the Constitution they made, lei
the record OF the bloody doings at Mechanics
Institute on Monday answer.
In Keeping with the unrelenting policy to
Keep the power of the State in their own
hands exclusively, they opposed the meeting
OF the Convention. They needed no better
monitor than their own consciences to tell
them that by their proscriptive conduct they
had forfeited all claim to further liberty from
the original members of that Convention.
They resolved that it must be put down and
crushed out at all risks. The scenes of the
30th of July were confidently predicted IN
case the Convention met They were the
result of the letter of Mayor Monroe to Gen,
Baird. Accompanying this communication
is proof that 1t was the determination Id
every other means failed, to resort to force.
Everything was arranged on Sunday pre-.
paratory to this purpose. The police re-
ceived their orders, and on Monday morning
they were in large numbers at the corner OF
Canal llrNQnna 4,
or more reVolvers on his person. Why were
they there, except to commit violenceP
Among all that is charged against the speak.
ers at Friday nights meeting, they can cite
nothing more than that the blacks should
come armed to defend the Convention in
case the members were ateacked. Admitting
they were assembled for that purpose, what
occasion was there for alarm unless il was
meditated to assault the Convention? The
inference is irresistible, for the massing of
the police was designed to break up the
Convention. For this purpose a beginning
was necessary, and the opportunity sought
for soon occurred by the arrival Of pro.
cession of blacks with music, on their wav
to the place of meeting of the Convention.
When the procession entered the street
crowded with policemen end citizens, at the
corner Of Canal and DTyades Streets, it was
received with insults and ieers, which
brought on collision. shot was fired,
but the affair ended in nothing serious.
The next act of violence was the arrest of
"A colored man by policeman in front of the
Institute, but for what offence am unable
to say. The crowd of colorcd persons ma
turally became excited, brickbats were then
thrown, and a shot fired, the testimony going
to show that it was done by one Of the
colored crowd. 1t was answered by several
shots from the crowd OF policemen at the
COZ ner, and followed by rapid firing bv the
crowd of blacks, who retIrned the fire as
fast as they could, but being overpowered,
were driven from the street and took shelter
in the Mechanics Institute. If the object
of the police was simply to preserve the
public peace, why did not they, after the
men had taken refuge, retire to their original
positions at the corner of the street, which
eiiectually cut off egress from the front, and.
placing guard to watch the rear of the
building, await the arrival of the military.
who were known to be on their wayY The
only reason for their course is that it did NOT
suit their purpose. They accordingly ad.
vanced on the front of the building. and he.
sieged it on all sides. Every negro who at.
tempted to escape was murdered. Crowning
the climax of these murderous and bloody
acts, it is well known that when the white
flag was hung out as token of surrender
the police arrested the members of the Con.
vention and other white citizens, and brought
them into the street, where the most promi-
nent of those holding Union sentiments were
Shot stabbed and beaten while in custody,
and in the presence OF the entire police of
the city.
Why did not the Mayor or his Chief Of
Police station guard at the door, and for
4 Il