The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1866-08-25
noanrse::.......Auausr IS, 1879.
WHERE THE REsPONsIBILITY
FOB THE NEW ORLEANS RIOTS


strable that the criminal responsibility for
the slaughter aud carnage in the streets Of
the Crescent City, on the 30th day Of July |
last, Is mainly attributable to the gross in |
efficiency Of the military commander at that |
post, and to the inexcusable omission OF the |
Secretary of War in Washington in not plac-
ing before THE PRESIDENT the information
received by him. We do not palliate the
spirit of murder, or excuse the riotous acts
committed on that lamentable occasion; but |
we maintain that the fact that such acts |
,cere permitted at all stain with neglect and
incapacity the War Department and the mil |
itary commandant at New Orleans. Why |
was the military in force in that citys 1t
could only rightfully be there to protect the
United States authority, and the local and
State authorities, which looked to it for de-
fence and support The constitution Of the
State Of louisiana was the only local law rec
ognized or known to the United States, and
the officials who held Office by its title were
the only lawful representatives Of order and
authority Of which this Government had
cognizance. The armies and the navies Of the
United States were there to uphold and sus-
tain these authorities, and for no other pur-
pose.
= Gen. BAIRD did not seem to understand
this. Indeed, he seems totally incapable Of
understanding any duty assigned to him.
II is well known that II not in conviction and
sympathy radical Of the most ultra school,
he was at least under the influences of the
most intense and unmitigated radicalism.
Having married daughter Of GERRrr
SMITH, Of New York, one Of the original
abolitionists Of the extreme class, he has un-
doubtedly imbibed from his surroundings
the dangerous virus Of his relatives and as
sociates. Nothing is more clearly revealed
from the dispatches sent by him than that
he has been all the while in accord and SYM
pathy with the revolutionists Of that city.
His obtuseness in not realizing the situation
around him approaches imbecility. With
the elements Of discord at work for months,
with incendiary meetings Of rival factions
held week after week, with population Of
b two hundred thousand SOULS, composed Of
thousands of returned confederate soldiers,
Of thousands Of blacks clamoring for fran.
chise, Of hundreds Of disappointed politicians,
with community noted for its excitable and
infammatorv materials. and with novel causes
of agitation and alarm seething and stirring
nm this motley mass: with this inconeruous
,nr,,;,,ae under his sunerv;sion he ia "a calm
and undisturbed as though he was managing a
Shaker farm or a Quaker meeting. What
can Intelligent men think of an officer who
considers the efforts of threescore men "a
assume the sovereiontv of A populous State
and mass constitutional amendments effectine
the interests of thirty millions of people, who
sought to take without authority from the
neonle the ballots from white men and put
them into the hands Of blacks and who were
in alliance with Congress to perpetrate the
most GIGANTIC usurpations of Government of
which there is sny record in a free country,
a, a . harmless pleasure ?" No wonder that
upon such 4 man the outbreak "came unex.
pectedly." It is no marvel that under such
commander that the pavements of New
Orleans ran red with blood, or that riot held
high carnival under his impotent sway. Nor
is il strange that when Gen. BAIRD at last
awoke to something like a realizing sense
of the enormity Of the mistake of not hav-
ing his forces in readiness to stay and stop
the deeds Of death and darkness which swept
over that city, that he should now attempt to
draw public attention from his own guilty
neglect to the guilty participators in the
riot, to whom that neglect gave oppor.
tunity to perform their fendish work. The
first appearance Of the United States
forces put an end to the riot without
another victim. Their appearance at the
proper time would have prevented the
en,e,ae, and saved every life and every drop
of blood shed on that disastrous day. Why
were they not on duty at the proper time !
will be the question asked by the American
people. We have given one reason: the
patent incapacity and glazing incompetency
of Gen. BAIRD. Another reason is The fail
ure of Mr.. Secretary Stanton either to an