Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1866-08-16
The massacre in New orleans.
prom Harpers Weekly, August 1el N

Thirty years ago slavery shot Lovejoy il
Alton for defending the right Of free speech
Year after year slavery insulted, threatened
and mobbed Northern men for preachib,
the Declaration Of Independence. For fiv'
and six years past slavery has exiled, tor
tured, hung, and burned Southern men fol
fidelity to the Union. But the sure mill,
Of God grind slowly on, and slavery is abol
ished.
We have entered upon new era. Al
ready men are shot by stealth in the late
slave States because they declare justice tc
be the best policy. Already school house,
are burned and teachers hunted away be
cause they seek to. cnlighten the mind,
which slavery. .hast dsrkened. Already the
New York World and the other Northern
lackeys Of slavery denounce Southern mer
who were true to the Union through fire
and flood as "cravens and towards. In
Memphis hatred Of the principle Of equal
rights before the law massacres the most
frieDdless and unfortunate part Of the pop
ulation; and in New Orleans the advocates
of the same principle, meeting to discuss
the subject, are ferociously murdered. But
still the slow mills of God grind on. The
seed Of equal rights will be watered, not
drowned, by the sewers. II will surely grow
1t will bear its natural fruit of national peace
and prosperity; and in the happy day of It's
ripening those who sought to destroy the
seed, whatever their station, whatever their
temporary power, will be remembered only
as the murderers Of Levejoy and the assas-
sin OF Lincoln are remembered.
1t is Of no importance whether the, mem
bers Of the Louisiana Convention Of 1864
we're wise or unwise, fanatical or moderate.
Any body of men, any where in the country,
have the unauestionable of assembling un-
der any call whatever to consider public af
fairs. The desire of discussion is their au-
therity. Any number. of citizens of the
State of New York may lawfully meet any
where in the State TO propose new Consti-
tuition. One man alone may lawfully pro-
claim new Constitution. There is no law
against debate or against propositions of any
kind, however sweeping or radical they may
be. But when men proceed from debating
to enforcing their propositions they become
amenable to the law and must answer for
their overt acts. The Secession Conventions
Of lS60-6l were properly tolerated as the
disunion arguments of the abolitionists had
been previously properly tolerated The
Fenian meetings to found an Irish republic
were perfectly lawful But when the seces-
sonists passed from declarations to deeds,
and fired upon the forts, and seized the
navy-yards, and stole custom houses; and
when the Feniaps attempted with arms to
make war upon peaceful neighborhood,
the United States justly interfered.
The President knew, as every. body else
knew, the inhamed condition of the city of
New Orleans. He had read, as we had all
read, the fiery speeches Of both parties.-
He knew, unless he had chosen wifully to
ignore, tho smothered hatred Of the late
Rebels toward Union men of every color
He may have considered the "COnserva-
tives" wise, humane, and peaceful. He.
may have thought the Radicals wild and
foolish. He knew that the Mayor was a
bitter Rebel, whom he bad pardened into
office. He knew that the courts had de-
nounced the Convention, and he was ex-
pressly informed that they meant to indict
the members He could not affect ignorance
of the imminent danger of rioting and blood
shed. Still, if, as he constantly asserts,
Louisiana is rightfully in the same relation
to the Union that New York is, he had no
authority to say word or to do an act in
that State except ION application Of the
Legislature, or Of the Executive when the
Legislature cannot be convened. Why
did he presume, then, to judge of the
authority of the Convention? What has
the President of the United States to do
with the manner in which delegates to
State Convention are selected? If his own
assertion be correct az to the present rela-
tion of Louisiana to the Union, the Presi-
dent conviots himself Of the most extraor-
dinary and passionate act of executive usur-
patton and federal Capitalization recorded in
our history. '' '' r'f III. "9i' i.1I
If, however, he had any right whateverto
intervene in the absence of a demand from
the Legislature or the Governor, it was de-
rived from the fact that Louisiana is held
by the military power of the United States,
in which case her present relation to the
Union is not what the President declares it
to be- and he has ample and absolute power
to do 10 that State whatever is necessary to
keep the peace. And he knew, as he knew
his own existence, that simple word to the
military commander to preserve the peace
at all hazards would prevent disorder and
save lives. He did not speak that word.
Assuming to plant himself upon the Con
stitution, which by his very act he violated,
he telegraphed to the Attorney General Of
the State He threw his whole weight upon
the side of those from whom he kneV 9 the
nature of things the disorder would pfoceed,
and from whom it did proceed. He knew
the city was tinder, and he threw in a spark.
Every negro hater and every disleyal ruffian
knew from the Presidents dispatch that the
right Of the citizens to assemble and declare
their views would not be protected. The
Mayor proclamation was a covert but dis
tinct invitation to riot. He announced to
city seething with passionate hatred of the
Convention, that it would receive no coun-
tenance from the President" 1t was sim
ply saying, "The Convention is at your
mercy" Jas...t LI.lrf.. .-..t.., d..
And the mob so understood it. A pro
cession of negroes carrying United States
flag was attacked 1t defended itself; and
the work which one word from the Presi.
dent would have stopped, and which he had
the full authority to. speak If he could speak
at all went on to its awful result. The
Rebel fiag was agaia unfIrled. The men
who had bravely resisted it for four years
were murdered under its encouragement,
and while they were still lying warm in their
blood the President telegraphed that they
were can unlawful assembly," and that
usurpation will not be tolerated 'rwords
which he had no shadow of authority to ut
ter except by the same. right which empow'
cred him to save all those lives; q right
which he declined to exercise. t''Ati i-sd