New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-08-10
AM ISSUE sTATEp.

| tency in the, course pursued by nun. IA lts
issue Of the sd inst it published an article
containing the following paragraphs:
Tet rs sly here, that the reassemblipg Of the
Louisiana convention as Q convention was wholly
without authority from the people. The conyen-
\ lion had already done Its work. 1t had provided
! for the State a Constitution which had passed
through the forms of acceptance by the people.
Its commission was therefore at an end and there
remained nothing forit to do in its original capa-
city.
1t was very likely that, when the Louisiana
convention was reopened, the question OF author
ity would be debated, and, probably, as there was
some sensible men in the convention, settled as it
should have been-namely, that the convention
had no authority at all from the people. Prob.
ably their proceedings would have resulted in a
recommendation that the State should allow ne
gro suffrage, according to the wise advice of Mr..
Lincoln which the convention that framed the
State Constitution foolishly rejected, This peace
full and harmless termination was prevented by
the issuing of the Presidents order, and the result
wasa brutal riot horrible hloodshed, and the as
sassination of some of the best men of Louisiana.
But it does not lie in the mouth of the party
which denies the loyal Representatives, of the
Southern States admission into Congress to com
plain of the issuing of This order for want of
proper authority TO do so. Congress treats the
slave states as conquered provinces. 1t allows
them no participation in the government under
which they live. Ii claims to make laws TO
them, and enforces obedience without permitting
them to be represented in the assembly by which
the laws are made. So far as the federal rule is
concerned, it holds them as subjects OF 2 dominion
ia which they have nc more voice or share than
The subjects Of Austria have in the government of
that colntry-a dominion arbitrary and despotic,
The next day, Unpublished another article
in which it said
1t is evident that deliberate attempt is to be
made, as we predicted in the beginning, to con-
fuse the mind of the public upon the questions at
issue In the recent outrages in New Orleans. 1t
is The duty Of all Tight-minded men to prevent
this.
The question is not whether the convention was
Legitimate or lawful body, or whether its pur-
poses were wise or unwise, right or wrong, reYo-
utiOnary or the reverse The question which
ought not to be lost sight of or overlaid is What
right had the President of the United States to
interfere in the matters The copperhead papers
attempt in vain to draw the public attention away
from this point Theirmotiyes in supporting the
President and in abusing the Congress are made
sufficiently plain by their course this question.
If they sincerely believed in the political policy
they have pretended to support, they would re-
sent the Presidents violation of that policy as
earnestly. and reprobate it as severely as
they did the course of Mr.. Thaddeus
Stevens. But they do nothing of the kind they
have not a word to say against the Presidents
unconstitutional interference with State rights
and subversion of State government in Louisiana.
In the first place it is mistake to suppose
that the questions whether the convention
was Legitimate or an unlawful body,
whether its purposes were wise or unwise,
right or wrong, revolutionary or the reverse,
have no relevancy in the discussion. On the
contrary, it is precisely by the solution of
these questions that the conduct Of the State
and city authorities, and of the President, is
to be judged The Post admits that the re-
assembling of the convention was wholly
without authority, and, for the purposes of
the argument it is willing to admit that it
was an unlawful body and that its purposes
were unwise, wrong and revolutionary. Now,
these are points which, however immaterial
they may be in New York, were very impor-
tant in Louisiana. If the convention was an
unlawful body, and if its purposes were reyolu-
tionaryy it was the duty of our civil authorities
to prevent it from assembling, and to make
such legal issue with its members as would
bring the whole case within the forum of the
law and before the proper Judicial tribunals.
The concessions made by the Post eondede,
likewise the propriety Of the course pursued
by the State and city authorities, or rather
the course which those authorities intended to
pursue This is important in connection with
the accusation brought against the President,
Of arbitrary and tyrannical interference in the
domestic affairs Of sovereign State "What |
right, asks the Post had the President Of
the United States to interfere in the matter? '
Let us commence bysaslzinga question in |
return. What right'had the military author
was requested by the civil author
tiles? Now, the facts established by indis- |
putable testimony-are that the State author |
tiles and the city authorities had intended to
proceed against the conventioners, in accord |
anee with the laws Of the State-the attorney
general. by way Of warrants Of arrest, under
indictments preferred by the grand jury, act
ing according to the instructions of the Judge, |
and the mayor by way of arrestof the mem
oers of the convention, as constituting an
unlawful assemblage likewise under the ex-
position of the law as rendered by Judge
Abell in his charge to. the grand jury. But
he acting department commander declared
hat the civil authorities should net act. He1
threatened to arrest the officers of the Law
hould they attempt to execute the mandates
4 the court he decided the point of
awsfor himself, and announced that even
be preliminaries necessary to bring the mat
er to Judicial issue, should not be carried
nto effect Ey AeqAH
0fcourse twas impossible to contest the
cid with agentleman who commanded an
rmy.5 The sheriff's officers and the cityl
olice could not resist the United States forces,
ven if they had dreamed ofresistance. Had
ley made any such attempt the radical press
the country would have proclaimed
louisiana to be in3 state of renewed and /
agrant rebellion. Under these circumstances
he only thingth could beydone waste APP
cal to the President. The President is com
lander-in7chief Of the army His orders to
Ieneral Baird would be supreme.
he had declared that the mil
AIRY authorities here were to obstruct the
curse of the law, the Post might then have
that he had wantonly interfered I
a the affairs Of sovereign State. But if he
hould direct that the military authorities
ome to the assistance of the civil authorities
n maintaining and enforcing the law, then he
would not assault but would vindicate the
lights ofthe States. 1t was to ascertain the
residents views as to this matter of military
fitnrf eTpf 90 +I,o4 II, u Is5,.44 5-..-A -.-. :,