The national Republican., 1866-08-03
A REVIEW OF THE LATE POLITI
CAL HISTORY OF LOUISIANA.
WASHINGTON, d. O., Aug. 2, 1855.

to the career ofa city already stained by the
frequency and ferocity Of its riots. Two
communications have appeared in your paper
concerning the late terrible transactions in
that city, and the events which led to them
Without denying the main facts contained
in the letter Of Mr.. KING, Of New Orleans, l
do not regard its temper or tone as judicious,
and consider its statements Of the original
object Of the convention Of 1864 erroneous,
and its portrayal Of the personnel and pecca-
dilloes Of that body overdrawn. Neither can
/ fully endorse the inferences Of the letter Of
the Hon. Mr.. BANKS, Of Massachusetts,, or
his estimate Of the principal victim Of the
unhappy melee Of July 30. To vindicate
justice and present the truth Of history,
feel compelled to relate, from personal OBJ
servation, the late political events which
have resulted in the outbreak Of which the
public is but too familiar. ~.
accompanied the expedition commanded
by Gen. BANKS, which had for its destination
the Department Of the Gulf, as an officer Of
the United States volunteers, and have been
cognizant Of both the military and civil con-
Germs Of the State Of Louisiana. Upon his
assuming command Of that department. Gen.
BANKS found that the large proportion Of the
people Of Louisiana, especially those who
| Ecpfcscutcu tuS pialtiiiH ulu pEopefty iheci-
ests, was in sympathy with the confederacy.
Their relatives were in its armies and their
hopes were for its success. There was, how
ever, an active and decided minority in favor
Of our Government. Many Of these persons
had undoubtedly become converts to the
Union by the potent influence of the Fed
aral presence and the Federal patronage,
but there were among them men and women
whose loyalty was genuine and unfaltering
The loyal element was composed, first, Of
those who were conservative by their nature
and convictions, represented by such men as
CHRISTIAN RosELINs and j. AD RozIER and
Judge L. H. DURELL; second, those who had
developed their fealty during the military
administration Of Gen. BUTLER, represented
by THos. ]. DURASr and Gov. HAHN; and
thirdly, the civilian accompaniment to the
army, which occupied the principal places in
the customs and the treasury and the postal
departments, mainly from the North, all Of
them appointees and political friends of the
then Secretary Of the Treasury, the Hon. S.
p. CHASE.
The prevailing and pertinent foreign criti-
cism against the chances Of permanent Fed
eral success was the utter absence Of any
general or significant loyal element in the
South. 1t was sold that though the armies
Of this nation held the territory Of the South,
there was no evidence Of any disposition on
the part Of its people to return to its ale
glance: Two years Of not very successful
warfare, end total failure TO discpyer any
hearty Union sentiment in the South, gave
fearful weigh! to this aapFomising TACT. IT
was among the chief desires Of the good aRd
greathearted President LINCOLN to WIN the
Southern people back to the old Govern
ment. 1t was his holy ambition that the
work OF suppressing the rebellion, and re-
constructing the civil and favOrably impress
| ing the social society Of the South, should
go hand in hand. 1t was by the imperative
orders OF Mr. LINCOLN conveying full powers
that Gen. BANKS instituted the proceedings
which led to the reorganization OF Louisiana
The method adopted was the convocation OF
the convention Of 1864, the sole object Of
which was to frame a constitution which
should acknowledge absolute responsibility
to the national Government and adapt its
provisions to the results of the war. That
convention met with the sternest opposition
from the element headed by Mr.. DuRASr and
the men who had held prominent official po-
sitions during the administration of Gen.
BUTLER, from the custom-house and Treas
ury ewing" with few exceptions, and from
the conservative loyal element, always timid,
not daring enough to Venture in this move
ment. Mr.. RosRLISs was elected a member Of
the convention, but refused to Sit The man Of
most decided prominence and marked charac-
ter who participated in its deliberations was f.
ii. DURELL, Judge Of the United States Dis
trict Court. Judge DURELL graduated from
Harvard College; was lawyer of peculiar
ability; q scholar of ripe culture; a man Of
comprehensive mind, who understood both
the dignity Of events and the duties of the
times better than any other citizen with
whom we met in that State. He had been
a resident for many years Of the State, and
understood its people thoroughly To him
the convention owes its salvation as de-
Lucrative body, and the constitution is in
debted to him for its chief features, its value
as an organic act; and its grammatical re.
spectability. His principal assistants in
! these particulars were Col THORPE o gen
teman of education and an author of no
mean repute, and Messrs. SHAW and FISH,
who had been teachers in the public schools
of the city. And with these exceptions there
were few who had ever held any legislative
positions before, and in ordinary circum.
stances would never be likely to hold them.
! They were the best material that could be
procured for the exigency, and though rating
their services at the exoFbitant sum of eight
dollars per diem, and pfolonging the session
of this convention until the treasury was
barren; yet as they had in these particulars
many preeedents in the legislative examples
Of older States, and most peerless imitation
m .hc present "historic" Congress we do not
think it ia.:. i.. to censure too severely the con-
vention of 1864 for tnd;;.- procllvties in the
direction of plunder. 1t was an earnest and
a loyal convention, and did one thing which
leaves no ground for dispute 1t framed
constitution Of most unquestionabe value,
inferior in worth and progress to no other in
the land, and which, first of the Southern
States ignored the heresy of secession, and
recognized the extinction of human slavery
Early in the deliberations of that conven-
ton an ordinance was passed prohibiting ne
groes from ever exercising the right Of sui
frage, or of holding Offices of trust or honor
The vote on this proposition was nearly
unanimous. 1t met with the energetic dis
sent Of General BANKS, who demonstrated
against its passage and advised earnestly
that some recognition of franchise for the
blacks might 60 into the constitution. This
was not donei but the whole question of reg
ulating franchise was left to the Legislature
\ undar tho constitution Tho oonyan,;on