Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1866-08-07

dentials made on u. s. gunboats orin the
Federal camps, and those parts of the State
too remote to feel the power of the Union
arms were generally, If not universally,
unrepresented., '7'' I' t' "'i" VI '''
The Convention closed its session donthe
25th Of Julydbaving formed a Constitution
declaring slavery forever abolished, and
making a provision bywhich the right Of
suffrage might at some future time be ex-
tended. "A provision was also made for the,
reassemblyOfo the Convention upon call OF
its President "for any cause, The Con-
vention was at the time the subject of much
controversy, not only In Louisiana but
throughout the Uonntfyl Even. among the
Union men OF the State, there was, not unas76;
nimity, and Thomas j, Durant headed a
party, not very imposing in numbers, IN
opposition to the Convention. D President
Lincoln approved the action iOf the Con-l
| YentioA{ blt Congress didipQt recognize ,it,l
and refused TO- admit the Senator's and Rep
resehtatiyes elected Under the new Cotisti-
tuition. 9e'N 'Siirib 80 ''yH- tmIs 9'G73b'
The Constitution was submitted to the
people i'm September. 1854, and ratified by
vote OF abOuC,ten thousand, the rebel ell
ement keeping away from the polls. AT
this time there was an election of Repre-
sentatives to Congress and members OF the
State legislature. The latter body met in
the October following, SO that the iull ma
chinery Of the State Government, except
alone the Judiciary. was in operation.
In February, 1865, Governor Hahn was
elected U. s. Senator, and of course re-
signed his Governorshp. Lieut.. Governor
Wells, who had been known as Radical
Unionist, far more radical in fact than
Hahn, and in favor of negro suffrage, be-,
came, Governor. 1t was not long, however,
hnflrp tharp w 9 tronhln hptWpp Wells and
his party, tire latter accusing him of
desire to betray them to the rebels,
though he had been refugee from these
very rebels because of his Unionism. ..
When the war was over, and the rebels
returned from the army, the dissatisfaction
with Wells Increased. The quarrel grew
until some OF the Union officials were re-
moved by him and Reconstructed rebels ap-
pointed in their stead. DR.. Dostie, the
most prominent victim of the late violence,
was forcibly elected from his office of State
Auditor and the Sheriff. Coroner, aud
some Others, shared the same fate. Gov.
Wells appears, in fact. to have stood be-
tween the two parties, Radicals and recon-
structed rebels, inclining alternately to one
side aud the other, and receiving, of course,
the curses of both, -.
AS time passed, the contest grew warm
er, and in 1866 one or two comparatively
unimportant riotous demonstrations took
place. Then came the return of the rebel
lawyers to New Orleans, their attempt to
resume practice in the U. S. Courts with
out taking the test oath, the growing i'm
patience of the Radicals, the organization
for various purposes of the negroes-all
| tending to further incite quarrel already
| bitter. .+. r..l 4 -a.ilAl
The Radicals, whose work on the new
Consultation had been rejected by Congress,
came. after the meeting of that body in
| December last, to regard themselves as un-
/ der the protection of the Radical members
and to hope that their Convention might
yet be recognized and themselves secured
in power. The returned rebels had the de-
| cision of the 3Sth Congress to support their
denunciation of the Convention OF 1864 and
| its work, as Illegal and of no effect, They
| saw themselves in an overwhelming MAJOR
ity, so overwhelming that unless the large
| number of negroes of, the State could be
made voters on the Radical side, the latter
could not carry a precinct. This fact was
also we'll known. to the Radicals, and they
| proposed with the. aid of their friends in
Congress to win the battle precisely in that
! way. Hence the call for the re-assembiy
of the Convention. .-3j6l
The manner of this call is generally mis-
understood, even tine President commit
ting the mistake of supposing that Coy.
| Wells issued a proclamation for the meet
ing.b The facts are, these: Judge DuFell,
President ,,9t the Convention, was, the only
| person authorized to reconvene it. Efforts
had for some time been made to induce him
to do this, but he refused A CAUCUS was
| held in, New Orleans, at which between
| forty and fifty members, of the Convention
| were present. 1t was an entirely informal
meeting, having no more authority than if
composed Of any other material. This eau
Gus passed q, resolution censuring, Judge
| Durell for his,refusal to make the call, and
elected JStdde Ho,oeH, of the Supreme Court
of Louisiana, President protein. OF the COns
vention, it being understood that this gem
tleman would take. the office aud issue the
call for the Convention. He did so, and
Gov. Wells, who just at the time was In
disfavOF with the Rebels was appealed to,
to order elections to FIJI vacancies which
existed in the membership, After some
hesitation, Gov. w. made the order. -''i
| Judge Howell, In hts,cali tor the meet
ing, sets forth thatits objects are to revise
the Constitution Of the state and to take
measures for the ratification of the Consti-
tutional Amendment proposed at the late
session OF Congress. 1t is not denied, how
| ever, that the IN cen ton was to enfranchise
the negroes; and TO- submit the amended
| Constitution to the vote of the aoIoIe peo1
| pie, thus makingthe negroes voters upon
their own acknowledgements. The strength
| gained in this way would not put the Rad.
icals safely beyond thepowel of the rebels,
tor some of the negroes, it was assumed,
doubtless with good reason, would be con-
| trolled by their late masters. To remedy
| this, a provision for disfranchisement,
| more or loss general, Of those who had en-
gaged-iri rebellion, was proposedyssE
Members of the Contention were semitic
Congress some time before the adjourn
menl, and although complaints have been
made that no notice was taken of them. it
is fact that the matter was considered.
Mr., Boutwell, Sof Massachusetts, a,feW days
before the Adjournment eve believe it was
in the Congressional eaucus on that SUBJ
ject) urged as reason why Congress should
not adjourn, that a movement for revising
the Constitution OF Louisiana was about to
be made, and for the safety of the enter
priseit might be Important that Congress
should recognize the action taken at once.
whether the, legality of re-convening the
Convention Of 1864 was considered BY the
Union Congressman or not, they refused to
commit themselves i'm favor of the project
as proposed by Mr.. Boutwell,. i -.
The grounds upon which the members
of the Convention were indicted by the
Grand Jury, were very clearly stated by
Judge AbelL of the New Orleans Criminal
Court, in his charge. He did not deny the
legality of the Convention which met In
1854, or questionits acts. y But he said that
the Constitution made having been ac-
cepted by the people, the Convention could
not again take possession of it for amefid2