New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-10-09
REPORT OF TIE MILITARY coMMIss1oN.

sort of document which was anticipated by
public opinion. Nobody imagined that it
| would be anything else than bill of indict-
ment framed against the people and authori-
ties Of this city, with the object Of palliating
the extraordinary course Of Gen. Baird in
declaring martial law, and the still more re
markable assertions Of that official in extern
uation of his act, To palliate Gen. Baird's
conduct it was necessary TO condemn the
authorities of New Orleans, and the authori-
ties of New Orleans could be condemned only
by just such evidence as was sure to be ready
at the hands of commission which could
just as easily have proved that the moon was
made of green cheese, or that there are thirty
days in the month Of February, as that the
tales fabricated by radical maleyolence were
really true.
i OF course, we do not mean to say that the
gentlemen Of the commission set themselves
deliberately to work to establish falsehood;
Il but we do say that their report is only another
Illustration of o fact already demonstrated
that the truth is far more apt to be suppressed
i than to be discovered by this process. It is
perfectly plain that the commission ap-
preached their task with determination, if
u possible, to convict the authorities of New
Orleans, and especially the mayor of gross
misconduct, and Of some kind of moral and
official delinquency which would justify Gen.
Baird's declaration of martial law. The re-
lport exhibits all the hostility of the accusel
and none of the Judicial impartiality Of a
court. The resolve to prove the mayor guilty
of all the charges preferred against him by his
, political adyersaries, and cast the odium Of
Il lawless recklessness, and reballious contu-
i macy on the people Of New Orleans, shines
! out conspicuously in every line and every
] word.
!, So much is this the case that even the
plainest rules Of evidence are disregarded in
the summing up of the testimony. Chance
words, heated expressions uttered during the
excitement of an exceptional period, and even
the unguarded ordinations of ladies, are
cumulated into proof of an organized con
spiracy to commit murder and into the evil
dence of a malignant hostility against Union
men and /. loyalists. The testimony Of
Mayor Monroe and the chief of police, that
no order had been given to the police to arm
themselves, is discredited on the testimony d
f an obscure policeman who could have known
nothing of the matter, and of telegraph
operator, whose statement, at the best, is only
an unsupported contradiction. Another in
stance of this persistent attempt to distort
the plainest facts from their obvious and rea-
sonable meaning is the Interpretation placed
by the report on the striking of the alarm
bell The chief Of police had dis
tinctly testified that this signal was
4 to be used for the concentration of
the police in case of riot which was clearly
d laudable precaution on the part Of the au-
thodties. To prevent the fire companies
from being deceived number not correspond
/ ing with the fire alarm was selected. There
are hut nine fire districts in the city, and
twenty strokes are the signal for a general
alarm. These facts are stated by the report.
But, not satisfied with believing what these
facts indicate, The gentlemen of the commits
sion thought that they were bound to discover
some horfid and mysterious associations be-
tween twelve strokes Of the bell and that
deeply laid plot to assassinate the conven-
tioners, which they seem bent on detecting.
They, therefore, say
IT Is Understood that during Confederate oceu-
patton this number of strokes was the alarm signal
/ TO the military announcing an expected attack.
and it would almost seem that the stirring appeai
had not yet lost its power since according to the
4 testimony of one witness it evoked at least one
/ Gotfederdte OFFICER in full uniform, and side arms
to report for active duty.
One Confederate officer Only think of it!
And SO this terrible conspiracy, arranged
with SO much secresy and tact, and which in
syolYed an extensive combination of tele-.
graphic communication and alarm BELLS Gull
minated iaon ecerateQfice, in full uniform,
side arms and all. This extraordinary per-
sonage must have been the forIorn and tat
tered individual who has not vet heard of
Lees surrender But really this style of
thing is too absurd for further comment.
That such stuff could find room in grave
official report shows clearly the total unfit
ness of the method Of military commissions
for accomplishing any purpose which requires
Judicial mpartiality and intelligent reasoning,
We have nc. disposition to go through this
document and subject it to thorough and
rigorous criticism. live were to do 80, We
should leave nothing of it.; for there is not a
single statement in it, of an important char
acter, that cannot be disproyed BY unimpeach-
able testimony. We shall content ourselves,
for the present, with referring to a point on
which the report lays great stress-the con-
tradiction between the testimony Of Mayor
Monroe and General Heron, as to the occur
renees at the meeting in the mayors parlor on
the night Of Saturday, July 28th, and which
contradiction, the report very logically de-
claraa to invalid date Mayor lIonroe's statement.
Before going any further, we can state, Of our
own knowledge, that Mr., Monroe told the
strict and literal truth. If the gentlemen of |
HE commission had desired to settle the point
between him and General Heron, why did
they not call on the other persons who were
present at thai injecting Lieutenant Governor
VOORHEES,, Attorney General Herron, Judge
Noise, Mr. A. D. Kelley, and about a dozen
others? General Heron says that he was
.sked for his opinion. and he replied that,
.hough politically opposed to the convention
party, he would, were he mayor, allow the
convention to meet and, send his whole po-
zoe tFa.na FI,s,a f,a7, Sc 511ro4o6+;o,, ~, Il