The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-08-28

The New Orleans Massacre and ITS
From ne Tribune. A"'''"fS'
The reluctance OF the Johnsonites to let the
public see the official dispatches connected with
the New Orleans massacre is fully justified by
the tenor of those documents. They fix the
stain of blood on the hands of their chief so
indelibly that all the waters of the Mississippi
can never wash 1t out.
Mr. johnson first appears in these dispatches
as the author Of this most extraordinary mssive,
considering that 1t is addressed by the President
to tho regularly elected Governor of what he
pronounces fully constituted State Of the
UniOn:-
EXECUTIVE MANSION, wAsHINaroR, d c., July
26-Io hrs Excellency Governor Wells, New Or
Issued proclamation convenmg the Convention
elected in 1854 Please inform me under and by
what authority this has been DONE and by what
authority this Convention can assume to represent
the whoe people Of the state of louisiana
ANDREW JOHNSON.
TO this inquiry Governor Wells promptly
responded as lolows:-
NKw ORLEANS July 2s.-President Johnson;-
Your telegram received. 1 have not issued pro-
c amaton cOnvening the Convention OF 1854 ihls
was done by the President of that 6ody by virtue
OF resolution adjournIng the Convention subject to
his order, and IN that case also authorizing him TO
cal on the proper officers to issue wrls of election
in uDrepresented parishes. My proclamation IL IN
response to that call ordering an election on the Sd
of september AS soon as the vacancies cah be
as ertaIr cd, an election will be held to q them
when the entire state VIII be represented
Your obedient servant
j. MADISON WELLS, Governor of Louisiana
On that same day the ex-Rebel chiefs tele-
9Taphed the President as follows:-p
NEw ORLEANS, July 28 President Johnson:-
Baolca mass meeting composed mainly OF large
numbers OF negroes last mig It, ending in riot The
Committee OF Arrangements OF said meeIng assem-
bling tonight Violent and lncendary speeches
made negroes called to arm themselves You bit
terly denounced; speakels-tield Dostie, Hawkins
henderson, Melr, Ward and others Governor
Wells arrived last night, but sides with tho Copven-
ton. Move the whole matter before Grand Jurv
but impossible to execute civil process without GER
telnty ol riot Contemp ated to have the members
OF the CONVENTION under process Tom the Criminal
Court of this district ls the military interfere TO
prevent process OF CouTt2
ALBERT VOORHEES, Lieut. Governor La
ALBERT j. HEBRON, Attorney-GeUeral La.
TO which the President at once replied:-
ExEGUT!yE MANSION, WASHINGTON, ID. c., July
B TO Albert voorhees,. Lieutenant Governor of
Louisiana New Orleans La.:-The military will be
expected to sustain and not to obstruct or Interfere
with the proceedings OF the Court. a despatch on
the subject OF the Convention was sent to Governor
wells this morning. ANDREW JOHNSON.
On that same day the military commandant
at New Orleans telegraphed as follows:-
NEW ORLEANS, La, July 2S-Hon Edwin NJ
Stanton, Secretary of war:--A convention has
been called, with the sanction of Governor Wells
TO meet here on Monday. The Lieutenant. Governor
and city authorities think it unlawiul and propose
given no orders on the subject but have warned
the parties that could not countenance or hermit
such action without instructions to that effect from
the President Please instruct me at once by tele-
graph. A BAIRD, Brevet Maior-General.
With all the above dispatches before him, the
President telegraphed to the most active OF the
Rebel leaders as folloWs:-
EXECUTIVE MANSION, WASHINGTON, d. c., July
30, 1865 10 Andrew Heron, ATTORNEY. General,
Sheridan, or whoever may be in command for sdf.
hcient force TO sustasn the civil authority in sun
pressing az ilegal or unawlul assemblies who usnrp
or assume 10 exercise any power or authority with
out first having obtained the consent the people
otthe State If there to be Convention, let it be
composed OF delegates chosen fresh from the peo ole
OF the whole state. The people must be first con.
suited III reference to changing the organic law Of
the State. Usurpaton will not be tolerated The
law and the Constitution must be sustaine ed, ana
thereby peace and order. ANDREW JOHNSON.
Here was the warrant which the Rebels HAD
sought for butchering the detested radicals
Andrew Johnson assumes to decide on the
legality of State Convention which was that
day to assemble, and to place the Federal troops
under the control of its deadly enemy, with di-
rectlons to suppress II as an illegal or unIaWiul
assembly. He had first tried to pick quarrel
with Governor Wells, assuming that he had
called it, and that the whole State was not to
be represented in the Convention. Governor
Wells replied that he had not called it, and that
the whole State 1odS to be representative hay
ing issued proclamation ordering new elec.
lions In every district not fully represented at
coolly ignores the legally chosen Chief Magis.
trate of Louisiana (her only State officer who
was not Kebel), and invests her Rebel Attor-
ney-General with power to WELD the military in
support of the Rebel programme.
General Baird had telegraphed that he would
not permit the Convention to be broken up
without express orders from Washington, Such
orders were theTeupon sent TO Heron; and the
crushing out of the Convention, the butchery of
one hundred Union men, the manning of many
more, and the complete subjugation OF Louisiana
to Rebel rule, were the natural results
We now demand the prompt publication of
the report OF the Military Commission which
has'been sitting in New Orleans to investigate
the butchery which followed the lamentable
orders from Washington of the 2Sth and B0th
ult. We have no hint as to its tenor: but the
Rebel organs in New Orleans writhe and hiss os
if they knew that the truth would come out and
would blast their bloody faction Let us have
the report without delay.