New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-08-13
THE EVIDENCE.

2 leCenG ulsti1bdllctS III JillS SltS-d su-Stt4AN
military commission, appointed by Gener'
Baird, and the grand jury of the parish of Oh
leans The testimony taken before the gran
jury, and the report accompanying that test
mony are now published. Although the
throw but little new light on the subject, the
give certain official form to the statement {
: the case, ana constitute helegitimate compile
ment Of the repSrt already transmitted t
Washington by the lieutenant governor, til
4 attorney general and the mayor. 1t is be re
GREETED that the proceedings before the mill
tary commission are necessarily destitute o
that formal and official character which alon
can impart any value to them, or commend
them even to the consideration of the public
Perhaps it is for this reason tina
SO little interest is manifested in regard t,
them IN a community whose character is t,
be more or less affected in one way or anothe
| by any trustworthy testimony concerning thu
recent disturbances which may be taken in
regular manner. As it is, no one knows ever
| whether or not the commission has terminated
its superfuous labors, or whether it continues
1 to indulge in the g harmless pleasantly OF
initiating the proceedings and mimicking
the functions of legal tribunals. Beyond the
fact that General Baird appointed a commits
sion to take testimony, nobody seems to know
anything concerning the objects of the COM
mission. It may be stated that the taking Of
testimony is in itself an object But testi-
mony may be taken by any enc who is willing
to devote his time and attention to the
operation, providing that he can get
Witnesses to testify. But, as it is
not at all likely that people would go to this
trouble without some other object than that
of filling up dreary interval of summer
weather with examinations and cross-examin-
ations of witnesses, we may reasonably pre-
sumo, that such voluntary labor has
some special purpose. What that purpose
may be we have, in this case, no means of
knowing and we would not commit the IN
justice towards Gen Baird of Yenturing a sun
mise. This much, however, is perfectly
plain-that the existence of such purpose is
quite sufficient to deprive the proceedings of
the commission of any weight which they
might otherwise carry with them More
oyer, nobody viii attach the slightest import
ance to the report of a body which acts under
martial law, and which, necessarily, pos
sesses the peculiar faculty of being able to
prove anything or everything. Any kind
of testimony that may be wanted, can be had
for the asking; but between such testimony
and evidence, there is a wide and impossible
interval The military commission is a tribu- |
nal unknown to the law; it possesses no legal
powers i it cannot lawfully compel the attend
ance sfwitnesses; it cannot infict any pun
shment for false swearing In fine, it pos
'esses none of those attributes which impart
Lightly and oredibility to the proceedings of
Judicial tribunal, and consequently, in the
minds OF all reasoning people, the results of
is investigations may be expressed by a sim
lie nought. Unfortunately, therefore, every
hing that has been done by this body
mounts to nothing, and its assumed discoov-
ries, if ever published to the world, must be
ntirely eliminated from any discussion arising
nut Of the affair Of July S0th.
Thus fan, then, we have nothing reliable
'ut the official statements of the lieutenant
GOVERNOR the attorney general, and the
mayor, and the report of the grand jury and
be testimony taken before that body. As the
lew York World very justly says The
uestion Of responsibility involves that Of
rtgtfs5 for when men are once in the midst of
fray they are little better than wolves that
ave had taste of blood In an inqriiry {
bout responsibility afterwards, it is notso
luch the tossings in the whirlpool that de- ,
rye attention as the wiekedness by which /
le boats were rowed to its edge and brought
thin its vortex. Despite the frantic rayina :
7er what occurredin the riot, the sober Sec {
ld-thought Of the country will fasten mainly !
| its origin, which, beyond all question or n
ntroYersy was the radical conspiracy to { z
'erthrow the State government of Louisiana. Fl,
al there been no convention there would
we been no riot. The work which the CON u
ntion had setitself to do, was to III isplace u
e government Of the State by Illegal and d
Volutionary methods. At what stage of
eh conspiracy the State authorities ought
interfere, is point on which opinions may I
Ter but that it was bound to prevent its
nsumrnation is beyond all dispute. I
These propositions would seem to be almost NJ
plain for discussion but it is nevertheless o.
e 'tiat the main question of final RESPONSE ID
it, has been much obscured by the natural 81
ideney to look only at the phenomena of u
consequent outbreak. As we once before az
aarked, the questions who struck the NJ
blow, sorWho fred the first shot, are really U
very little consequence, except as their w
utlon may tend to develop orto corroborate M
reconeeiEed and predetermined purpose.
even on thispointy if it be made a point,
are fortified by the facts. The testimony
that tlle greatest anxiety Of ell
authorities State and city4was 10 avert ok
Of, and to enforce the law without blood wi
q, If possible; that they deferred to Gen. wi
rd's expressed prohibitions on the point Of pr,
estng the members of the so-called con ma
ton; that the mayor, by special order; .di- Th
ed me police to remain away from the are
g Of meeting Of the convention. and bv in
ciamation implored the people to abstain ma
q assembling in the vicinity; and that. ut ane
last, the eonyentioners, or their armed re- zat
ers, We're in. every instance the agsressors. of
! is the showing Of the only trustworthy tiol
enee that has, thus far, been taken, and an,
nnot be inyaidated by anything that may Ye
reclaimed as proved by military commits sta
Or other anomalous and irresponsible do
es sgar E az,