The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-08-04
the New Orleans Riot.


tne New York Times gives us sketch
OF the radical convention in New Or
leans, the assembling of which. and
the lnsurrectionary harangues deli
vered by its members, caused the riot
in that city:
New ORLEANL, Monday, july 30
Since the days of Know-Nothinpism
or the close of the war, New Orleans
has never labored under such intense
excitement as during the week Just
passed. AS party, the Know-No-
things were better organized here than
in any section of the country, and I
have reason to believe that their Or
ganization is still kept up. They at
one time ruled the city with violence.
and these rioters disturbed eyery
public assembly convened for politi-
cal purposes. Notwithstanding. the
evidence, to-day, wH take rank side
by side with those by-gone times in
the history. First, came the ANDY
Johnson ratification meeting, or moro
properly speaking, the meeting rati-
flying Democratic nomination dele
gates to the Philadelphia Convention.
1t was convened in Lafayette Square,
where a platform, overhung with ma
tional flags and patriotic Transparent
cies, had been erected.
The telegraph has ,lready given
full particulars of this gathering, and
it only remains for me to add, that,
although speakers were one and all
loud and earnest in their denuncia-
ton of the radicals and the course of
Congress, they were otherwise mode
rate and conciliatory. Resolutions
adopted were of the same nature, and
several Of the speakers plainly told
the secessionists, if any there were
present who still clung to their great
heresy, that they were not wanted.
The proceedings were conducted in q
quiet and orderly manner, and al
though the number present was not
as large as it would have been, the
meeting was a success. After this
meeting, Governor Welles' proclama-
ton, ordering the election of dele
gates from unreprescntcd parishes to
the constitutional Convention, was
issued. The Governor mailed the
proclamation to his private secretary
from his plantation on Red River,
and the Secretary Of State refused to
sign it and atfiX the official seal of the
State. This refusal resulted in q
hubbub i'll the court of the convcn-
tioneers, but they soon discovered a
convenient decision Of the Supreme
Court to the effect that the signature
was not necessary, and 2. King
Butler, the great king bee Of Louisi-
ana radlcalism, prevailed on the pri-
vatc secretary aforesaid to send the
proclamation to the press
AS / informed you last week, the
Governor had been on the fence for
some time back, and, therefore, the
issue of the long looked for document
surprised many who were confident in
the opinion that he was opposed to
reconstructing What they termed q
revolutionary party. When ut once
1T appeared, however, tho conserva-
tive Unionists- and the reconstruc-
tlonists had their turn of intense
excitement.
1t is we'll known that the object of
the Convention is to disfranchisc OK
rebels and cnfranchise the freedmen.
The radicals have majority in the
Convention, il. which they propose to
follow the illustrious example of Con-
gress in not admitting members who
are opposed to their political convic-
tions. They claim to be the only
true representatives of loyal inhabi-
tants Of the State, and intended to
arrogate to themselves to decide who
shall come in under new election,
and who shall stay out They wore
elected under the authority of Gen.
Banks proclamation, while the war
was still raging, and some of them
held certificates signed on board of
gun boats and i'll the camps of the
Union army.
OF the meeting, you have had tcle-
graphic news, but to have fully ap-
preciatcd it. you should have seen it.
The hall of the House of Repre-
sentatives was densely packed with all
assembly, composed mainly of freed
men, while on tho stand was seated
eX-Gov. Hahn as presiding officer, z.
King Butler and other prominent
loyalists, besides several leading citi-
zens. Outside the building, in the
street stand for speaking had been
erected, around which were crowded
several thousand of the unwashed and
unkempt freedmen, thcir white SYM
pathizers, and few of the other
white kind. l have heard Sumner,
Stevens, and even Wendell Phillins