New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-08-07
The Press and the RiBts.

The following article is from tie N. Y. Times Of
the lst ........
The responsibility for these occurrences pr
marty attaches to The promoters of the movement
in which they had tleir origin. That movement is
unqneshonably revolutionary, Its aim il to over
throw the Constitution Of the State by the eXer.
else Of unlawful power, with the avnwed purpose
OF securing HE control Of State affairs in the
hands Of tile radicals. The Constitution framed
BY the convention called by Gen Banks, IN lsGi,
neither enfranrhised the negroes nor disfranchised
those who had sympathled with or participated
i'll the rebellion. Extreme radicals conceived the
idea OF reversing this condition of things They
! expressed determination to peTpetuate their in
| iuence by giving votes to the blacks and de-
| prymg OF their votes the majority of white citi-
zens
With this view, a call was irregularly issued for
a reassembling Of the delegates to the convention
| Of 1864, although with the preparation OF the
Consultation in that year their functions properly
ceased, and with the ratification of the ConstitH-
ton by the people terminated all right and power
TO change Its provisions, except in the manner it
| prescribes The convention which it was pro-
posed to hold on Monday was, then, utterly desti-
tute OF legality. 1t was an attempt to usurp
| power by means unknown to the Constitution and
! rreconcilable with the law and there can be no
| doubt that the armed and organized negroes of
| New Orleans were relied upon to overcome the
agencies which the mayor of the city had
declared his intention to employ to break up the
convention.
That the promoters of the MONUMENT were
aware of its illegaty is, fortunately, susceptible
! Of proof. The New Orleans Tribune of July oath
Quoted in the Tribune of this city yesterday, in
ITS advocacy Of the convention uses this language
We admit this convention to be illegal; but at the
same time we must recognize that it has exercised
power dc tdcto, and that it bids fair to still exer
else a similar pOWer.n It adds this remarkable
confession 4" This convention is an extraneous
power which does not emanate from the whole
people, and the proceedings of the delegates are
hailed IN advance as the Inauguration of a political
revolution-"a revolution more deep and more
Important than any of the reforms already at
tempted or partially realized.n
Ihere are reasons, moreover, for believing that
this illegal movement-this plan of inaunurating
political revolution-this exercise of unlawful
power by minority to overcome the majority of
the people-was not only known to but enjoyed
the approval of the leading radicals in Congress
upon TINS point we may reproduce some remarks
| of Mr. Boutwell, at the late Caucus in WASHINGTON
as reported in the Times of the 10th ult
"Mr. Boutwell,, of Massachusetts, said he thourht
it very desirable that Congress should continue in
session for other reasons than those which had
| been suggested He would mention one dis
| tlnguished gentleman from the South was in town
from whom he had learned that the Louisiana CON
VentOn would meet on the Both for the revision OF
the State Constitution, and that amendments would
be adopted DISTINGUISHING the rebel and enfran.
chlslDg the loyal inhabitants without distinction of
color. ii Congress should be in session when this
Constitution should be adopted it could in accord
ance with the precedent established in the Rhode
Island case, accept IT, and thus give it validity as
the Constitution OF the State, In the Rhode Island
case the supreme court decided that it was for
Congress to decide which was the constitutional
government Of any State in which doubts existed
Ii Congress should not be in session. a long time
must elapse before action could be taken: the
new government of the State might fail to get a
toothOld, and the country would experience a very
serious calamity"
Here we have conclusive evidence that the radi-
(lOpVrpsa We fOft a9,4iga
ceedIng. They could not have been ignorant Of
the ilegality Of the convention, or of the reyol1
tionary purpose it was designed to promote. As
their part of the programme, thew desired that
Congress should remain in session, with the view
OF sustaining the combination of radicals and ne
groes In Louisiana, and consummatng the reyou-
ton to be inaugurated by this unlawful conven-
ton. The good sense of the majority 10 Congress
frustrated this feature of the scheme and the ter
rlDe scenes now reported have overturned other
features; but the connection between the radicals
IN Congress and the negrO-suiitage revoutionists
in New Orleans does not admit of dispnte IN
them, jointly, belongs the responsibility of the loss
OF life that has occurred and Of the dread harvest
of strife which cannot fail to follow the seed so
broadly scattered on Monday last. The poor ne
gro is catspaW in their hands to he sacrificed IL
need be, in furtherance of the effort to entrench
themselves in power What we see now in New
Orleans would be seen elsewhere could they have
their way. -HH q s e-F@
The Herald of the same date says:
The negro riots at New Orleans are the results of
the efforts Of the radicals to breed mischief be.
tween the whites and blacks at the South. The
revival OF the old scheme of negro convention
was undoubtedly part Of plot to excite the peo-
pie That the radicals knew all about it in adj |
vance is evident from the recent speech of General
Banks upon the Mississippi levees He opposed
the appropriation for the leyees on the aronnd |
that the negroes of the South would soon rise
against their oppressors - and that the leyeos |
w would again be destroyed during the struggle; and
ne concluded by promising the blacks tile assist |
ance OF the government when the contest came
These incendiary remarks clearly foreshadowed
the present riots. When the connection of Cen
Banks with the origin i convention, whose revival
has caused all this trouble is remembered liz
speech is the more significant. |
In the war OF races which the radicals are seek
ing 10 lnaugurate the negroes will certainly be
annihiated. The fate reserved for them under
radical rule IS that which the Indians encountered
under the tender mercies of the Puntans. The
New Orleans riots are but the beginning of the an
noyances to which the country will be subjected
so long as the destructives continue to stir mn
sfne by trying to force the blacks into a social
ana political equality with the whites Such an |
equality can never be brought about in this rener-
aiion or the next. The majority Of our people
consider it contrary to the ElaWs of nature
Neither can the radicals create any sympathy for
Inc negro by claiming that only rebels and COP
DGrheads have any autipathy to him In Boston
tself, The very hotbed of radiealism a negro is
lpt permitted to sit at the same table with the
ghteS. "A wealthy Coiored man, from Liberia,
las inst made the experiment and has been ex.
,luded frof0 the hotels and boarding houses II il
lseless to argue against nature. TIE new civil
var may cons but the negroes5will be DESTROYED
nd the radicals will reap the political benefit
rom the disturbances, and may think themselves
Apply if they eEespe the amp-pusts.
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