New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-08-21
Tne Late nI.turbanee..

sccnunt of the disturbances in this city on the !
3oth Of July as any we have seen N tne Nor'h-
ern press. We copy it, with an m'rouueine
editorial notice, from the Boston EVening j
Commercial of August 1lth {
ma soIIo,vino letter, written BY former re
;5,st S t;sits for the information Of the family
c;rce presents dispassonste aud perspicuous
sccnnnt on the causes which LED TO tne late ae
,InrahIe outbreaf in New Orleans:
ti0N@e NEW ORLEANS, Aug. 5, 1866
Tbsye abstained from putting my pen to paper.
n epistoIary correspondence, after the events OF
Monday last, until to-day, for the reason that
desired whenever l should resume it, to speak
dispassionately of those occurrences; and to give
to those at home rational idea Of the cause OF
the late disturbances in this city, of the manner IN
which il was carried on, and the results which
have so far emanated therefrom. From the jour
nails Of the dag, you will have received the news
paper account and opinion of the affair, but, as
these are not always the most correct, it will |
doubtless be interesting and useful TO you ana
others to receive some OF the ideas OF private IN
dividual'upon the subject.
In the spring of 1864, at the suggestion, and by
| order of Major General Banks, then commanding
| the department Of the gulf, convention assem-
| bled for the purpose OF altering and amending
| the Constitution Of Louisiana. The result OF us
/ labor was the present State Constitution which
4 was duly presentedto the people, and by them
ratified This convention adjourned, to re-assem-
4 BILE at the call of its president, whenever such
E
But, it appears that, contrary to the expeeta
tons of the politicians who constituted that as
II semblv their acts in that capacity failed to Sc
eure for them either lasting renown, or lucTa-
tive position in the politics of the State. One by
one, they sank into obseurity.
n What was to be done n They were politicians
bv profession, and something must be done to
render their business more thriving. Under the
/, reconstruction policy of President johnson, the
State was fast returning to its normal condition
of prosperity. Those who have actively partcl-
mated in the war true to their American INSTINCTS
as well as to their sacred word of honor, given as
q condition Of amnesty, from generalin-chief to
private, were, with wonderful unanimity and
alacEity, returning to life of honest and peaceful
Just in proportion as this good work was adj
yancing toward completion, just in that proper
5 ton were the agitators and political hucksters
returning to that sedimentaTy status from wt s,n
they had been boiled up by the ebuluons OF tour
years Of war.
! AS hy means of constitutional convention =
these men had first been successfully introduced
Is to an ephemeralnotoriety, it was natural Tor them
: to reason (ike causes producing like effects that
BY a similar movement, they might again achieve
place and power. 1t is not at all surprising that
under circumstances like these, they should nave
deemed reconvocation of the convention OF 1864
| to be eminently ''expedicnt and necessary"
The question Of negro equality and suffrage aft
fording them q specious pretext for such course
of action ignoring the fact that by their own act
N ton could alone be amended, they had Invested
!. their contemplated movement Of all show OF le-
y gality committee of that convention, in the alb
| seace of ITS real and duly elected president,
Instructed an individual, styling himself, or by
them constituted d itpresident pro tem.n to issue
= call forts reassembly, for the ayowed purpose
\ Of foistng upon the people, with the AID Of the
national government, and against their own incli-
nation, the hated dogma of negro equality and
suffrage.
Such course of proceeding, in view of the
facts in the case was in its inception regarded by
d the citizens in the light of joke; but when it
came to be definitely aseertained that real danger
threatened the liberties Of the people, energetic
. measures were Immediately set on foot to frus-
trate this hostile design At first this was essayed
through the agency Of the civil courts; but the
Z action of the machinery Of the national govern
ment, (whether duly authorized OF not, remains
yet to be seen( fatally interfered with this pro-
cess The convention, openly boasting its power,
in defiance Of an almost unanimous public senti-
ment, announced its intention to assemble on
, Monday the thirtieth Of July.
i Such was the position of affairs when Mayor
y Monroe Issued his proclamation, announcing such
Y intent of the convention, and enjoning all good
citizens to refrain both from participation in its
y deliberations and from any demonstration which
might tend TO provoke q disturbance of the peace
Il Il At noon on Monday the Convention" com.
prising less thant thirty white members, and eoun-
tenanced by several hundred colored men, met in
/ the hall Of the Mechanics Institute Upon call
! ing the roll, there were found to be wanting of a
! quorum more than forty members, quorum be.
Z ing seventy-one; and it was iubilanty rumored
that the whole affair had proven to be tiasco.
But, much to the surprise and indignation of the
people, a recess was taken, and the sergeant-at-
arms was ordered to proceed into the streets OF
the city, arrest members of the convention and
compel them to attend the meeting; a measure
little calculated to appease the public mind II
. was during this recess that an alteration be-
t tween white citizen and colored convention
e ist.' preepitated the catastrophe which ensued.
/. The details of that horrible scene of slaughter
t have been more graphically described than is in
: my power to depictth them. Suffice it, the conven-
ton was efIect1ally broken up, at least thirty
5 three per cent Of its members, aiders and abet-
tors, being either killed, or more or less severely
D wounded.
submit that it is a misnomer to call this demon
stration Of popular Indignation, this nmstakeable
declaration Of the will Of the people, riot. 1t
partook of none Of the characteristics of riot.
9 The whole affair partook more Of the nature Of
d regular warfare, and the immediate conflict was
more like battle in the field than mere popu-
lar disturbance. Removed from the objective
| point, there was no danger whatever Of life or
s property and there has been no prescription Of
the coored race, either during or since that time
|, myself, saw negroes by dozens attending to
/ their daily ayocations not two blocks from the
@ scene of conflict with no one to modest them or
make them afraid The convention was the dis
f tnrbing element. The city has returned to its
# normal condition ofrepOse. j.
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