New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-08-08
nonB MISREPRESENTATION.

y
ground on which the Presidentrequired North
and South Carolina Georgia and other States
10 form new Constitutions was, that the United
Sstates are bound to guarantee to every state
a republican form of government We do not
SO understand he Presidents position. We
lbeTaya tl,at his action was based ON the as
s,,,nptie1l that the governments in the seeded
States had, by the act of secession, orso-ealledl
: rebellion, ceased to exist, qttodd the federal
government other words that, as govern
ments they were "tlisloyal,' whilst only
''Ioyal" State governments could hold rela-
items with the Union
/ The radical view is that this demise of the
State governments involved an humiliation of
State existence, which is plain and palpable
fallaey. Astate may exist even without an estab-
lished government, or q written Constitution.
Any other theory would make the identity,
or entity Of the States subject to the caprices of
revolution Of opinion or of domestic violence
Illinois, for instance, would not cease to be a
State Of the Union even if its governmental
machinery were to become dislocated and in
4 operative through any cause whatever. Hence,
it does not follow, that the Southern States
4 lesttheir Statehood simply because the Pre-
sident chose not to recognize their govern
meats The power to form new Constitutions
and new State governments was recognized by
the President as inherent in the people of the
respective Southern States, and was fully ex-
ercised by most of them. But, whether the
Presidents doctrine is true or false, it has
no relevancy to the case Of Louisiana. In
this State two governments existed, at the
close of the war, one acting under the Con
stitution of 1852, and representing the sover-
eighty of the whole people Of the State, and
the other under the Constitution Of 1864 and
representing the political action Of a small
fraction of the people, under the direction Of
+ military authority within the federal lines.
The old government virtually abdicated its
functions when the war closed, and the new
government extended its authority over the
: whole State. But a popular election was ne
cessary in order to ratify the new status That
election was held in November last and re-
suited in the election of State officers and a
: Estate legislature, representing the whole
people. 1t was only by this popular ratifca-
ton that the new government acquired a
2 de jt5e in addition to de tacto character. But
n that ratification did not extend to the So
|, called convention of ga On the contrary if
K that bodyeyer had the right of re-assembling,
f it lost the right when all the people Of the
Ill State were reunited under one government.
l. Even as to the small portion Of the State
which it pretended to represent it was a sham
/ and fraud-so declared be by Mr.. Thomas
Fl. Durant, the leading radical of New Or
leans. few facts, from that gentleman's
pamphlet, will exhibit this point in clear
light In Point CoEpee parish $50 votes were
returned as cast in the election to adopt the
Constitution. In 1860 Point Coupee cast $50
votes. In ST. Mary 80 votes were. returned.
In 1860 st. Mary cast 942 votes. In St.
Martin 81 votes were returned In 1860 st.
Martin cast 1888 votes In st. John the
Baptist votes were returned. In 1860 st.
John the Baptist cast 1872 votes. In st. James
N votes were returned. In 1860 St James cast
, $50 votes. In Iberville 28 votes were returned.
In 1860 Iberville cast S65 votes. In ST.
Landry 80 votes were returned. In 1860 st.
Landry cast 1866 votes. In Madison votes
were returned In 1860 Madison cast 519
votes. These specimens show in what man
)
in that convention. Altogether twenty par
ishes voted, after fashion, in the election,
and, in the aggregate, 8402 votes were cast,
II of which 5451 were accredited to the parish
4 of Orleans. The character of this vote was
4 depicted by Gov. Wells, when he declared the
i registration under which he was first elected
4 to be fraudoand disgrace to a civilized COM
munity. The idea that a convention formed
4 in sueha way, having such an origin and re-
! presenting such constituency, was SOW
ereign. convention of the State of Louisiana is
too absurd to deceive anybody. But when
4 bare remnant of that body-less than half of
Il q quorum pretends to usurp supreme author
4 ity, in utter defiance of the known wishes and
sentiments Of the people, the ludierous alb
i surdityof the proceeding is surpassed by its
shameless audaeity.
i In view Of these facts, we can see how much
importance is to be attached TO the parallel
i which the Chicago Republican seeks to- estab-
j lish between the Louisiana convention Of 1864
and the North Carolina convention Of 1866.
4 The North Carolina convention, after years
| recess, re-assembled and remodeled the State
Constitution hence, argues the Republican,
the louisiana convention had right to assem-
\ BE, But the North Carolina convention was
duly elected by the people of the whole State,
and was recalled by the officer to whom the
power of accommodation had been delegated
The Louisiana convention was the creature of
/ a military order it was elected by an imagin-
airy constituency, barely redeemed from abso-
/ Lutte nonentity BY the votes of few strangers
camp followers and soldiers, It ceased to
exist as q legal body, if it ever had any legal
existence, when military rule was suspended.
# was Fe-convoked BY an individual who was
not its president, and who had even resigned
his seat as d member; and 1t was composed
when it recently presumed to meet in this
city of the minority Of quorum. "
The TEsr-OArH IN WEST YrRe1H1A. The
Greenbrier Independent says Hon. Samuel
Price has returned home from Wheeling,
where the courtof appeals Of West Virginia
had been in session, hearing arguments upon
the eonstitutionality Of the test-oath. Mr..
Price il. in fine spirits as to the final result.