The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1866-08-14
THELoU1sIANA CONVENTION.
From the II. Y. World.

From the II. Y. World.
tt is appareut, even to the Radicals, that, un-
less the existing State governments of the South
are oyerthrowp, the policy of President johnson
must ultimately prevail. The people of the
North have sacrificed too much for the Union
to allow it to be permanently dissolved; which
it would be if the existing State governments
were never to be either displaced or recognized
The attempt made by the Louisiana Radicals to
galvauize the corpse Of the old Convention of
1864. has at least this redeeming feature, that
it is sneaking acknowledgment by the Radicals
of the desperate straits to which they arc driven
in the hopeless business of superseding the new
State governments.
Their desperate plan is, to set in operation
the semblance of rival State governments in the
Southern States, aud to have Congress recognize
these as clothed with all the authority of the
several States ; plan which was divulged by
Representative Boutwell,, of Massachusetts,, in
his argument for protecting the session Of Con-
gress. MIR Boutwell, and many other leading
Radicals rest the right of Congress TO recognize
such governments on dictum of the Supreme
Court in the celebrated Dorr case, IN which 1t
was conceded that it belongs to Congress to de-
termine, between rival State governments, which
is the true one This argument is a complete
perversion of the Rhode Island decision, for the
rivalsbp between the Dorr government and the
one it sought to supplant was not decided by
Congress, but by the Rhode Island State gov
ernment, which put down the Dorr movement
by force, and tried and Sentenced Dorr for trea-
son. The Supreme Court instead of RENTING
the question to Congress, pronounced, on its
own authority, that the government of Rhode
Island was quite right ia putting down by force
an irregular attempt to supplant it; just as the
81 Poll cd
would sanction the suppression, by the State
government of Louisiana, of illegal attempts to
set up rival 10 its place.
But bad as their reasoning is, and gross as
is their misapplication of the Dorr precedent,
this is nevertheless their plan and the ground
on which it rests. If they procure the
adoption of pretended State constitutions by the
Southern negroes aud Radicals, Congress stands
ready to recognize the governments organized
under such bastard constitutions, and then to
insist that it is the duty of the President to up
hold these governments against the ajority of
the people of the several States, who are held
by the Radicals to have forfeited all their rights
by participation in the rebellion
Louisiana selected for the first expert
ment, because iE that State the Radicals found
the readiest pretext for giving their plot a sim
ulated appearance of regularity. Before the
Constitutional Convention of 1864 adjourned, it
authorized its President to re-convene it, if any
emergency should arise requiring it, This u
thorization must, of course, have had reference
to emergencies previous to the adoption of the
Constitution it had framed, and the organization
Of government under it. Once adopted, it
became the supreme law of the State, and could
not be changed except by new delegation Of
power by the people. All the proceedings Of
such convention are, from the very nature of
its duties, prior and preparatory, never revisory.
The absurdity OF reconvoking such body, at
this late day, is sufficiently evident from this
consideration SSbut the attempt to gavanlze it
into life is doubly absurd as coming from the
Radicals, who, up to the birth of this plot, have
strenuous y denied the legality of the Conven-
ton of 1864.
The amazing and indescribable impudence of
the Radicals in re-assembing a convention
which, till now, they have never mentioned but
to denounce and scotf at it, must pot be lost
sight of in the dust they are raising about the
New Orleans riot. Wherever the blame of the
riot may rest it is certain that the occasion Of it
was conspiracy to overthrow the government
of the State, aud that the authors Of this con-
spracy long ago pronounced their OVID condem-
nation, by their vehement denuncations OF the
very convention while it was living, which they
have attempted to resusciate long after it
dead. IT, as they have always maintained, it
had no shadow Of legal authority ~ hen it origin
ally assembled in 1861, how can they Justify
their attempt to resuscitate 1t In 1866
SUITS AGAINST DELINQUENT PosTMAsTERS
IN THE SOUTHERN STATEs.-The Sixth Audi
tor is still pressing the claims Of the Govern
ment against postmasters in the Southern States
h0, h15n Vaff lad ,Ia IF hal