The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1867-06-12

personal attack on me, impeaching my e1
iciency as public officer, and recommend
ing my removal from office. Not eonsciou
of having deserved Your severe STRUCTURES
| confess was surprised and panied whel
l read them in print; the more SO as 70,
were not in the city on the day Of the riot
you having found it convenient to be off t.
Texas several days before, will not say il
anticipation Of o riot, nor will I use tn
word "skulk.",
bore your damaging accusations lon.
while in silence, but finally exercised tn,
right belonging to the hdtnblest individu
al, Of defending myself publicly agains
your charges. This ] did in a letter ad
dressed to an honorable Senator from Iii
nois, but couched in language devoid O.
scurrility and personalities.
| spoke ofyour military services in thu
highest praise At that time / did MOI
suppose for a moment that any persona
hostility on your part would result from
that publication In fact, ] dismissed the
transaction from my mind, and when YOU
received your appointment as commander
Of the district, I called on you as if there
had been no controversy between MS, and
rendered you my cooperation in carrying
out the law of Congress. You received my
visit courteously, and I fully expected there
would be harmonious relations between us
When, however, the time arrived for you
to act in the appointment Of Registrars
and in the removal and appointment of of:
ficers, I discovered no disposition on your
part to consult me in the slightest manner
which as loyal Governor, aud intimately
acquainted with the people of the State, ]
did not think unreasonable in me to expect
OF you. l did not complain, however; my
official intercourse with you was frequent,
though about this time saw published
what purported to be an extract of q letter
from you to the Secretary of War or Gen.
Grant, in which you asked for advice as to
your power of removal as it was probable
you would find it necessary to remove me
from Office. | have seen no denial from you
as to the authorship of that letter. Not
withstanding these repeated evidences of
an ,unfriendly spirit on your part, said
nothing, and it was only when you assum-
ed to nullify my appointment of Levee
Board and to substitute one of your own,
for which think you had no authority un-
der the law Of Congress to do, that / refer
red the question of yourright to appoint to
the proper officers at Washington to decide.
If to demonstrate against the illegal and
arbitrary exercise power by you-having
no connection with the law of Congress-
which specifically defines your duties-is
an impeachment" to the execution of the
law, then your power is supreme, which, in
my opinion, was never contemplated by
the act of Congress.
But General, you are not content with
charging me as an "impediment'' to the
execution Of the law, as your sole reason
for removing me from Office. AS if con-
scious that the charge was mere inven
ton of yours to afford pretext for doing
an act you had predetermined on to graft
fy an ancient grudge, you come down to
your true forte, and pour out the walls of
your wrath in stream of abuse and
scurility on my devoted head. You will
pardon me, General. for not initiating your
example by way of retaliation. MY edu-
cation has been sadly deficient in that
polite branch of literature, and am
willing to leave the field to you as without
IN equal. / cannot forbear the remark,
however, that when Major General of
5he United States Army has to play the
part of ''bugler" in sounding In person
MS own honesty, it may we'll excite q
in the community to surmise the
cause therefor. As to yotir charge of an
pointing rebels to Office, if it is D crime /
would like to ask, General. if you are free
rom the same accusation. Out Of Levee
Board composed of five members, one of
7our appbintees was member of the
secession Convention and signed the or
finance of secession; another is not a |
itizen of the United States, but claimed
he protection of the British flag on the
Srrival of Com. Farragut and hts fleet and
, third was blockade runner, who was
rrested and tried by military commits
ion. There is a trite maxim, General, in
his connection, which it would be we'll for
ou to remember in your future personal |
ontroversies Equally faulty and unfor-
innate ih point Of memory is your irsinua-
ion that you could not find me on the day
fter the riot, when called ab your Office
n my way to the Mechanics Institute,
nd talked over the matter with you: /
i'd not call on you for guard, because
ne. had been furnished me by Gen, Baird.
Having disposed Of your misstatements
oncerning me, and defbndsd myself from
that conceive to be a wanton and mali
ious attack on my character on your part,
leave the public to judge between us.
1t is with no pleasure have been forced
nto this controversy. My desire was to
old the most amicable relation with: you
ficially, but to silently submit to your
rbitrary exercise of power, and your
spersions on my character, would be to
rove false to my official trust, and to ad.
lit the truth Of your ISLANDERS.
And now call on you to make good
our assertion of dishonesty as charged
gainst me, if you expect to avoid the
erdict Of the people, which Is always
leted out to the calumniator and SIAN
erer.
j. MADISON WELLS,
Governor of the State of Louisiana.