The Portland daily press., 1867-02-13
NEW ORLEANS RIOTS.
REPORTS OF MESSRs. ELIOT AND
SHELLABARGER.


- ,,,o..or, oo,,a.a, -, a. NJ orloans
"s"'0 oo"neo'oo GU" i'n 'ne w" -
massacre oi duiy 5o, 1870, ana 'o repor' SUI
legislative action as the condition of affairs in
a., CO. .r -a,.,;oa made their re-
o " ~, - ;, o,, obstract:
port on Monday. The following Is an '-.>.s ap''i
On tho 1e.l of Decamher the committee was
anno;ntad irbev entered upon their duties on
tba faiiowino day, and proceeded to examine
witnesses citizens oil Louisiana, theh a,s resiuins
for the lime at Washington, and cohtlnuea
their lobors here until the i5th OF december:
On'the 22d of that month their examination OF
witnesses was resumed at New orleans, and
was closed in that city on on the oa oi January,
1867: il was resumed at " ashihgton on the 10Th
of January and finally closed on tue "a OF Feb
ruary. The whole number Oh witnesses exam
ined is 1871, of when lo9 were before the COM
mittee at New orleahs' ~ enese, II were eX-
amined at the requesc oi tne cluzehs OF that
city.
There has been no occasion during our ma
tional history where riot has occurred so
destitute OF JuStlntpie cause, resulting In
massacre so lnnuInan anu nend-llke as that
which TOOK place at New orleans on the 30th
of July last. The direct cause of the riots which
resulted in the massacre of several members of
the convention and in the slaughter of many
citizens OF Louisiana, was the reassembling OF
that convention pursuant to a call made by
lion. =. X. Howell acting as president pro tena-
pore The committee give history OF that
convention and of the riots and say there was
evidence to show that in some cases policemen
acted to save and not to destroy life. Without
doubt some members of the convention owe
their lives to the protecting care OF the oncers
who arrested them or who accepted thelr sur
render The life of Mr.. W. 4: + lsn M was piopa-
bIy saved in this way. Gov Ham was project
ed In passing to the prison rom Inc nan, al
though he received many p,ows ,s1;n au severe m
jury from other officers ol .no Ponoe before ne
fell into the hands OF tnose who saved hm
There are some other cases where evidence was
aiyen of kindness snoWn oy the ponce These
were exceptions, winch we are giad 10 name
But with these e4oep.ions ioI SeVerai hours the
police anu inou, ~ nlu'uai ID pioouy eMuiatl0n,
continued the putchery IN the hall and on the
s6reet until nearly Two hundred people were
killed ana wounded Inc numDer was proba-
bly, much larger than TINS. But OF that number
the names and residences OF put lew are
known. Some were injured whose friends
conveyed them quickly away. Only ten po-
hceman were wounded, and none OF them Sc
vereiy, and no one OF them was slam. If the
convention nad peen armed, or II the coiored
citizens had been called upon IN advance to
come armed to protect the convention, this
could not have been the case. Thls riotous at
tack upN the conventon, WIN its terrible re-
suits OF massacre ana murder, was not an ac-
cident. 1t was the determined purpose OF the
mayor of the city of New Orleans to break up
this convention by armed force. This the
committee proceed TO demonstrate. and quote
the following despatch from PRESIDENT John
sgn to Albert voornles, neutenanit-governor OF
LOUISIANA dateu ouly 20. Iooo; Inc mlltary
viii be expected 70 sustain anu noG oDsTuct OF
despatcn on tne sI3leGs s ts ~ sne convention was
SEM % uoveioi M ets tha 'i4s nf,at ~
Ihe committees say .iie eneoe VI Iiiis Iespatcn
was 70 assure Lieu ;,t i Hooles
anu Iiose whu were aonis VIII ~ mn ena1 tney
would nave t4e support oI tne rresioent IN
thelr acuon. ~ Is maihtalneu ~ tne fresl-
aenG ehat Louislana - poll'icai oeaIe witnin
the onl9n, ~ .ne p same sense WIN Massacnu-
setts anu Cmo. pue He Knew Ihac lne COVER
nor OF LOUISIANA was at MS nome IN New Or
leans; that the legislature was not IN session,
ana tnat MS own power under the CONSTITUTION
was upon the application OF the executive TO
proeect the otate against domesuc violence,
am YET ne overlooked the governor OF the
State, known TO be loyal, and cOmmuni-
Gated directly with the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ana ttorney,geheral, known not TO be lu
sympathy witn tne governor ana Dy his action
gave such olrections as, III carried out as un-
derstood by the parties VINO received them,
would nave arrayeu the mltary power OF the
United states on the SIDE OF Mayor Monroe's
ponce In their proposed arrest OF the members
OF tne conVenMon. Ine PRESIDENT knew the
GohqItion OF anairs IN louisiana IN July last
de knew that the rebels and thugs" and
dlsloyai men had controlled the election of
mayor Monroe, then an unpardoned rebel who
hau peen aiter ms election suspended from dis
charging tne dutles OF ms once by military Or
DER, ne knew tnat ne nimsen nad subsequent |
pardoned MN. ana must nave known the reb- |
el antecedents OF AlDert Voornes and A. 3.
Heron; he Knew that riot and bloodshed |
were apprehended he knew that military or
ders were IN 7, iorce ana yet without the knowl- |
edge OF the Secretary OF ar or OF the Gener- |
al of our armies, upon whose immediate |
responsibility those military orders had been |
issued, he gave directions by telegraph, which |
II enforced as 1t was intended they should be,
would nave compelled our soldiers to aid the |
rebels agalnts the men In New Orleans who |
mad renamed loyal during the war, and sought |
TO aid ana support by ofhcIal sanction the per- |
sons who desired to suppress by arrest on |
criminal process and under color of law the |
meeting of the convention, and that, although |
y tins convention was called with the |
sanction OF tne GoVehor ana Dy tone OF the |
Judges OF the supreme Court OF Louisiana, |
GAINING TO act as the president OF the conven- |
uon 4ai |
The effect of the action OF the President was |
TO encourage the heart to strengthen the |
hand and TO hold up the arms of those men |
who intended to prevent the convention from
assembling. In this disclosed intention TO /
arrest, by police or sheriff, the members of |
the convention they were assured of his sup
port and aid; and it was believed, with good
reason, that whatever steps the mayor should
take, IN his Office and under color of law to
suppress the meeting of the convention would
nave the sanction OF the President.
The committee discuss at length the rightfnl
power In Congress to legislate to the end that |
Louisiana shall be within the control of loyal
men, ana not subject to the rule OF the same
repel leaders. mliitary and civil, who conducted
.ne war against the government during the re- |
eellon-and TINS is fully demonstrated by the
Iacts before the committee. The conquered
country remains within the power of the Uni
Ced states, 70 DE held according to law until
I4e IN safety OF the republic shall be secured
untli such time as Congress shall act and the
political State shall be in full communion with
Ce on.eu ctates, tne government OF the
eIate e Oh louisiana, however established, must
rom Ihe necessity OF the case be temporary, in
c,loaoe ana incompiete. by act OF the nations
congress sucn government may be recognized, |
l oonlil 1ieu anu sanctioned, or IL may be disap-
n etu anu set asde' as the sa1ety OF the ma
''yn Tu;4ti. anin TIeqaie
,';aad Lousiaha civil government has been
y! !i;tan,e ahu ccnstitqrlon 1s formed The
Ii, aay,+anIs tts 81 inc ohiced states vrtu-
n,,st nnntrni ,,,lt;, vnG 0ee % =! ths tme, and 1t
tbi;sIod ~, uis, suon cV!l government Is es-
t5 .uonsheu anu sucn constitution ordained by
tne people OF iaha as snail assure safety
10 tne repuphc ana receive the legislative /
sahceion sl OF the congress OIL the Unlted States.
Inese results iollow 0i necessity from the fact
OF successiui war; Ihey are the fruits OF vic
.t .pry. Mltno9t them the war ON the part of
.he Cnited otdtes mas Deen, TO TINS extent,
wa Waseo s, III ,vain-that wmie victory has crown
Gu ,,ls uns Naor o ol our armies, our government
woulo oe ieit poweriess elther TO impose terms
oi peace OF PROVIDE against rebellion or at
oelnpsed secession IN the future. These results
Moulu hoo Ioiiow Ii 1he rebellion had been in ,
S surrectloh merely and not civil war. But the
congress OF tne United States for four years l
egisiatea III view OF war, and our soldiers gave
tne themselves 10 service during the war" IT, t
;I, snSn, ~ was war, victory mas disclosed the 6
li.o anu 'ie poWers wnchHtne highest con-