New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1867-02-12
THE yEW-oRLE1Ns INVESTIGATION

TIRE NEW ORLEANS INVESTIGATION
This investigation seems to have been con
Quoted with remarkable fairness and acumen.
1t discusses very carefully the causes and his
tory of the riots it lays the blame where It
belongs; and it proposes the remedy which the
present state of affairs in Louisiana seems to
require. And with all its legal thoroughness,
there is an elOquence in its language which
will commend it to all patriotic and honest
hearted men, and will give it painful and
enduring interest among National state papers.
We do not purpose to recapitulate the har-
rowing story which the Committee tell OF the
outrages of that bloody day in New-Oricans;
the savage brutality of Monroe's Rebel police {;
the hacking, cutting clubbing, and shooting OF
unarmed, inoffensivc. uBrcsisting men, whose
only crime was loyalty 10 their country; the muir
ders committed under the gIise of friendship
and protection the cowardly slaughter by
"officcrs of the peace" who fired upon the de-
fenseless members of the Convention with ons
hand, while they waved the white signal Of
truce with the other; the gashing of dying
mems faces 10y women armed with IA
zors; or the horrible maltrcatmcnt of the
fresh in the public mind. We need
only say that the newspaper reports OF them
were not at all exaggerated the Committee
have found full confirmation Of the stories in
all their most shocking particulars. The report
lays stress upon one most important fact. But
| single citizen of the Rebel party was killed.
and he by accident, and only ten policemen
were wounded. none of them severely. This Is
| conclusive proof that the Convention Vas not
armed, and that the procession of cOlred men
who were attacked on their way 60 attend 1t
were totally unprepared for any violent proceed
! ings This riOtous attack upon the Conven-
ton" say the Committee, with it's terrible
results of massacre and murder was not an
accident. 1t was the determined purpose of
the Mayor of the City of New0rleans to
break up this Convention by armed force"
Six months have elapsed since this Wholesale
assassination was perpetTated, and not one of the
guilty actors in it has been punished, arrested or
complained Of But the survivors of the unfortu-
nate victims have not been permitted to escape.
and, under an old law rIkcd out OF dusty statute
books for the purpose. proceedings have been
! taken and are still pending against the members
I Of the Convention for breach of the peace.
Preparations for the massacre were made
under the shield of the municipal authorities
for some time before it took place. Fire com
panies prepared and armed themselves; the
police were withdrawn from their posts supplied
with revolvers, and kept waiting at their station
houses until the signal for the hatchery was
| given, and then rushed 10 the bloody work with
a raging mob of Thugs ruflians, and Rebel
| soldiers. The Mayor made effort To stop
| the disorder, and the military commander was
misled rs to the hour Of the meeting, so that
he could not bring up his troops in time to
repress the OutrageS. And with all this. there
was no attempt, not the faintcst reason to
suspect an attempt, on the part OF the obnoxious
Convention, to resist arrest by civil process /;
the few who got into jail thought themselves
fortunate and Gen. Sheridan AYERS that twenty
policemen could have taken the whole body
into custody.
| The most important and most painful part
of the report, however, is that which refers to
the responsibility behind that of Mayor Monroe
and his municipal ruffians, which bore them
up in their criminal proceedings and indirectly
instigated the massacre. In public speech at
st. Louis Sept. 6, President Johnson charged
that the riot at New-Oreans was substan-
tally planned by " the Radical Congress-"
and that 70 caucus of Republican members had
instigated the Louisiana Radicals TO call rev
Olutionary Convention TO overthrow the exist
ing Government of the State. and 20 establish
new one based upon negro votes. The report
shows that, on the contrary the caucus and the
Reconstruction Committee both refused to give
any cOuntcnancc to the scheme of the COnven-
ton, as a matter with which il did not become
them to interfere and il concludes with the
opinion, which we must say lisa very mild one,
that Mr.. JOhnsOn's outrageous charge twas an
unwarranted and unjust expression of hcstile
feeling, without pretext or foundation IN
/" fact" And this charge he made after the
official reports of Gen. Baird and Gen. Mower
had put him in full possession of all the cir
cunlstances of the affair. and when he himself,
by his memorable telegram of July % to the Rebel
Lieut-GOv. Voorhees,, had encouraged the
massacre by giving the ruffans to suppose that
the military would be on their side lie put
the troops, as far rs he burst at the disposal
of the Mayors gang, though he knew that riot
and bloOdshed were apprehended; that the
Mayor was a Rebel that his police were Rebels,
DULLES, and bad characters; that the whole
hclliSh crew OF Rebels and cut thrOatS were