The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1870-03-30
Radical Luminary Extinguished.

Eleventh district.
This sudden ending of the aspi-
rations of this individual was
rather unexpected after the perslS
tent attempts of Warmoth to force
him upon the people, and after the
energy he had himself expended in
his efforts to retain his place on the
bench. The case is most re-
markable one. Mr.. Lewis was a
Democrat before the war, and
would have taken it as decided
insult if the soundness Or genuine
ness Of his Democracy had ever
been called in question. He was
among the first to respond to the
call Of the Southern Confederacy
for troops and went early to the
war as Captain Of a volunteer
company. At the end of the first
year he resigned his commission
under the impression that he had
been elected to the Confederate
Congress over Henry Marshall. He
was again & Candidate for Con-
gress in 1864 but was defeated by
General Henry Gray.
But Captain j. Langdon Lewis
would like to hold office, and hith-
erto has failed to get his aspira-
tions properly recognised in his
opinion by the Democratic party.
He was therefore, an excellent sub
ject on which to operate by the
Radicals after the triumph Of the
Reconstruction measures, and into
the Radical camp, with bag and
baggage, he incontinently went.
Here, however, another obstacle
presented itself. In spite of recon
struction the Democrats have a
majority in the locality which
boasts the distinguished presence
Of Captain J. Langdon Lewis. In
order to obviate this difficulty the
neophyte Radical was taken in
hand by Governor Warmoth, and
an attempt was made to compen-
safe by Executive appointment
that neglect which he had suffered
at the hands Of an ungrateful and
unappreciative people. Judge j.
d. Watkins, an able Democrat, was
elected to the Judgeship Of the
18th district by the people at the
regular election. Mr.. Warme 9TH,
aided doubtless by the distinguish
ed legal ability of Captain Lewis,
undertook to decide that Judge
Watkins was ineligible under the
Nth Amendment, that vacancy
therefore existed in his district,
and proceeded to commission Cap
tain Lewis as Judge, thus impart-
ing to the people Of the State for
the first time the important infor-
nation that Captain Lewis was
"learned in the law" as is required
by the Constitution Of Louisiana.
The attempts of the new Judge to
hold court in the District, while
Judge Watkins was exercising the
functions of his office, would have
appeared farcical in the extreme
had they not been two tragical in
their probable results.
Judge Watkins was proceeded
against under the ''intrusion act',
declared Ineligible by the Supreme
Court, and his Office vacated. Cap
tain Lewis was appointed the Sc
cond time by Governor Warmoth
to a vacancy which now really ex-
listed. But, in the mean time the
removal of his disabilities by Con-
gress, which had been entrusted to
his friend Blackburn, miscarried,
and Captain Lewis was thus in no
better position than Judge Wat
kins had been. No time was lost
in obtaining a decision of the Su-
preme Court on his ineligibility
and thus the office was declared
vacant for the second time. Some
time afterwards his disabilities
were removed by Congress, and
now the field being clear Captain
Lewis was appointed to the va
cancy by the Governor for the
third time. The Legislature, how
ever, happened to be in session at
the time and the Senate had to
vote on thequestion Of his confirm
alton. The establishment of the
new Judge can hardly be imagined
when, coming before the Senate
fanked by three executive appoint
ments, q removal of disabilities by
Congress, and after nearly two