New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-08-13

we, your committee appointed to draft
resolutions and an address to the people of
Louisiana, respectfully submit the follow
ing, and recommend its adoption.
HUGH j. CAMPBELL,
w. b. DICKEY,
L. A. CAGE.
HENRY RABY,
MOSES STERRETT.
III. III. TWITCHELL,
EMERSON BENTLEY.
Address of the Republican State Conveu-
fion.
To the people of the State of Louisiana:
We, the delegates of the Republican
voters of the State, assembled in State CON
yention in compliance with the call of the
Republican State Central Committee, in
view of the extraordinary occurrences
which have attended our session. and of
the unparalleled and astounding attempt
OF a few federal officials to choke and stihe
the freedom of debate, and to menace the
personal liberties and the lives of the
representatives of the people, deem it adj
ylsable and just to set before the good
people OF the State plain statement of
those occurrences, and of the effort. on the
part of small number OF men in high
employ under the federal government, to
overawe and intimidate and even to assas-
sinate the representatives whom you
We are led to this course in order that the
people, not all of this State, but of the
whole country, u be advised of the facts,
as alarming as they are unusual among
the American people, and may jndge Alright
Fl the nature of the .offense and the remedy
to be applied.
On the second day of July, the State
Central Committee of the Republican party
issued their call for State convention to
assemble in New Orleans, on August 8.
The resolution, as presented by Mr.. Ray,
member of the committee, and adopted
by the committee, specified the hour-l2 nj.
of that day--and the place--the Mechanics
Institute. This resolution, before il was
sent to press, was mutilated by surrepti-
tious omission of the hour and place, and
as the call was printed, no place of meet
ing or hour was named. As fhe time of as
sembling the convention drew near this ir-
regular and unprecedented omission ex-
cited attention and caused frequent ap-
phcations from the people to be made to
the Central Committee, asking them to cor
rect the omission and to name the hour and
place of the meeting. This just and reason
able request they evaded, and deferred an
swering, until the morning of the conven-
ton. To seem to shift the responsibility of
any evil motives which might be ascribed to
them, they passed, few days before the
meeNpg of the convention, q resolution. en-
pow&ing the President Of the State Central
Committee, at bis individual discretion. to
fix the hour and the place of meeting, and
give notice thereof, leaving with him the
arbitrary discretion to delay such notice. if
he saw lit, even to the last minute of the
day fixed by the committee for the notice.
This action was in itself good cause for
the representatives of the people to kave-
taken the matter into their own hands, and
to have issued their own call, naming the
time and place of meeting. But with for
bearance unexampled, and sufferance of
usurpation most patient, they awaited the
action of the State Central Committee until
the last day. 1t has been the custom of
Republican conventions for years to as
semble in the Mechanics Institute, where
there is public hall open to all the people.
This hall was then, as always, at the service
OF the convention. Judge of the surprise of
the whole people. when, on the morning of
the last day that notice could issue, Mr..
Packard, United States marshal, issues a
notice designating the United States Gus
tomhouse as the place of meeting.
Unusual, extraordinary and improper as
this action was-suggestive as it was of
federal otficiousness and interference. and
calculated as it was to alarm the people--it
was but the least and the most inoffensive
of series of acts which followed close
upon the heels OF each other, of the most
hagrant usurpation.
1t was announced by the committee that
the public would be excluded from the Gus
tomhouse building. that no delegate sh ould
be admitted until he had filed his creden-
tials with them and received at their hands
a ticket OF admission, and that even then,
after all of these unheard of precautions to
secure packed convention, secluded from
and beyond the reach of the public eve, ia
the dark recesses of the United States Gus
OF their daring and unblushing outrages
by declaring that they would recognize no
person as delegate, for the purpose of pre-
organization, except those whose
names they themselves had placed upon %
roll, thus undertaking to exclude at one
stroke ninety of the one hundred and six
teen delegates elect.
Notwithstanding all this we, your dele
gates, for the sake of the unity of the party,
and in order than the total responsibility Of
any division should rest upon the usurping
and conspiring Customhouse officials, re-
solved to go to the last extreme of pacifica-
ton, and even of submission, short of actual
dishonor. We accordingly signed protest,
and transmitted it by the hands of com
nittee of our members to Mr.. Packard,
president of the State Central Committee. A
copy OF the protest and of the report of the
interview between the committee and Mr..
Packard we here insert;
rhe Proceedings of Preliminary Meet.
ing of the Delegates to the Republican
State Convention.
The delegates whose names are appended
q the subjoined protest, met yesterday at
No. 81 Royal street, TO confer with each
,ther, and agree upon plan of action The
eiicwing protest against the action of the
State Central Committee was read at the
meeting which convened at twelve o'clock:
We, the undersigned delegates to the
State Convention of the Republican party
IT Louisiana, called to meet in New Or
cans, August 9, 1871, enter this protest and
make the following declaration:
We assert that s. b. Packard, Oscar J..
Dunn and G. w. Lowell members Of the
state Central Committee appointed by the
of August 8, 1870, have combined
O prevent fair and free expression of the
viii of the Republicans of Louisiana in the
resent convention. Wecharge that they,
majority of the sub-execu-
i've committee of said State COM
nittee, have assumed to meet and direct
he affairs of the party without notifying
he other two members of said sub-com-
aittee. We declare that such individual
cts are therefore not binding upon the
arty or upon this convention, and should
o treated as null We charge that these
of the State Committee, have
onspired TO pack this convention with
heir personal adherents, without regard
} the wishes or votes of the Republicans
the State. They have appointed parish
ommittees in parishes where duly elected
Dmmittees were existence, or where there
ere clubs fully authorized and competent
!, choose such committees. They have
,cognized boIting organizations as regular
IL m ffQaa faF