New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-08-23
THE CUsTOMHOUsE CRIME.
Opinions of the Press.
From the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin. J
THE QUARREL IN NEW ORLEANS

1 ''N@e'NNAEtt-S
| THE QUARREL IN NEW ORLEANS.
The later information which has been re.
| ceived concerning the quarrel between the
Republican conventions in Louisiana gives
| the affair quite different aspect from that
in which 1t was necessarily viewed in the
| dim light afforded by the telegraph. The
| true story of the trouble is, briefly, this:
| The State Central Committee ordered dele
| gate elections to be held throughout the
| State. and 1t was hoped by that body that
the result would be a majority against Gov
| ernor Warmoth in the convention, and in
favor of the faction which opposed him,
| and which actually controlled the Central
Committee. 1t was ascertaned, however
that the majority of the delegates chosen
were adherents OF the Warm0th party, and
when this became apparent, the opposing
faction determined to win by fraud what
! they rad fairly lost in an honest election.
To accomplish this purpose, the Central
Committee decided to hold the convention
in the United States CustOmhouse, and as
the collector and nearly all the officers of
the general government in New Orleans
were opposed to Warmoth,. permission to
occupy the building was readily obtained.
The United States Marshal, who seems to
have been prominent actor in this most
disgracetul affair, then 5wore in some two
hundred deputies, and placed them and
duty in the CustomhOuse, with orders not
to admit to the convention any one who had
not ticket The postmaster and certain
other officials then distributed admission
tickets TO the delegates who favored their
cause, and also to persons not elected who
claimed to represent the districts from
which the friends OF Governor WarmOth
were elected. When the Governor appeared
at the door of the convention with about
pJn 1nln od
and the whole party, burning with indigna-
ton, proceeded to a hail. where another
cOnventian was Immediately organized.
Both Of these bodies claim allegiance to
the Republican party, and profess devotion
to the administration. The dispute has
arisen between them because the Custom
house party desires to secure control of the
State patronage, as it has that of the United
States. We have no sympathy with the
motives which actuate either OF them, but
it is clear that the Warmoth party is alto
gether in the right, while its opponent is
altogether in the wrong. In the hrst place,
the Governors convention. was composed
entirely of delegates who were entitled
fairly 10 seats in the convention and to par
ticipatiUn in its proceedings To exclude
them was to commit an objectionable
oifense against the people whom they rep
resented and that otfense was aggravated
by the fact that their places were filed in
part by men who represented nobody, and
who had no right to influence the action of
the convention in the smallest degree.
In the second place, it was a scandalous
proceeding to hold the convention in
United States building; it was even greater
offence 10 sit with closed doors, and it was
monstrous outrage to invoke the assistance
of government troops TO enable the bogus
convention to peipetrate this wrong, and to
place the troops with artillery and loaded
muskets about the building as menace to
the civil authorities. OF course the aid of
the military was invoked because it was
well known that the Governor would not
permit the use of the civil power for such
unlawful purposes; but even if the Custom
house people had been so much in the right
as they were decidedly in the wrong, such
action would have been worth only the
severest condemnation.
We are very glad indeed to hear the re-
port that the President has disavowed all
responsibility for the action of the United
States Marshal and the Collector. 1t was
alleged that the troops were used with his
consent, but this seems to be false, and
from what we know of the Presidents char
acter, we are positively sure it is altogether
untrue. But the President must not be
satisfied with simple expression of his dis
appreciation. The conduct ofthese men has
been so very bad, and their usurpation of
authority has been SO abominably insolent,
that severe punishment should be meted out
to them. Every officer of the government
who participated in this unrighteous bust
ness should be dismissed from the office in
stantly. If the President will do this act of
Justice, he will strengthen the esteem with
which he is regarded by Governor Warmoth
and the regular party in Louisiana, and he
will crafty the country with the practical |
that abuse of military power by |
lawless and reckless officials will always |
have his disapproval.
From the Alabama State journal