New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-08-19
THE TRUTH COMING OUT.

The following communication TO the Gin
cinnati Commercial has been copied by the
Chicago Tribune and other influential Re
publican journals. 1t appears to be truth
full report of the causes that led to the re.
suit which eliminated here last week:
To the Editor of the Cincinnati Commercial:
The operations of political parties in the
reconstructed States seem to be misunder-
stood very generally throughout the North,
and, as the events attending the Republic
State Convention held in Louisiana the past
week are likely to attracta great deal OF at
tention, desire to state, as briefly as / can,
through your columns, what they were.
Will premise by saying that for the past year
| or more there has been developing, from
various causes, personal and political jeal-
ousies and misunderstanding between GER
tain members of the Republican party of
Louisiana and the Governor of that State.
1t so happened that number of those in
| dividuals who have been arrayed against
the Governor are prominent federal office
| holders, and they have sought to create the
| impression, both in Louisiana aud at Wash
| ington, that the Governor and his friends
| are hostile to the national administration
| and opposed to the denomination of General
| Grant. So far as we know, no word or act
| OF Governor WarmOth, or his friends, could
| justify the allegation.
In my opinion, it was made for the pur
| pose of undermining the influence of the
| Governor and destroying his power in the
| party within the State. 1t was also alleged,
| for the same purpose, that he was seeking
| alliances with the white people of the State,
| that he was untrue to the promises which
| he had made to the colored people, and that
| he intended to desert them and throw the
| State into the hands of the Democracy
| These charges are wholly. without founda-
| tion, and are well known to be groundless
| by those who make them. This antagonism
| between the Governor and those hostile to
| him has been breeding trouble in the Re-
| publican party for many months past, and
| both parties have been seeking by every
| means in their power to strengthen them
selves with the rank and file throughout the
| State.
The opposition to the Governor and his
administration embraced all the federal
ofice-holders in louisiana and part of the
State Central Committee of the past year,
| who felt aggrieved because the Governor,
during the campaign of last year, took its
management out of their hands, on account
of their ineficiency, and conducted it to a
successful issue, through agencies selected
| by himself. A month or more ago the State
Central Committee issued call for a Re-
publican State Convention, consisting of
| delegates from the different wards of the
city of New Orleans and OF the different
parishes throughout the State, to meet in
the city of New Orleans on the ninth OF
August. Both parties, the Governor and
| those opposed to him. at once set to work
and used every means in their power to Sc
cure a majority of the delegates elected 20
this convention. The canvass was carried
on actively, and the result was not known
| until day or two before the meeting of the
convention. When the call was issued the
day was fixed, but the place Of meeting was
not announced.
1t was generally understood that the
State Central Committee were waiting to
see the result of the election for delegates
before announcing place for the meeting
of the convention and the rules under which
it was TO be organized. The result was de-
fnitely aseertained thirty-six hours before
the meeting of the convention, when it be-
came apparent to all that Governor War
moth and his friends had succeeded in car
rying large majority of the regularly
elected delegates. On the morning preced-
ing the day the convention was to be held,
the committee announced, by obscure adj
vertisements in the city papers, that the
convention would be held in the United
States Circuit courtroom, in the Custom
house, in New Orleans-perhaps the first in
stance, in the history of this country, where
State political convention has been called
in building over which the State has no
jurisdiction. The State Central Committee
also announced that the credentials of all
delegates must be submitted to them, and
a subcommittee was appointed to pass
upon them. To such delegates as might
pass this ordeal, tickets of admission to the
room designated for holding the convention
were to be issued. The number of delegates
according to the call OF the convention, was
ll6.
At midnight preceding the day on which
the convention was to be held, the COM
mittee had completed its examination of
credentials, and had reported list of IT'S
names entitled to admission, including not
only regularly elected delegates but others,
who, from various pretexts, claimed to be
contestants. On the morning of the day
the convention was to be held, it was an
nounced thatdelegates could procure tickets
upon application to the money order Office of
the POstotfice. Early on the morning of
that day this office was crowded with dele
gates entitled to tickets, and they were met
by the Postmaster. who informed them there
was no authority for such an announcement,
and that they must go into the street. and
he would give them their tickets through
the window of his private office. After
much delay and considerable trouble, those
entitled to tickets, under the rulings OF the
committee, obtained them.
During the night preceding the cOnven-
ton and morning of the day upon which it
was held, the United States Marshal was
busily engaged in appointing and swearing
In deputy United States Marshals, to the
number Of some two hundred. At nine
o'clock in the morning of that day three
companies of United States troops, Nine
teenth Infantry, and two Gatlin guns ar
rived and were marched into the Custom
house. AS soon as the troops entered all
the doors of the Customhouse were closed,
locked, barred, and guarded by detach-
ments of the United States deputy mar
shals. All commercial business was sus-
pended, greatly inconveniencing business
men, and greatly astonishing all who heard
of these remarkable proceedings. No dan
ger of trouble or riot was apprehended by |
those who were familiar with the workings |
of political conventions in that CITY, and no |
real cause was known for these extraordi- |
nary precautionary measures. A delega- |
ton of delegates, duly elected, whose seats |
were not contested, waited upon the United |
States Marshal in the morning to ask him |
by what authority he was swearing in so |
large a number of deputy marshals and by |
what authority United States troops were |
called in to overawe Republican cOnven- |
ton. He replied that he had the highest l
authority for his action.
As soon as the delegates succeeded in OBJ !
tanning tickets, those friendly to Governor
Warmoth and his administration repaired |
to the Union League clubrooms, where I
council was held. Those opposed to the |
Governor found means to be admitted to |
the Customhouse. and caucus was held by |
them in the United States District court |
room. This room adjoins the courtroom in |
which the convention was to be held, and |
there is door or doors between the two |
rooms, giving access from one to the other