Semi-weekly Louisianian. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1871-1872, 1871-08-13
THE LATE STATE CENTRAL
COMMITTEE.

gave Mr.. S. b. Packard sufficient
majority to enable him to rob dele
gates tor State Convention Of their
credentials in advance Of their pre-
sentation to the Convention, they
clothed him with power to keep the
place of meeting concealed and to
leave the hour of assembling indie
finite, they acquiesced in the selec-
ton of foreign territory at the
eleventh hour as the place OF as
sembly, they consented to system
of passes which did honor to the
days of slavery, they granted On
extraordinary stretch of power in
the appointment of special U. 3.
deputy marshals, and not content
with all this they sanctioned one OF
the most shameful, unprovoked and
distardly outrages upon free speech,
and political rights, it has ever been
our misfortune to record, by the
introduction of United States troops
into the United States courtroom
within the boundaries of the United
States Customhouse, with the avow-
ed purpose of preventing, or Of con-
trolling a State Convention of the
, Republican party of Louisiana.
Worst of all, the venerated name
of Gen. Grant has been quoted as
approving these daring deeds OF
federal ku- kluxism, Lieutenant Gov
ernor, Dunn colored man is said
; to have given his assistance to the
formation of that cowardly conclave
! which threw half regiment Of sol
l diers between the regularly elected
delegates of the people and the
i treachery and imbecility of its cor
i rupt and perjured members.
, We record however with grateful
appreciation, the fact that the in
stinctive and answering loyalty Of
the majority of The colored delegates
made them turn their backs with
feelings of mingled Indignation and
contempt upon the white men who
had betrayed them, and their few
:. colored dupes-we should say pris
u oners, for many have since sale
> thew would have come out OF thu
Customhouse if the soldiers had lie
them.
h When it became q certainty tina
n s. B. Packard, who is United State
n Marshal and chairman OF the Stat
70 Central Committee of the Repub
e lican party of Louisiana, woul'
e persist in calling State Convention
&c at q time of the year when nearl
d all who could get away had gon
IS from the city, and that he would
10 without regard for rural member
1t of our party, drag them from tn
k healthy atmosphere of their home
rs to encounter the peculiar dangers
the metropolitan diseases, peopl
st smiled at the transparency OF tn
te trick, and ridiculed the feeblepowel
g of invention on the part of the cor
RI triver. Even when the order wer
as forth from Packard that the delt
s. gates should part with the mos
nv sacred documents known to polite
70 their credentials-and put thel
n in the hands of a person who migl
IN not even be n member of the Col
u
nj vention, namely in the hands of IL
q. S. Marshal the subject was r.
garded partiy-in the light of fare
: as it was believed that no indepel
H. dent Republican would SO far su
\. render his manhood as to ser
- credentials to Packard, which cou
~ only be properly decided npon by
=, Convention representing rs far
10 possible every parish in the Stat
zoe This rule has been so long esta
he lished that it carries with it Il
mt force of law and no power less til,
the assembled people can suspend
re- But when the climax was capp'
use by the other outrageous deed 7
~, counted above, men grew serious, t
,ol people became alarmed, the who
community outside Of the Packa
he clique began to protest, and tod
NJ there are not bakers dozen of o.
~, w. people who are not ready to bral
cal every step of this political frau
.u- this social indecency, this unpar
lelled federal usurpation with t
en- severest marks of condemnation, al
~, with the strongest language of j
In dignant reputation.