New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-08-10
THE STATE CONVENTION.

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federal Office holders here And this Sc.
| lection under federal Jurisdiction betrays
on thep part of those responsible for it q
nervous anxiety to perpetuate their own
tenure of Office. Whether this was done
by Messrs. Packard, Casey, Lowell, Jou-
bert, Stockdale and other Office holders,
all of whom were present and active, and
nearly all of whom were self-appointed
| delegates, on their own motion, or whether
they were inspired thereto by the Presi-
dent, is matter Of some doubt. We are
10th to believe that Grant has ordered
United States bayonets to be pointed in a
hostile manner toward Republican State
administration until wehave further proof
OF the fact. At present we have only Mr..
Packard's We'd for it that he was acting
under 1.-THE highest authority" in calling
out the military to enable him to stife the
voice Of the Republicans of Louisiana.
That this order was issued from the War
Department we have no doubt. That it
| was obtained under false representations,
we firmly believe. And the Republicans
of this State are fully determined to hold
President Grant responsible for the out
rage. If he will disavow it and prove
his sincerity by removing all the unworthy
officials who now prostitute the high
places of the government to defeat its
friends, all may yet be. well with him.
But there is no alternative; he must re-
buke these faithless men or lose the sup
port of the Louisiana Republicans both
in the next State convention and
in the election next November. He
must summarily remove Messrs. Pack
ard, Lowell, Casey, Joubert and
the other incompetent and u2faithful
officials, or he will lose Louisiana, and
many other States as well.
This system of introducing United
States bayonets and United States deputy
marshals to assist in packing State
conventions is something not only
new, but extremely dangerous. If
the precedent is followed, it will |
turn every postofice in the country
into clubroom; every customhouse into |
a hall for the meeting of State conven-
tons, and finally the capitol at Washing
ton, surrounded by bayonets, into meet
ing place for the national convention for
nominating the next President. When
all this shall have been accomplished, we
shall actually have achieved military
No people, no party, is bound by the
rules and regulations adopted by body
from which their legally chosen delegates
were excluded, upon any pretense what
ever, and when the members of the Re-
publican State Convention yesterday
iound. row of bayonets between them
md their designated place Of meeting,
hey and their constituents were most
ieeply insulted. 1t was hostile act, for
which Marshal Packard and his aiders
md abettors here are responsible, and,
Until the burden of presumption is re-
moved, ''the highest authority" indirect
so. The representatives of nine-tenths
# the Republicans of Louisiana were thus
orcibly elected from the place in which
hey had been invited to convene. It was
contest between few federal office
folders on the one side and the delegates
+ the people on the other. AZ short time
efore the hour named for the meeting,
ONE ninety or ninety-fve delegates pre-
ented themselves in body at the court
DOM door, and asked for admission. All ,
hese gentlemen had tickets in due
orm, and their credentials in their
ockets But they were stopped by
equity United States marshal, who in
'rmed them that they could not 60 in 6
ntil twelve o'clock, as there was caucus
eng held inside The plotters were 1
READY on the ground cooking up the 7
'mporary organization. AS this was told s
lem, and in response to protests against q
lch reception, Captain Smith, of the
ineteenth infantry, assured Governor ;
'armoth that the delegates would have ,
wait until Mr.. Packard and his party =
ere ready to receive them. Thus the in
gnity was sustained by the armed forces
the United States, present by "the
CHEST authority" and the ordinary pro- !,
edings of a Republican State conven-
IN were obstructed by an order of Re h
Lbhcan administration, or by those who d
sQmed to act in it's name And thus Il
e grounds of a complete divorce be- a
cen the Republicans of the State and tt
9 national administration were fur n
shed by the party that can i'll afford to h
'e single supporter. 81 81
1t does not require the gift of prophecy Of
foresee the disasters that will overtake &C
Republican party of this State if the In
loltlous men, who lead the opposition, m
permitted to continue in their unwise
1rse. The vote of Louisiana will be er
ZEN for the Democratic candidate for br
} Presidency in 1872. The same party co
Il probably elect its State officers, in TO
lch event no colored man may even sc
pc to be lieutenant governor, to saw We
thing of aspiring to higher position. alb
e old vagrant laws of 1856 will be re- co
ed and inforced against the colored be
,ple And all this, because a half
zen men in their blindness have de- Lar
mined that they shall themselves oc- ~