New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-08-29
would have made general clearing out of
all inside. JAMES f. CASEY,
Collector OF Customs.
s. B. PACKARD,
United States Marshal, District of Lou
MR.. coNwAY's LETTER.

| .. 4 IL.
United States Marshal, District of Lou
isiana.
MR. CoNwAY'S LETTER.
To His Excellency Ulysses S. Grant, President 0
the United States
SrR-I beg leave to respectfully presen
for your consideration few thoughts con
cerring the recent efforts of the Republican!
of Louisiana to hold State convention.
CHANGED to come from New Orleans last
week in company with gentleman who
was the bearer of messages concerning the
same matter, the said messages. having the
signatures of j. f. Casey, Collector of the
| Port of New Orleans, and 5. b, Packard
| United States Marshal for the District OF
Louisiana. The bearer of said messages
| seemed quite eager to make their contents
known, and volunteered an exhibition OF
them to group of gentlemen on the train,
| of whom | was one, saying, as he did so,
| that he was New York Democrat, and
| took no interest whatever in the contro-
| versy between the Republican factions of
Louisiana, and that he was Interested with
| them solely on the score of personal friend
ship for Collector Casey. These messages
having been read aloud in the railroad car,
and their contents having been made pub
lie before they could reach your Excellency,
/ edo not consider myself restrained from
| alluding to their contents, nor from prompt
| ly branding every statement contained in
| them as utterly false and groundless-the
| last resort of men who know themselves to
| have committed a. gross political blunder
| and outrage, second only to the attempted
| secession of the States lately in rebellion,
| though seemingly of less original magni-
| tude.
These men, and the other federal officers
| who entered with them into the project of
| strangling the freedom OF the convention
| seemed utterly regardless of the damaging
| consequences of their action, not only to
| your administration, but to the Republican
party of the nation. The messages which
| they forwarded to your Exoellency and
which were published by their bearer
| in the Northern bound train, state that it
was evident that the friends of Governor
| Warmoth were determined to use violence
| to overawe the delegates; that the Custom
| house was chosen for the meeting of the
| convention because the Governors friends
had hired every hall in the city, so that the
| State Committee were compelled to resort
| to the United States courtroom to enable
| the convention to assemble; that the ma
| jority of the delegates were pledged to de-.
nounce the State administration, and were
in danger of personal violence from thugs
and bruisers in sympathy with the Gov
ernor and under his leadership; that the
public property could only be protected by
calling upon General Reynolds for mill
tary force; that though there were soldiers
in the Customhouse, and Gatlin guns placed
near by, neither were used, and we're only
intended to exercise by their presence q
wholesome influence that United States
Senator West had declared that unless the
Governors friends controlled the conven-
ton, there would be bloodshed; that the
Governor made an incendiary speech at the
Customhouse building in the morning of
the day on which the convention was to
have been held, in the course of which he
denounced the national administration;
and that both he and his friends were
enemies of the President, etc.
Before noticing each of those statements
separately, allow me to say that there is not
a man in the South to-day who has done
more hard work, faced a greater number of
dangers, been more soundly abused for per-
sonal, persistent, self-sacrihcing devotion to
the principles of the Republican party, and,
the success of the congressional plan of re-
construction than myself. My apology for
this personal allusionis that your Excellency
may understand that no partiality for Gov
ernor Warmoth's administration, or for the
Customhouse officials, could suffice to lead
me now to an Endorsement of any course of
conduct of one party or the other which, in
my opinion, would tend to endanger the
success of the Republican party in the fu-
ture. am convinced, from personal knowl-
edge OF the facts, that the statements made
by Mr.. Casey and Mr.. Packard are at vari-
ance with the truth; and since falsehood
can only damage your administration and
work injury to the Republican party, ven-
ture to invite your Excellency's attention to
the naked truth, touching each of the afore-
said allegations.
First-As to the charge that the friends
of Governor Warmoth intended to use viO-
lence to overawe the delegates to the con-
vention, it will suffice TO say that it is not
in the power of Collector Casey. Mr.. Pack
ard, or any one in sympathy with their pro-
ject, to know that anything of the sort was
contemplated and assuredly no one will
presume that politicians whose sagacity was
the means of carrying the State last year
against both the Democrats and the State
committee Il allude to Governor Warmoth,
Senator West State Senator Pinchback,
Judge Dibble, and others) would be likely
to resort to any measure so impolitlc and
absurd as that predicted by Mr.. Casey and
Mr.. Packard in their communication. That
the charge would be well founded If made
against themselves, the history of the mem
orable day on which the convention met
will abundantly prove. Mr.. Packard, Mr..
Casey, Mr.. Dunn, Mr. Lowell, Dir. Stock
dale, and their friends intended to use vio-
lent means to force the convention to
their own particular terms, caring, as
they did. far more for the control of the
State government than for the effect which
their conduct was likely to have on the ma
tional administration and the national Re
publican party, the facts abundantly prove
The evidence on this point is the fact that
early in the day the Customhouse was filled
with armed men, troops and deputy mar
shals, ready to do the bidding Of the Gus
tomhouse officers, personally know-and
stand ready to make affidavit in support of
my statement-that Governor Warmoth,
while fully aware of the contemplated out
rage which the Customhouse officials were
projecting, urged all his friends to conduct
themselves with the utmost regard for the
peace and good name of the community,
and that at no time did he contemplate, or
did any of his friends contemplate, ought
save the readiest submission to the wishes
of the convention, after the same should be
fairly and freely expressed.
Second-As to the charge that the selec-
ton OF the Customhouse for the meeting OF
the convention was because the Governors
friends had hired every hall in town, have
this to say: All previous Republican State
conventions in Louisiana had assembled in
the hall of the Mechanics Institute, which is
leased by the State for the use of the Cen
eral Assembly. Mr. Casey, Mr.. Packard
and their friends, wishing to have the con-
ventlon meet in a building subject entirely
to their jurisdiction, where they could, by
the use. of troops and deputy marshals,
be the better enabled to force it's action,
and thus secure their own selfish ends, de-
cHned to meet in the hall, and, therefore, |
selected the United States courtroom in the
Customhouse building. The Governors
friends were ready to 90 even there and
submit to free expression of the will of
the convention. He had q right to suspect,
however, that force was already prepared
to strangle the trIedom of the convention;