New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-08-05
COMMITTEE on cREDEs1IALs Ar

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The State Central COMMITTEES is alto
gether too kind, It is ov~erworking itself.
1t endeavors to smooth the rugged duties
of the coming State convention, and re-
lieve it of as much Of its work as posi-
BILE. To this end a committee on creden-
tials, consisting, Of course, Of the State
| Central Committee, has been appointed
kby it to say, not only who shall b recog-
nized as delegates, but who shall be adj
mitted to the place of meeting, when Sc
lected. The programme is a thorough
| scheme of usurpation. In Ahe first place,
a list of names will be prepared, con-
tanning the partisans of the central COM
mittee. These viii be, prinaa facid, the
duly elected delegates. Those, however,
who are able to bring to the minds of
the managers of the committee sufficient
evidence to convince these one-sided gen.
tlemen that they have some claims to be
called contestants, will also be furnished
with admission tickets. But we appre-
bend the delegates that are known to be
u~nfriendly to a majority of the COMMITTEES
will find this arrangement will work
slowly and badly. For we can not look
for dispatch in business from men who
have taken thirty days to decide upon a
place of meeting, and finally admitted
their inability to make up their minds.
At this rate it will take them a year to
make such inquiries as will enable them
to determine hat alleged contestants
have sufficient grounds to entitle them to
tickets.
Here we have the whole scheme. The
Central Committee has constituted itself
the committee on credentials, which is
equivalent to giving it the unquestioned
right Of electing the delegates. The con-
v~ention, when it assemblies for temporary
organization, will have nothing to do but
proceed to business just as it finds itself
constituted by the usurpiDg committee IN
credentials. And as every delegate, no
matter by what right he may appear as
such, will have to give a pledge to accept
and adopt the report of the committee,
unexampled unanimity is confidently ex-
pected. The few contestants who succeed
in obtaining tickets of admission will, of
course, be powerless for good. Again, the
committee reserves to itself the right to be
admitted to the convention, with their
secretary. And all other persons except
delegates, as reported by the committee;
contestants who are fortunate enough to
be considered such by the committee; and
the committee and the secretary are to be
excluded. Thus the usurpation is to be
carried into the convention, and the ten
ure of the Central Committees power is to
be prolonged without a shadow of author
ity. Do the gentlemen expect that any
Republican will be bound by such high
handed proceedings? Is the great Repub-
lican party of Louisiana to become the
of their own faithless ser
wants?
After twelve o'clock on Wednesday, the
authority of the committee falls from it,
and the members are no other han pri-
vate gentlemen, unless they shall in the
meantime elect themselves delegates to
the convention. After that hour they
may make suggestions as individuals,
but can no longer give orders and if
they attempt anything Of the kind they
will be met with a storm of indignant re-
monstrance from every true Republican
in the State.
So the programme must fail, because
it can not BE- carried out. The interests
of the Republican party of Louisiana are
not tosbe held in the hollow of the hands
of this committee, to be controlled for in
dividual benefit, or betrayed. The con-
vention should be an open meeting, not a
packed concern, in which no n
appear except by the grace of the
Central Executive Committee.