The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1872-07-13
Address to the Republicans
AND
People of Louisiana.

| HE.po'Rs REGULAR REPUBLICAN, PARTY
of Louisiana, No 16 Dryades street. 7
New Orleans, June %, 1872. }
A convention of the regular Republican
party has adjourned to meet on the ninth of
August next in the Mechanics Institute, in
the city of New Orleans By resolution of
this convention, the basis of representation
in the same has been doubled, and an cleo
ton has been ordered for an additional num-
Der of delegates to the same, equal in num-
| Der to the whole delegation already elected.
The object in this is to afford an opportunity
to all the people of this State who approve
of the principles herein set forth to take part
| in the deliberations of the convention, and in
| the nomination of capable, honest and repre-
sentative men, who have their homes and
| their interests i'll Louisiana upon a ticket and
platform of principles which shall secure the
| support of all the good people of this State.
! In the present confused and transition
| state of political parties we recognize three
universal and powerful sentiments, which
run through the hearts of large majority of
the people of this State without distinction
of party. These are;
First-A desire for an honest, economical
and stable government, administered bys
representative men of character and capa-
| city, who shall be chosen without distinc-
| ton from any official ring.
Second-A conviction that the interests of
all the people of this State are indentieal, and
a desire for a growth of new political rela-
| lions, which shall Obliterate past class and
| sectional animosities, and cultivate that mu-
tual Cancellation and good will which is es-
sential to our common prosperity, and to the
| permanent success of any political party;
| and
| Third-A growing recognition of the good
policy and necessity of closer alliance be-
| tween the voters of the Republican party
| and that portion of the native population of
the State which has hitherto abstained from
political affairs on account of differences
| created by the late civil war. With such a
party, based upon such liberal and benef-
| cent principles we believe that the rights of
the cOlored people would be safer and better
protected, the liberty of opinion and the po-
litical interests of the ex-Union soldier, the
Northern settler, and the old Union citizeI,
more cordially and completely secured and
the intelligence and property of the State
! and the rights of the native Confederate
Southerner be better represented than is
possible under any other practicable political
| combination.
In these premises, we say to the Republic
cans of the State that in the organization and
| upon the basis presented by us, is their sole
| hope for eleeting any Republican officers in
| the State, and for preserving their party.
The success of the Custom House State ticket
nominated ut Baton Rouge is hopeless, and
| ii the fortunes of the Republican party are
attached to it, its defeat Is certain
To demonstrate this, We call their atten-
| ton to the history of the Packard-C Custom
House convention at Baton Rouge, which has
| assumed to present candidates to the people
OF this State in the name of the Republican
party.
Messrs. Packard, Casey, Herwig, Stock
II AZ
convention called for August 9, 1871, in the
| interest OF their CustOnl-Housc ring, with a
| view of getting control of the State govern
| ment at this election for themselves and their
associates 70 this they conspred to con-
troll that convention. With this design they
sought and obtained permission to use the
Custom-House building, the marshals of the
| United States courts, and the forces of the
| United States army. In defiance of all de-
| cency and respect for public opinion and to
the great scandal OF the national government,
they conyolsed the convention to assemble in
a United States courtroom in the Custom
| House. They rejected all protests OF their
| Republican fellow-citizens with the imperial
| msolence and aughtiness of Eastern satraps.
TO make sure of controlling the primary or
sanlzation of the convention, and, in defiance
| OF all known rules for the organization of such
bodies, Messrs. Packard, Casey and their CO.
| consplrators undertook to debar all the dele
gates except such as they admitted from a
voice IN the election of the Temporary presi-
dent. Not satisfied with this they closed
and barred all the doors of the immense Gus
tom-Housc building against the public for
one whole day IN order that the lobby, us
well as the H00r of the convention, should he
packed by their own partisans. 10 further
lntlmldate and coerce the delegates, they
filled the building with special deputy United
States marshals armed Tor the OCCASION To
complete these extraordinary preparations
for political convention and to emphasize
the inauguration of the new style of consult
ing the wishes OF the people, they obtained
the necessary order from the military auth
critics and fortified the closed Custon-H House
with Gatling guns and garrisoned it with
United States soldiers under arms. One hun
dred and ten delegates to the convention be-
ing majority, Disguised and indignant at
these tyrannical and dangerous proceedings
turned away from the Custom ouse and as
semDied the regular convention in Turner
Hall. The State Central Committee appointed
by that convention has by its authority
eonroked the present one.
On the nineteenth of June Mr. Packard
and his partisans called u convention at Bat
on Rouge to nominate candidates for the
chief State offices. The Custon-House eabal
could not keep good faith even with their
own c0nfederates. In order TO secure the
nomination of the favorites OF their own ring
and to obey instructions from II higher ;lIi-
| InolAtHs tIcy expelled from their convention
all representative and independent men, and
seated strangers, intruders, carpet-baggers
and proxies of their own creation, until their
convention consisted of Custom House of
hclals, internal revenue tax collectors and
pOstmasters.
Custom-House employees, who were elected
; as delegates to the Baton Rouge convention
were openly threatened with dismissal from
Office by United States Marshal Packard if
they failed to vote as he dictated. The lists
OF delegates elected as furnished to the State
Central Committee by the parish and ward
clubs were suppressed by Mr.. Packard for
four weeks previous to the meeting of the
convention, and the names of delegates were
not allowed to be made known to members
OF the committee. Lists of delegates pledged
to the ring candidates were manufactured in
the United States marshals office and foisted
upon the convention as the regularly elected
delegates. Lobby tickets were issued, so
that all access even to the lobby was denied
to any but the partisans of Mr. Packard.
Mir. Casey refused, i'll the presence of sew
eral well known gentlemen, to assure his