New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-02-02
THk CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE.

The congressional committee met yester
day morning pursuant to adjournment
Hon. Scotield in the chair, and all the mem
bers present.
The examination of Senator Hugh j
Campbell related principally to the Organi
cation of the Senate and House. After stat
ing the details Of the extra session OF the
Senate that eliminated in the election OF
Mr. Pinchback as Lieutenant Governor, the
history of the late assembly of that body
was touched upon. He was one of the eigh
teen Senators who repealed the obnoxious
laws. The Senator voted for their repea'
not because he considered them obnoxious
or unjust. but for the purpose of keeping
| Senator Thomas in his seat. who, he under
STOOD had returned on the proposition that
those laws would be repe aled, and that un-
less they were repealed he would leave. lie
voted for them 20 keep the Senator i'll his
seat because with him they had a quorum,
and he thought that with quorum in the
| Senate the riot and tumult would cease.
| In answer to the charge that he held more
than one office of trust and profit. Mr..
Campbell said he had been appointed State
| Registrar of the Land Office, which was not
new position. Offering to resign the office
| of Senator, his resignation was not ac-
cepted. He managed to attend the duties
of both positions, he supposed, by an equal
distribution of his time
Upon the question of the constitutional
right to call the Senate together in extra
| session, the Senator was of the opinion
| that such right existed, as the article in
| the fundamental law of the State author
izing the cOnvocation of the General Assem-
| bly, in extra session, also conferred the
power of calling the Senate. In regard to
| the vacancies which it had been charged
the Governor would not call for an election
to fill. the Senator said there were two
vacancies, occasioned by the death of SEN
ators Fish and Pierce, but he felt satisfied
that the Governor had never instructed the
Senators to keep this official information
from him; nor had he heard Of Senator
Blackman's resolution giving the Governor
such official information. Mr.. Pinchback
had been elected by majority, and without
that end. Touching his part as Major Gen
eral Of militia. which office he had resigned,
he had sometimes received orders from the
Governor and also from General Lcngstreet.
The orders on the day the 'crOwd came
together" were not to fire until they got
direct orders to do so, unless the police line
were forced back.
In regard to the arrest Of members of the
House and Senate by Marshal Packard, the
Senator went on to give crcumstantial
account OF the same.
1t was done, he believed, to remove a
sufficient number Of men from the upper
house to give the opposition control of it.
He was satisfied that it was part of con-
certed plan designed to revolutiOnize the
State government. AS soon as the arrests
were made, six of the arrested Representa-
tives were expelled from the House and
six persons seated in their places. This
fact alone evinced a concert of action in
the conspiracy. The persons arrested were
political friends of the Governor. They
We're charged with violating the enforce
ment act.
The orig in of he antagonism in the Re-
publican party began in the rumOr, indus
triously circulated, that the Governor was
opposed to the denomination of President
Grant. This was used on Collector Casey
to induce him to unite with designing men
to revolutionize the State government and
put the conspirators in control of it. The
Governors proclamation convening the ex-
ira session of the Legislature the fourth of
January was published in newspaper.
This extra session was perfectly legitimate.
1t was flank movement on the federal Of
ticials. But for the action of these officials
there would have been no extra session.
The leaders of this federal party were
Marshal Packard and Collector Casey.
This action of the Governor in calling an
extra session, the Senator believed was
piece of brilliant strategy. The witness
knew nothing of bribery nor of any sum,
large or small, to secure votes, nor did he
believe the Governor had ever employed
any snch agency. Touching his own in
terest in canal schemes, the Senator said
he held stock in the Mississippi Canal Com
pany. which he had purchased after the
law had passed. Upon the question of the
late events testimony was delivered differ
ing in no essential particular from what
has been frequently published. The Senator
was excused from further testimony to
attend the meeting of the Senate.
The examination of S. B. Packard, United
States marshal, covered the whole political
field and lasted dnring four hours. The
marshal had been identified with local poll
tics for a series of years, having arrived in
this city in 1862 as an officer of the army.
He had been a member of the Constitu-
tional Convention of 1868, and, after its
adjournment. had been the chairman of the
committee on registration to carry out the
ordinance of the convention and set the
civil machinery to work. In the first Re
publican political convention, which had
assembled to nominate a State ticket
under the new constitution, which,
at the same time, was to be pro-
posed for adoption, he had been
warm supporter OF Governor Warmoth
for the position to which he was afterward
elected, and was also personal friend. In
all these events he had cooperated with the
present leaders of the Republican party in
carrying out their policy. The first Legis
lature had been elected under the conven-
ton ordinance, and he had entered into the
canvass on the party side. Pressed to tell
the exact cause of the present differences
and antagonism of the parties represented