New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-01-16
THE COMMUNIST RlOIEKS
REPORTS FROM GENERAL EMORY
The Rabblc DlSpcrSCS
REV. CARTER A WE1GHER

|
visited General Emory's headquarters Sat
urday were deputed to address the general
who sent the mob away. The committee
consisting of Messrs. Nicholson, +. Zacharie
Marmaduke Marks, Ed. G. Mitchell ant
| Deves, through their chairman, then ad
dressed the General as follows:
| General, l have come to you to ask yOul
| opinion, and propose to you two question:
as proposed at a meeting of the people to
| day, on Canal street.
Firstly-We have come as a body 10 ask
that you remove the police from the State
| House go as to allow the citizens of the
| State, Senators and members of the Legis
lature to enter freely, irrespective of party
| Carter or WarmOth.
| SecOndly-That if you could not do this
to take military charge of the State House
| yourself, and see that free ingress and egress
| be allowed to all. In other words, take
away the police altogether. and have nothing
| there, or else come there yourself with your
| troops.
To this General Emory replied as follows:
GENTLEMEN-i have no authority in this
matter whatever-nO more than you have.
| NV only authority is this: When | am
| called upon by the Governor or Mayor, or
| if riot is raised. by no matter who, or
Wnau party, Will puV IL uO"H anu uIspcIsc
| the rioters with grapeshOt. do not want
to do it. because If did, might slaughter
good many innocent people; but if COM
PEELED will surely do it.
Gentlemen make a great mistake, and
cOntOund my position with what it might
have been during the war, when governors
and legislatures were made and unmade at
will. These are not war times, when
whatever a general said was law. This is
80 lor Ill L.
no more right to interfere in this matter
than 1 have to 60 into a bank where do
not like the president and pat him out.
Question by one of the cOmmittee-Can
Warmoth, by simple requisitiOn, call on
YOU and your troops to protect him in keep
ing out the Legislature, or. rather. such
members as he does not like
General Emory-When the Governor
calls on me to protect his executive build
ing. am bound to furnish him with troops.
now have reguisitiOn from him here. in
which he makes an earnest and immediate
call on me which am obliged to fill. The
State House is his Office, and l am bound to
protect him against mob. and any pro-
lection rendered to his faction of the Legis-
lature is simply incidental to the fact that
it is in the same building as his Office.
If Judge or mayor calls on me tor pro-
lection. l am bound to protect them: also in
case of mob violence.
will give you an instance. In 1892 the
Governor of South Carolina was in threat
ened rebellion against the United States,
and General jackson. who was then Presi-
dent, never thought of putting him down
with United States soldiers.
The reason that refused to address the
crowd was that l thought them hardly able
to understand my position: therefore, ex-
PLAIN it to you. and desire to have 1t thor
Oughly understood.
1t is not the purpose of the United States
government to interfere in States rights.
and the troops are only for the preservation
of peace and order.
Question by member of the committee
If Colonel Carter should swear in one or
two thousand assistant sergeants alarms,
and with them expel the police and gain ad-
mittance for his members, would this be
considered riot or not,
General Emory-bIost assuredly it would.
do not know which is the Legislature;
both claim to be: both claim to have full
quorum and legally constituted officers. |
can not decide which is the correct One
that is not my business. But of one thing
you may be certain, that / would bring
troops to protect the State House, and if
there is riot will and can disperse the
rioters with grape shot if unhappily should
be called on SO to do. Gentlemen. in con
clusion, would say await the action of
your laws. They may be slow, but they
will be certain. and in the redress your
grievances. And recolleet that if there is
riotOus crowd assembled. no matter what
their grievances may be- if conceive it my
duty, and have authority So to do, l will
disperse them. Good morning.
The committee then bade the General
good morning, and retired. An officer then
approached the General and whispered
something, to which General Emory, turn
ing to our reporter, who was standing by.
replied: "No; will put no guard here. If
the flag which is over my office is not
enough to protect me, l will drench this
city in blood. Put that in your report. sir
will yOu.' to our reporter, who bowed
and retired, following the committee. which
went to Lafayette square, where about five
hundred people had assembled to await
them. Here the committee made a report.
1t seems from the Times report that
when the mob reached the military head
quarters they shouted loudly for the Gen
eral, who, being absent at the time, and
shortly returning. walked through the
crowd, which opened to receive him.
Reaching the steps of the building, he
turned and spoke as follows:
Before l say word to you, you must
move this crowd away. and send me in a
deputatiOn. decline to communicate until
this crowd goes away; and if you come
here to intimidate me with any threats, |
will disperse you with grape shot
The crowd were evidently astonished at
this reception which created general inn
preston among them that the General en-
tirely msinterpreted their feelings toward
him, and endeavOred to reassure him by
loud cheering.
This, however, appeared to have no effect,
as the General walked in. and, closing the
door behind him, turned to our reporter,
whom he recognized, and said: I've mind
to have the troops here right away; | never
saw such an indignity offered to General
before in my life
Some time Sunday morning General EN-
ory sent communication to Governor War
moth, and subsequently, at twelve o'clock,
| sent a communication to George w. Carter,
| as follows:
| SIR have the honor to acknowledge the
| receipt of your letter of yesterday. which
was handed me by your messenger Las,
night after twelve o'clock.
| In reply to your communication, will
! state that in a conflict between the execu
tive and the Legislature of State, where il
| is difficult to decide which is right. have
| recognized throughout the necessity, in the
interests of republican form of govern
ment. of not siding against a Legislature
and the propriety of not interfering in its
organization in any manner. l can not
therefore, consistently give you the aid OF
advice asked.
will further state that had decided uo
to bring the troops again to this city during
the present imbroglo unless ordered to dc
so by the United States government, the
parties having right to knowledge o
this decision being duly informed some
hours since.