New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-01-17
NEW ORLEANS REPUBLICAN, WEDNESDAY JANUARY IT, 1872.
The Political Troubles in New Orleans


The Golden Age, conducted by Theodore
Tilton, and published at New York, contains
the subjoined editorial, which we commend
to the careful consideration of our readers:
In the famous convention of Southern
Loyalists held in Philadelphia, during the
war, before the government had ventured
on the policy of negro suffrage, there were
two men who took active and opposite
parts. One was a manly and courageous
young gentleman from New Orleans, who is
now known to the whole nation as Cover
nor Warmoth, of Louisiana; the other, a
somewhat older and rising politician of
MARYLAND, who is now Postmaster General
Creswell, of General Grants cabinet. At
this time. Mr.. Creswe1 was bitterly Op
posed to negro suffrage, and contrived with
others) to get the convention to adjourn
without committing Southern Unionists to
that Northern policy; but Mr.. WarmOth.
with the help OF Mr.. George Bayler, of
Georgia, and Mr.. Thomas Durant, with the
friendly cooperation of certain Northern
abOitiOnists (Of whom the editor of the
Golden A ge was one) resisted the Maryland
gag, procured the re-assembling of the con-
ventiOn, and succeeded in passing a men,
orable declaration in favor of suffrage with
out distinction of race-a noble political
document which was the joint product Of
Mr.. Bayler ana MT. w armour.
Perhaps from this early antagOnism, Mr..
Creswell who has the daily ear Of the
President, may be more than Eeagerly re
spOnsible for advising the lOng-eOntinued
and sometimes outrageous interference by
the federal government with the political
affairs of the State OF which Mr.. WarmOth
is Governor.
Be this as it may, this interference has at
length eliminated in a semirevOlutiOn in
New Orleans.
The facts, so far as we understand them
are these: Mr.. Warmoth was elected Gov
ernor, MIR. Dunn Ia cOlOred mani Lieuten-
ant Governor, and Mr.. Carter Speaker of
the lower house of the Legislature. Mr..
Dunn died, and Mr.. Pinchback was made
Lieutenant Governor in his place. But
Speaker Carter claimed to be the deceased
Lieutenant Governors legitimate successor.
Lieutenant Governor Pinckback was chosen
as a warm partisan OF Governor Warmoth.
Speaker Carter on the other land, repre-
sented the Customhouse or federal against
the WarmOth or State interest.
Party spirit usually runs high in LOuisi-
ana-Often overlooking its banks, as the
Mississippi its levees. Speaker Carter and
his partisans proposed first to remove Lieu
tenant Governor Pinchback, so that the
Speaker might become the Lieutenant Gov
ernOr, and next proposed to lmpeach Gov
nor Carter might become Governor.
The two factions then began to wrestle
with each other to secure possession of a
majority of the Legislature whose votes
were the necessary weapons OF this civil
warfare, whether offensive or defensive.
The Carter party united with the Demo
Gratis to prevent quorum IN the Senate.
In order to place themselves beyond the
reach of the Sergeant-at-Arms, they went
hoo nd fhn NJIdQrnQSa
where they remained for several days-Of
course by the cOnnivance of the collector
of customs, and implicitly, also, of the
President of the United States. Having
| thus prevented a quorum in the Senate,
they directed their attention to keeping the
Warmsth party from organizing the House
To this end, at the moment OF its assembly,
a number of United States marshals, armed
with warrants based on what the Governor
| called frivolous affidavits,' suddenly ar
rested the Governor, Lieutenant Governor,
| four Senators and eighteen Representatives
| This arrest, for the time being, broke the
Republican majority in the House. The re-
| naming members, taking advantage of the
| absence of the others, suddenly voted the
ejectment of six Warmoth Republicans,
and gave their seats to six Democratic con-
| testants-a device for turning the scale OF
power from the Warmoth to the Carter
| faction.
| The Governor Immediately appealed by
telegraph to the President asking the Presi
| dent whether or not he sanctioned the con
duct of his federal appOintees, whereupor
the President replied that he would imme
diately investigate the extraordinary case
| The two parties then set up two rival
legislatures, each claiming to be the true
one. Or rather, perhaps, we ought to say
| that Speaker Carter, to prevent the execu
| Of
vacant, at first defended himself in the pos
session OF body guard of armed men. who
| rushed to his protection from the Speaker
| room, and whose previous presence therein
was unknown to the other faction and
| next that he withdrew before the increas
ing success of the Warmoth party, and
gathered his friends and supporters into d
| legislature of their own, meeting in another
| hall. The WarmOth party then not on J
expelled him from his previous Speaker
ship, but declared his seat as member tt
be vacant ard elected Mr.. Brewster
Speaker in his place.
Great excitement exists in the city; the
populace are divided in their sympathies
and the trouble is not ended.
Now as to the merits or dement's of Gov
ernor Warmoth's administration, we are mo-
sufficiently informed to express an opinion
But as to the attempt of Customhouse OH
Gals, whether in New York or New Or
leans, to control the local politics of any
State, we have the hottest words of scorr
and contempt. Such interference is out
rageous and criminal, and ought to be pun
ishable by law. New Orleans seems to b.
as favOrite theatre for such federal intru
sion as New York. And some day or other
unless the bad practice is stopped we shall
witness just such scenes enacted in ant
about our own Legislature as have JUS
brought disgrace upon the fedora
administration in Louisiana. If Governo
Warmoth twho, in former days, and OF
an occasion which tried mems souls, dit
'.the State some service"-if he has com
mitted any errors, or been guilty of mis-
conduct in his governorship, we shall no
shield him; but if his only crime has beef
his brave resistance to the scheme o
Grants Office holders to perpetuate thei
appointments for another four years. he de
serves the whole nations thanks.