National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1872-12-23
THR NEW ORLEANS DELEGATION
THEIR WANT OF TACT.


There are some persons who are eminent
for their intellectual gifts, wealth Of learning
and experience In public affalrs, and who yet
have no tact In the management Of their
business. This has been sxemplihed by the
leading members Of the New Orleans delega-
ton In their intercourse with the different de-
partments Of the Government. Their mission
was one Of great dellcacy and difficulty, and
required to be executed with tho most con-
summAte tact. Not that the display Of this
quality would have secured success In the ac-
complement Of the objects the delegation
had In view, but II success had been possible
II was only through the incest management
that Il could have been attained.
Now, how did this delegation proceed 20
what we have said was mission Of dellcacy
and dlfiieulty1 In the first place, pretending
to DO non-partiSan, and solicitous only for the
welfare of the people Of Louisiana and the
commercial interests Of the city Of New Or
leans, they selected as their chairman gen.
tlemAn whose name was well calculated to
arouse whatever Of partisan feeling might sK-
ist In the breasts Of the prominent men
now In power at the national capital.
Judge Campbell Is q man Of very great ability
as jurist, and loved for his many amlable
qualities by those who have the privilege Of
his acquaintance; and, Il Is true, be has been
entirely disconnected since the war from all
political parties, and has not appeared In
public at all except In the practice OF his pro-
fesslon as a lawyer. One Of the motives
which actuated the delegation In their choice
Of Judge Campbell as their chairman was,
/ hallsF that ~ onv nnR In puai.
ana could influence the Administration, he
could and that his acquaintance with the
members Of the Supreme Court and familiarity
with the practice Of that court and the con-
sultation room of the court would make their
approach to the judges more easy and their
success In that quarter less doubtful.
But these very facts, instead Of conducting
to the realization Of their hopes, had the con-
trary effect. The very ability and purity of
personal character for which Judge Campbell
il distinguished excited the interest and at
tracted the attention Of the members Of the
Government to a movement led by such q
man, and provoked searching inquiry into
the real motives out of which the movement
sprAng. The talk was, that as Judge
Campbell could not possibly have any
sympathy with Governor WarmOth or
any desire to aid him in his ambitious
schemes there must be some other reason for
his acceptance Of tho position Of leader Of this
delegation. II has been suggested that he
acts In his professional capacity as legal
adviser rs in any ordinary suit In which he Is
employed, but we can scarcely believe that he
was actuated by any such motive, or that he
serves as a feed counsel. Judge Campbell
naturally sympathlEes with the distresses of
his people, and with the bankers, capitalists
and merchants of New Orleans, for many Of
whom he acts as regular counsel, and all Of
whom think they have deep interest In the
recovery Of the government Of their State
from the possession and control of the Re-
publican party and placing 1t in that of the OPP
position. 1t Is remarkable fact that nearly
all the members Of this delegation are Demo
crAts, although not at all prominent In that
party. There may be one or two Of the body
very lukewarm In their politics. Of Con-
sentative tendencies rather, but we do not
recognize the name Of 4 single wsll-knOwn
Republican among them. The late campaign
In Louisiana was fought upon clearly defined
lssues-the Democracy headed by Warmoth
on one side and the Republican party
upon the other. The alliance between the
unrenectlng and supplemented Democrats
and Governor Warmoth, which astonished
some persons, was the result Of base COM
pact, the consideration Of which was that the
State government and the enormous appoint
| ing power Of the Governor was to be put Into
the hands of the Democracy, Governor War
moth, on his part and in return for this ines
Unable service, to be sent TO the United
| States Senate. The campaign was based on
fraud. The Democrats knew they had no
earthly chance Of carrying the State at the
election In November without the assistance
Of the Governor, the whole machinery Of
the registration Of voters and the process OF
election being In his hands. The laws regu-
lating these processes gave to the Governor
the appointment of several thousand regis
trars and supervisors OF election, and nearly
every one Of these was appointed by Governor
WaImoth on the nomination Of the Demo-
cratic State Central Committee, Of which
Emile La Sere Gan old friend Of John Spdell's)
was chairman and Frank Hatch, B. B.
SHINES, j.. Z. Austin and Augustus W.
Walker were the moving spirits. The talk
was that "h Governor Wannoth gives
B the State, why should we hesitate
to send him to the Senate OF the United
Statesl What do we cars for the re-
spectabllity of that body. Governor War
moth Is as good as any Of them2" This was
the language Of the Democratic leaders, and
this is the spirit Of the rank and file of the
party. It is the same spirit which has existed
In Louisiana ever since the surrender OF the
Confederate army and which is kepS alive
there by the men who were prominent In the
Confederate service and are ambitious Of still
welding the political power Of their State.
They are men Of oVerweening oOnceit and
they believe In their divine right to rule and
hold he Offices
The members Of the delegation now in
Washington have endeayOred, with Indifferent
success, to convince the people at the capital
that they have no sympathy with WarmOth,
and are entirely disconnected from him or any
OF his political or personal schemes. But II
Is too thin, and we think II anything can be
baser than the compact they or their repre-
sentatiyes made with him In September last
1t il this effort to escape from the odlum at
taching to 30 Infamous an alliance, and, now
that WArmoth has been defeated and Is down,
to dlsOwn and repudiate the obligations they
owe TO the man. lngTatltude Ia the most un-
pardonable of crimes.
But we set out to speak Of the want Of tact
displayed by this delegation, and have left
ourselves very little room to set forth the In
stances of 1t. Only brief mention can be
made Of them now. And In the first place,
their memorial was an llly-cOncelyed docu-
ment. In II we do not see q single point not
made In the argument before Judge Durell,
In the suit Of Kellogg Va. WarmOth, which
has created all this hubbub. Now, what pro-
priety or tact was there In presenting legal
argument TO the President which had already
been considered by the Judiciary Department
Of the Government In the second place
the delegation, before being presented to the
President, had several hours conversation
with the Attorney General, in the course Of
which he became possessed OF their entire
case, and In time to advise the President how