New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-11-26
THE CONVENTION OF THE SEVENTY.

Germ, has Just closed an exhibition to the
people of this city which it styled g
Peoples Convention. The gentlemen
whose names were some time ago heraldeo
forth as the choice of the people from the
several wards Of this city did not gener.
ally put in an appearance, as we predicted
at the time they were published. But this
is not a very important matter. Some
more of them would have been presen,
without doubt if they had returned from
Europe and been informed Of che great
honor conferred upon them, and approved
of the movement to create another po!itl-
cal fuss.
We have not the slightest objection 20
this convention. The right OF the people
to assemble peaceably together belongs to
all minority as well as the majority,
to the white as well as 10 the colored; in
fact to everybody The three tailors OF
! Tooley street have never been denied the
right to hold their famous convention, but
they brought enduring ridicule upon
themselves and their cause by their
foolish preamble: eve, the people Of
England" Yet they were scarcely more
ridiculous in their claim than was the
body Of gentlemen who yesterday met in
| Grunewald Hall, and claimed to represent
| the ''real people of Louisiana" We do not
deny that they represent very large and
influential portion Of the white people OF
| this State, but we do not believe this pOr-
| ton constitutes the majority of that class
| even More than one-half the whites and
| all of the blacks are, then, opposed to
| them, which scarcely leaves one-fourth
of the population for their constituency.
! And yet their orators, their resolution and
report writer's and one or two of the New
| Orleans journals persisted in calling the
concern ''the peoples convention" With
such palpable, easily detected, unneces-
sary pretence to start out with, not
much reliance can be placed upon any of
their testimony, nor much weight attached
to their proceedings. The minutes show
claim to representation from forty-seven
parishes, out of the tifty-siX, either by
regular delegates or by proxies picked up
in this city. We hear of one gentleman
who was credited with the authority to
cast twenty-four votes on every ques-
ton. But if his twenty-three associates
are satisfied, we have no reason 10 COM
plain.
It will be . matter Of some difficulty
for anybody outside the limits of this
State, provided he takes the trouble TO
think of the matter at all, to find out why
these gentlemen have been called from
their distant homes to attend this conven-
ton. Their duties here consisted princi
pally in listening to the special pleadings
filed by the active members Of the Com.
mittee of Seventy. SO far as We can dis
cover, not single new idea has bee:l sug.
gested by anybody, nor one Of any kind
brought down from the country by the
delegates or the proxies. If it has been
the ambitious design Of the Committee Of
O
Seventy to have its acts approved by the |
convention, then We must accord it the |
merit Of distinguished success. For a |
body elected under such circumstances |
bers of this convention was bound to
approve whatever the committee laid be-
fore them. That was what they were
brought here for, and they did their work
without tiinching But what now? What
do they expect will come OF it: Even if
they represented the majority of the voters
of this State, instead of less than one
fourth, as they really did, their views TO-
day could not affect the result of the last
election, unless they could show that the
majority of the votes then had been in
favor of the Fusionists, which is simply
because not true. If they met
% manifest their disapproval Of the result,
o show that they are displeased with the
,hoice made by the majority Of the cleo
ors, we have no serious objection, though
tulhh VIC AioNCAAlCIe iiSilihe'tAS '1aeA VI |
irely useless They ought to wait until the
lext election, when they may, with pro-
'riety, essay to convert their obstinate
republican fellow-citizens to their own
olitical notions. AS n convention COM
osed of delegates of minority of the
eople, we accord to them every privilege ! ,
'hich they have right to claim, and are
Filing to treat them with the civility due
} every well behaved political organiza-
on, whether it be a convention, q club
+ mere committee. But when they as
lme the garb of convention Of the peo-
lie of Louisiana, or a majority Of the
hite people alone, it becomes our duty ?
inform the world that they are indulg :,
e in masquerade, and have no sort of
tie to the character they assume.