New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-07-26
POLITICAL NOTES.


st. Charles bar-room found very few pur-
chasers who we're willing to name favorites.
Fifty cents for Governor was considered
good offer.
The crowd assembled about the telegraph
Office got very little consolation from Baton
Rouge. The double dele cations from the
city appear to have blocked the progress
OF the convention. The committee on Gre
dentials evidently have attempted to throw
out one set of delegates and le. in another
for the second ward. 1t is Diamond cut
Mitchell, the property holders against those
who have free souls.
For the third ward the committee seats
the Finnerty crowd, the short hairs, against
the silk stockings.
Dispatches indicate that the-e will he a
minority report, and if the convention can
be organized sufficiently to vote on the rs
port, the action of yesterday may be re-
versed to-day
Ii the country delegates have sufficient
staying powers, they may take charge of
the convention and nominate their men.
SO far as New Orleans Democrats are
concerned, it is unlikely that any office
holding bandage can cure the rupture made
by the contestiDg parties Some of the
wards are "bustedewije open. and there
is no soothing syrup for the breach.
OF course there can be 60 intelligent
speculation as TO which man the Office of
Governor will seek until there is an organ
lied convention. The city candidates have
too much following, more than the country
delegates will allow, and it is likely they
will be put on haif ration votes,
The prominence assumed By General
Francis K. T. Nichols, as a candidate for
Governor before the Baton Rouge Conyen,
ton, has directed attention to the public
record of that gallant ard crippled soldier.
General Nichols is native of Louisiana.
He entered the West Point Military
Academy in 1851, and graduated No. II in
the class OF 1855. At "the Point he was
the room mate of General Godfrey WeitzeI,
and be. Teen the two an attachment sprung
I'D which weathereI all the vicissltudes of
the civil war. In the same class
were General Constock, now major of
the engineer corps of the army; Adjutant
Generals Ruggles and Breck, Generals
Torbett, Averill, Webb and Gregg, Meiio
Dubois, late of the Third Cavalry, Major
Small, of the subsistence department.: Major
Merrill, of the Seventh Cavalry Colonel
Hazen, of the Sixth Infantry, and others Of
lesser note.
Being assigned to duty as brevet
second lieutenant Of the Second Artillery,
he participated in the war against the Semi
noles in Florida. He was promoted to sec
ond lieutenant of the Third Artillery. and
served on frontier duty at
Fort Yuma, California. In October 1856,
he resigned his commission in the army
and commenced the ipractice of law at
in Assumption parish.
At the beginning of the civil war he
ioined the Eighth Louisiana Regiment as
captain of Company X, and was shortly
promoted to lieutenant colonel. His brother
Lawrence succeeded to the command of
the company, and was killed in the battle
OF Gaines Mill, on the Peninsular In the
valley of Virginia, under Stonewall Jack
SOD, Nichols was shot in the left arm
and his elbow shattered. His arm was
and he became a prisoner
OF war IN the hands Of the Federals.
He was exchanged in 1862, and was imme-
diately promoted to coloaeI of the Fifteenth
Louisiana. This promotion was speedil V
followed by another. He was made Briga-
dier General and assigned to the command
of the Second Louisiana Brigade, composed
of the First, Second, Tenth, Fourteenth
and Fifteenth Regiments. His brigade did
gallant work at Charlottesville, under
Jackson, and about the time that
the famous chieftain received his mortal
wound a shot from the Federal artillery
struck and passed through General Nicholl' 3
horse, killing him instantly and tearing off
the Generals left leg near the ankle. Being
thus rendered unfit for active field duty. Gen
eral Nichols was placed in command of the
Lynchburg district, and subsequently or.
dered on duty IN Texas, where he rem aimed
until the close of the war.
This is the gallant record of i man WHO
has never been a politician, and whose
leanings are entirely toward the liberal
side. The Baton Rouge convention may il
duce him to consent to be put forward to
lead their political forlorn hope, but it must
be with many misgivIngs on the part of the
Last-Ditch Democracy. He is not ore of
them, and his choice would be to them a
barren victory.
The Mansfield Reporter objects to Gen
eral Nichols ostensibly on account of his
army record. 1t says:
Following the precedent of the Demo.
cratic party. as laid down by the st. Louis
convention. we are opposed to military
men for office. There are so many more of
them in the country than any other sort.
weight with them as plain Mister.
The reason alleged by the Reporter is not
the true one. The nomination of General
Nichols, it is believed, would sound the re.
call of all the White League armies and
bulldozing frauds Of Louisiana. General
Nichols would scorn to be elected by any
of the appliances which would make arti.
fetal majorities by keeping colored men
from the polls. He would welcome honest
defeat rather than wrong any man of his
right to vote-and possibly the Mansfield
man knows it and does not want to take
any risks with him.
Louisiana has already had two Gov.
ornors from among the alumni Of West
Point. General Paul o. Hebert, elected
Governor in 1888, graduated No. | in the