The Portland daily press., 1877-04-07
LOUISIANA.
A Mass Meeting of Nichols Sup
p0rters.
A LONG LIST OF RESOLU-
TIONS.
Yesterdays Work of the
Commission

l. % IVA SASDy - w ~ IAAO
Commission.
NEW ORLEANS, April Cat a mass meeting
of citizens in Lafayette Square today in support
of Nichols, it was estimated that 10000 to 49,
900 persons were present. The following reso-
lutions were adopted:
We, citizens of New Orleans, in mass meet
ing assembled, representing as we firmly be-
leve the sentiments OF large majority of the
people of Louisiana; proclaiming anew our de-
votion to the Constitution of the United States
ard our unqualified acceptance of all the amend
ments thereto; asserting that in loyalty to our
reestablished union and .in true national pat
riotism we do not yield to the people of any
section of our common country as we stand
ready to prove by any test; declaring our earn
est desire to Oblterate the feelings of sectional
bitterness which were left as the result OF the
late unhappy war, and to reunite the whole
people of the United States in a common bond
of brotherhood; equally DESTROYS of breaking
down the barriers of prejudice and distrust,
which designing political tricksters have from
base motives reared between the white and col
ored citizens of the state, and to reestaollsn
the relations of the two races upon basis OF
just laws, equal rights, common protection and
harmonious and kindly sentiments towards
each other; profoundly impressed with the
gravity of the crisis through which oar state Is
passing, and feeling that we should pnplic!y
proclaim our sentiments touching the same, do
hereby adopt the following resolutions:
That the right of local self-government IS
fundamental principle of our Republican sys-
tenn that it is the inalienable privilege of every
state in this Union, deprived of which state
ceases to exist as such in constitutional sense,
and becomes mere province of an alien gov
eminent.
That for four years the people of Louisiana
have lived under usurping government never
elected by the people of the state, nor never
voluntarily acquiesced in, establish originally
and maintained throughout its career by the
military power of the Federal government, and
different from direct military government
only in a name and in particulars of its greater
extravaganza, unbriddled corruption and utter
unfitness of the persons entrusted with its ad-
ministration, its contemplate weakness and
inability to enforce the laws, or to protect the
rights Of the persons and property of its citizens
and the greater hatred and contempt with
which it was regarded by the people.
That the results of this usurpatiOn have been
to destroy happiness and prosperity, to TO-
ment discord and disorder, to lessen the respect
for law and government, to encourage viola
tons of rights of person and property, to
impair confidence and almost to annihilate the
value of property; that whatever of enterprise
| in business, value in property, cohesion in
society or contentment in life have survived
this unhappy condition of affairs are due solely
to the confident hope that the late election in
our state would result in restoring its govern
ment to the control of its people, and if that
hope shall now be disappointed, we see nothing
| in the future but anarchy, ruin and despair.
That the government of which Francis T.
| Nichols is the head is the constitutional gov
| eminent of the State of Louisiana, elected by
| majority Of more than 1000 votes, fully
| organized in all its parts, exercising the only
| governmental functions that are exercised in
| the state, making and enforcing laws, admins
tering justice, collecting revenues, preserving
| the peace and order of society; that there is
| not within the limits of the state an officer
| exercising any actual authority except those
whose official titles are recognized by this gov
| ernment because duly elected; that many of
those elected as Republicans have already
| recognized the true government, and those who
have not yet done so will hasten to recognize it
as soon as federal interference shall cease that
this government is not only capable of per-
petuatiDg itself and enforcing its authority, but
that it would encounter no resistance and not
even desire to resist on the part OF any por-
ton of the people except an insignificant CLIQUE
| of ambitious politicians with small following
of ignorant dupeS
The fifth resolution characterizes Packard's
i government as the offspring of a legislative
| conspiracy of the late usurpers to perpetuate
| their power, and to sustain it by federal sup
| port would be an outrage on constitutional
liberty and the greatest crime of the nineteenth
| century.
The sixth says that the people of Louisiana
hailed the conservative sentiments of Presi-
| dent Hayes inaugural as an omen of return
| to the constitutional methods of the govern
ment, under the observance of which the
| federal government need give no more concern
| to Louisiana than to New York or Massachu.
| sets, and the adoption of such policy would
confer inestimable benefit upon the state and
| nation, and although delay has occurred, they
yet have confidence in the sincerity of his
| declarations and the rectitude of his inten-
tons,
The seventh urges hearty welcome to the
commission, but declares unalterable opposition
/ to any compromise which will put into Office
men not elected or depose those who were, or
to impair the existing autonomy of the Nichols
government
| The eighth says the presence of federal SOL
| diers is unnecessary, that the state authorities
| can protect the peace and enforce the laws. and
asks the troops be Withdrawn, and pledges
that no domestic violence shall take place.
The ninth says there shall be no spirit of
revenge or political persecution, but spirit of
| federation shall be cultivated by extending
educational benefits to all classes.
The tenth declares a large portion of the COL
| ored citizens are devoted adherents of the
| Nichols government. but are restrained from
| manifesting their preference by a system of
social intimidation They are called on to
throw off their bondage and rally to the Mich
oils government for justice and equal rights
The resolutions conclude as follows:
That with deep sense of responsibility, with
full recognition of all our obligations as cit-
zens of the Union, in no spirit of threatening
or braggadocio, with profound consciousness
of the power of the Federal government and of
that no calamity can possibly befall us of more
| considerable ruin and disgrace than that of
longer subsection to usurpation, we invoke the
considerable judgment Of the American people
| upon these resolutions, in which we solemnly
declare never to submit to the pretended Pack
| ard government, never to pay it dollar of
taxes, never to acknowledge its authority, but
to resist it at every point and in every way and
l to require that every demand which it may
make upon the obedience of the citizens be en-
| we are incapable of resisting We appeal to
the President to stand firm to the just and con-
stitutional policy of non-interference, and we
entreat the people of the United States to sus-
tain and encourage, and if need be by the
mighty power of public opinion to enforce the
adoption of that policy.
The meeting was called to order by Mayor
Pillsbury who called J. A. Roscier to preside
Roscier made short address. Speeches were
made by q. Rev, T. j. Semmes, Chas E.
Fenno, P. B. S. Pinehback and I. T. Allaine.
(colored.l Stores were generally closed durn g
the meeting.
The Commission.
The Louisiana commission, Messrs. Law
rance, Brown. Hawley, Harlan and MacVeigh
| this morning by special invitation visited the
Cotton Exchange, accompanied by General
Brissey and ex-Congressman Levy, where they
| remained some time in conversation with the
members of the Exchange. Shortly before 3
o'clock the members of the commission waited
upon Gov. Packard in the executive Office at
the state house. The interview lasted over an
hour. At first the discussion was extremely
formal, but on the commission expressing a
wish for the free interchange of views Gov.
Packard assented, but stipulated that the stem
ographers who had accompanied the commits
sion should withdraw. This was acceded to-
The discussion was opened by the comprehen-
sive question addressed to Packard: What do
| you ask the President to do and what are your
reasons for SO requesting?" In reply Packard
| made brief statement of the organization of
| the Legislature with returning board quorum
| in each house and the canvass by that body on
| the day named and in the way prescribed by
| the constitution, of the votes for governor and
lieutenant governor. This brought up the de-
cision in the Luther VS.. Borden case referred to
in Evarts (Secretary of State) letter of instruc-
tons to the commission. map was produc-
| ed by Packard, showing a very large area of
the state presided over by Republican district
judges, who he claimed, had to man refused
to acknowledge the authority of Nichols or to
enforce the mandates of his Supreme Court.
The names of the judges presiding over these