The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-07-15
THE OUACHITA CONVENTION.
MONROE, La, July 10. 49,

| EitOr Democrat attention has beer
called to communication In your paper
from this place. dated June ~, 1873 headed
the Convention Question" and signed "Par.
| ticlpator"
doubt if "Participator' was a member o
the convention He has certainly misstatcd
| facts. In a subsequent editorial YOU indOrae
his communication, notwithstanding the off,
Cial proceedings Of the parish convention
have been published. Which do you ACCEPT
as correct, an anonymous communication on
the duly promulgated proceedings Of Dem
OCratiC convention? When the convention
question was sprung in this parish, It was
thought by many that it would lead TO n So
rious division In the Democratic party in this
parish. ! Immediately determined to call n
special meeting Of the executive committee
of the parish, in order to inaugmate some
means TO prevent this disaster. 1t met every
ward being represented, and unanimously re-
solved to call parish convention at the car
ltest day practicable. The fifteenth of
June was fixed for the assembling
Of the convention. The wards were Instructed
to choose delegates with reference to the Cnes-
tiOu OF calling a constitutional convention
They were requested to do so on or before the
eighth day of June, so that ample time was
given for the discussion of this question It
was universally understood that the action Of
the parish convention would be accepted as
the views OF the Democracy Of OuaChitn par
sh, so that this convention question should
be eliminated from tho politics of the parish
and there would be no further cause for
division. The Telegraph announced the
fact of the calling of the convention and
the choosing of delegates, and stated that
1t was glad that the question was to be sub
mtted to the people. There was q heated
canvass and, SO far as | know, fair express
sion OF public opinion. The result Of the de-
liberatiOns of the convention has been pub
lished. You can rest assured that there will
now be no serious division in the ranks OF the
Democratic party of OuaChita parish, and in
the ensuing election she will be true to
Democratic faith, and will henCefOrth and
forever poll Democratic majority
Capt MCCranie, before the assembling OF
the convention, went to the hills for recrea-
ton
W. 7. Atkins was called to the editorial
department OF the Telegraph. In the issue
preceding the eighth of June he announced
that oil the wards would be in line on SatuF-
day, and that certain men who considered
themselves the parish of OuaChita would for
ever be put politically at rest, much TO the
wcll-betng of her inhabitants" You will see
at once that the convention men through
their organ, expected victory, and it was
confidently believed that myself and others
would cease to have any voice in the direction
Of the policy OF the party IN this parish.
denuncatiOn, to limited extent, however
of the Nichols government, and Mr.. Atkins
was q fit exponent of such views, and such
denunCiatiOn of Democrats was expected
from him He was defendant in the case of
Doughty Il Herring vs.. W. 7. Atkins, No 5
magistrates court, ward No. 3, parish of
OuHChita, II. b. NinsOn justice of the peace
Vinson was elected on tho Democratic ticket
in 1876 and commissioned by Gov. Nichols
In the above suit Mr. Atkins filed the follow
i0u pXppptiODS.
Doughty & Herring VS.. W. r. Atkins.-De-
fendant W. i. Atkins appears solely for the
purpose of excepting to the jurisdiction OF
4 obert b. Vins0n, pretending to act as JUS
tiCe Of the peace for ward Nos.
l. Robert b. VinsOn was not declared
elected to said office by any authority known
to the laws Of Louisiana.
g. Robert B. VinsOn has no commission
from any competent authority in the State of
5. The Board of Returning Officers declared
+. McClOe and j. E. Newman to have be en-
duly elected justices of the peace of the
third ward, parish Of OuaGhita, at the No
vember election, 1876
4. F. McCloe was commissioned by Gov
Kellogg, and qualified by taking the oath Of
Office and filing it with the Secretary OF State
at New Orleans and with the clerk of the
District Court In the parish Of Ouachita.
s. John FL. Dinkgrave, justice of the peace
for the third ward, parish of Ouachita, is
holding over under his commission of 1874.
g. There was no legal quorum of the
Nichols Legislature at the time Of the pas
sage of act No /, and of its appearance on
the eighth OF January, 1877.
7. That the canvass of the vote Of the sew
enth Of November 1876, under act No. l Of
1877 was &c post fGCtO and unconstitutional.
8. That the Nichols Legislature had not
and has never had control or possession of
the original returns of the election of 1876,
and could not count the votes.
Q. That Robert b. VinsOn is an intruder into
the office OF justice OF the peace for the third
ward, Ouachita parish.
For the above reasons the defendent declines
to plead before Robert B. Vinson, styling him
self justice of the peace for the third ward,
and prays to be hence dismissed with COSTS
(Signed) w. r. ATKINS,
In prOpria persona.
McCloe and Newman were the defeated
Radical candidates, and returned elected by
the Infamous Returning Board
What induced Capt. McCranie to put at the |
head Of an influential Democratic paper the
writer OF the above exception, l have no
means of knowing.
He was tit instrument to denounce men
whose faith in the Democratic party had
never wavered. It is quite gratifying to know
that he was as much at fault in his prediC-
tiOns as to the result of the elections in this
parish as he was in the fall and destruction of
the Nichols government through the expect
ed decree of a justice Of the peace.
Respectfully, yours,
s. D. MCENERY.