, 1879-05-19
1.-The Tribune" Correspondent at
New Orleans, and His First
Experiences.
The Difficulties Attending tho
Search OF Information in
That Climate.
What Gov. Nichols Does Not Know,
and What an Intelligent Negro
Does Know.
Some Information About Bull
:. doing. +.

Aos~ 1<AAhClA ON5luEoa MILL tHo AA~AsN - AOA
say this in the way of vain boasting, but
would like the good. people OF Chicago to IN
deFatand that talking business with two men ii
one day IN the City Of New Orleans i
indicative Of q good deal Of energy ant
enterprise on the part OF the persor
who acconptshes it, and ought to com
mand admiration : They have Offices ii
New Orleans, political and otherwise; QUITE
signs indicate that these Offices are tenanted
legends on the door intimate that the construct
i've tenants. may be found at or between Ger.
tain hours; but, after having placed my trus
In these unveracous sign-ooards Il use mild
term IN climate and among people wherf
Strong language has sometimes serious conse
quences), nm prepared to assert that office
hours here are either purely fictitious, Or e]se
they are used to denote the time when aforesaid
constructive tenants cannot be found within
Perhaps should not. have been able to tal
with Two men In one day but thatoue converse
t1on Was short, and the other was held with {
colored mag, nonresident in New Orleans and
comparatively easy to find because he has nc
office, After i
THE EXPERIENCE OF ONE DAY,
have about nude up my mind that the quick
est way to find people in this city is not to look
Tor them at their offices Or houses, but sit quiet
II around at the St. Charles Hotel, or some
other central place, and wait till they turn up.
{, Ono OF the gentlemen saw was Gov.
Nichols. His offee-hours, according to the in.
scription on the door, are from IL a. N. till 1:3C
p. m.,-a matter Of two hours and half day,
which one would naturally say even q Governor
might devote to the people. Gov. Nichols has
doorkeeoer And private secretary, who as
sfst in keeping up the fiction Of oflce-hours,
The doorkeeEer, tall, straight, manly, one
armed Confederate soldier, was there at II
O'Clock, and comforted me with occasional
draughts of ice-water md assurances that the
Governor would be there. Hope, long deferred,
was revived BY the appearance Of the secretary,
polite old gentleman, with French manners
and French accent, who was formerly promi-
nent merchant, and is rather proud of showing
the business envelopes which indicate old-time
prosperity, but only serve now to incase private
papers. This nice old gentleman explained q
little more elaborately that official business
is not very e1acting just now, but that
be knew the Governor to be already On the
street, and That the latter would certainly make
his appearance before long. Meanwhile the
Mayor OF the city came in, among others, but he
:he. Governors coming, for he sat down at
table aud wrote of his communication, what
ever 1t was.
Finally, just at 1 80 o'clock, when the office
hours nomnally closed,
THE GOVERNOR MA6f HIS AppEARANcE,-
not q very imposing appearance nor bustling
manner, but the mattcr-of-lact entrance Of
plain, good-natured man, commanding at first
sight that natural sympathy which goes out to
a one-armed n1an which now felt for MIN as I
already had felt for bis doorkeeper. After this
long waiting, however, found that "the game
wasn't worth the candle.'' GOV, Nichols was
very afTable and polite, but extremely uncom-
municative. I 1expiafned to him that my pur-
pose was to gather certain information about
Louisiana affairs. and especially concerning the
causes and effects OF the negro exodus.
~ don't see any reason why / should express
an opinion about that matter" IVES Gov.
Nichols reply.
think this single sentence revealed good
deal OF the Governors character. He has the
reputation Of being conservative,-too conserya-
tive, it is said, to please the people who are his
constituents. But he Is evidently man who
would pass for conservative under all condi-
tions. There is certainly no matter about which
the Governor of State ought to be better in
formed than large emigration-movement cal
culatcd to seriously affect the productive re-
sources Of the State. There is certainly no per-
son in the State who should have more decided
opinions as to the cause aud effect Of such
rs TO its probable: dimensions and
rs to the measures which should be taken to
or check it. Yet. GoY.. Nichols had
nothing to say about it. Either, he had no in
formation and no opinions, or, having them, was
afraid OF offending somebody BY giving public
expression to bis thoughts. This would strike
one, ut first blush, as the cons eryatism of
trimmer but, according to the expressions Of
people taken haphazaru, this sort of Conservatism
has not served GOV. Nichols vel, ,and his polite
Il career will close with his present term Of
office.
~ see Gen. Conway, Of New Jersey, says
! steamboat and pick no the refugees along the |
banks of the river who have not been able to |
get transportation was the remark made at |
he next opportunity
AT THIS THERE WAS 4 SHEER
which afterwards found out was occasioned by |
he name Conway. This gentleman had been |
OF Public Instruction in Louis |
ana during the first four years OF reconstructed |
government, and the mention OF his name or |
nat OF any other retired carpet-bagger is likely !
o call forth sucer from the uotive whites.
Conway says,'' pursued, "that, if it be |
u9 Will ATul TUE crew u Ills 6GeAul-
,oat aud rescue the refugees from any people |
Who should undertake to prevent the departure !
II the negroes" ~
II don't think there is any danger Of any !
ttemnt to prevent their departure" said the
Governor.
/ WAS going on to ask him what course he |
vould pursue In case Of O conflict growing ut |
Il any attempt which might be made ou the
,art OF the North to furnish the negro refugees
With transportation aid on the part Of the peo |
lie along the river to resist such attempt, when
he Governor dismissed the subject bv saYing
hat all this was too sensational for serious con-:
liberation. Perhaps he was right about that.
nevertheless, he did not tell me what he would
10 under. such circumstances, nor did he give
pc any clew to bis own theory, if he has my,
bout the exodus, the causes which. have led to
!, the extent to which it will ultimately affect
he production OF Louisiana staples, or the
measures likely to be. taken to check it. l
night have persisted aud wornled something
ut OF Nichols. but i thought it wasn't worth
'hile. Ny experience With Governors has been
United; but, il Gov. Nichols is II fair sample,
hey are very pleasant sort Of person to meet.
'1thout having any attribute likely to startle
ne. I fancy that the1!War Governors " of the
'orth who earned special claim to that title
'eEe OF yerg different calibre.
found in the Constitutional Convention o
|ember from Concordia Parish, colored man
DAVID lToUNG, -.