Omaha daily bee., 1902-05-19

The control OF Louisiana as a royal col
ony, was vested at the time not only in
the governor who commanded the military.
but in a superior council, which had a
large share In the administration Of civil
AFFAIRS. In the revolution which followed
this council took the place OF the House
OF Burgesses in the Virginia revolution,
and that OF the various assemblies In the
first movements Of revolution in the New
England c%clonies. The republican move
ment in Louisiana, however, was unique in
that 1t was headed by the kings attorney
general, who when he found the liberties
Of Louisiana opposed by the kings, both Of
France and Spain, attempted to lead the
people Of the colony into revolt against
both. Lafreniere, who thus takes his place
in history as the first republican Of the
first American revolution, was by birth an
American, sprung from the same class
which afterward produced Jackson and Lin
coin. Gayarre writes that he was a native
Of Louisiana, and OF an obscure family;
that his father was a poor Canadian
who had followed Bienville to Louisiana"
and had there by lint Of industry OBJ
tained means enough TO send his son to be
educated in France. This statement has
been challenged by a commentator, who
writes, Nicholas Chauvin de Lafreniere
was OF a noble family. as is proved by his
title" but the Spanish governor, Ulloa, in
his report Of the revolution, declares that
Lafreniere's father was a Canadian, one
OF four brothers, whose family name was
Leroy, of $50 low an extraction and of so
little education that they could not write,
and had come, axe on shoulder, to live
by manual labor" These four brothers
changed their name in Louisiana, and
were known as Lafreniere, Lery, Beaulieu
and Chauvin THE sons Of these are now
chiefs and authors Of the rebellion" adds
Ulloa, in attempting to demonstrate that
the spirit Of revolt had originated with the
lower classes. The son Of the Canadian
axman had made such good use Of his OPP
portunities that he was the leading orator
and lawyer Of the colony and the kings
attorney general, with an almost supreme
control in the upper council, when on July
10, 1865, Don Antonio de Ulloa wrote from
Havana that he had reached that place on
his way to New Orleans to AXE posses
sion Of the colony for his most Christian
majesty"
This letter forced a rapid development
OF the movement which had begun spon-
taneously on the publication of the letter
written by the king of France to Governor
rAbbadie. Immediately after the publica-
ton Of that letter, a convention had been
called at New Orleans. Held In 1765, its
delegates were chosen from the parishes
Of Lower Louisiana, and It was one Of the
first delegate conventions resulting spon-
taneously from the people, in the territority
which now forms the United States. Its
leading spirits were: Lafreniere, Pierre
Marquis, Balthasar Nassau, Jean Baptiste
Noyan and the brothers Jean and Joseph
Milhet. The former, who was the wealthiest
merchant OF the colony, was chosen as a
representative Of the people of the colony
and sent to France to urge the ministry
to recede from the treaty with Spain.
AS a consequence Of the cession to Eng
land. which accompanied that to Spain, the
unfortunate French inhabitants Of Acadia,
who had been expelled by England, were
now beginning to arrive id Louisiana, and
the spectacle Of their misery after their
long journey from Nova Scotia, excited the
feeling of revolt to a still higher pitch
and it was kept intense before Ulloa's ar
rival by the presence OF English war ves-
sells In the Mississippi. and by their habit
of firing their guns in salute when pass
ing New Orleans.
Ito Be Continued.)