Year: 1866




more than 800 citizens were killed q


wounded, has, to the credit of humanity


created profound sympathy in the breas


of every man throughout the length an,
breadth of the country. The remote on,


immediate causes of this outrage demant


thorough investigation and explanation


and as Chief-Magistratc of the State, fee
solemn duty resting upon me tn give
plain, unvarniShed statement of its Origin
and progress. I'm doing this it become
necessary for me To commence in the yea


1864. at the reorganization of the Civi
Government in that portion of Louisian;


which had been wrested from rebel an
thority. | regret that | shall i'm this con


nection be obliged To speak of myself /


is not TO crafty feeling of vanity that do
so, for fully realize that | am but an in
significant atom in the great course of main
tanning and pcrpc,uating the union OF thes,
States


The political history of the countr,
teaches us that under the policy of the late
lamentcd President. all the loyal citizens o
Louisiana in the parishes then within tho
Union lines were invited and authorized
in The proclamation issued by the military
commander of the Department to hold ar
election on the I'D day of February. 1864
for State officers The election was held
and | being refugee from my parish in
the rebel lines, in consequence of my Union
sentiments, was nominated bv the Free
State party. as it was called. and also by
the extreme Radical party, of which Thos.
J. Burant was the acknowledged leader
as their candidate for the Office of Licuten-
ant Governor. The first named ticket.
headed by Michael Hahn for Governor. was
elected Governor Hahn served until the
lth of March. 1865, when, by his rcsigna-
ton. | succeeded to the office of Governor
In the meantime. and by virtue of military
authority. an election for delegates To q
State Convention 10 amend and revise the
Constitution of So had taken place. The
Convention met and framed a Constitution
declaring slavery 10 be abolished, which
Constitution Is now the fundamental law OF
the State. IL is farther well known the
Convention did not adjourn sine die. but
subject to the call of the President for any
cause. \ Legislature had also been elect
eel and was in session al the time of the as
sumption ly me of the duties of the office
Of Governor.


Shortly after the collapse of the so called
Confederate Government took place. and
by the surrender of the forces in the trans
Mississippi Department. the entire territory
of The State was restored To the lawful au-
ihoriiy If the United States. When this
event took place. what was my conduct
toward the population of the eighteen par
i>hcS reclaimed; although had been per-
secuted and driven from home by the rebel
authorities suppressed all feeling of ran
c0ur so natural To- the human breast under
the circumstances In the belief that a
majority had been seduccd from their ale
glance To the o!d fla" by the wilcs Of ariful
dcma.O"ucS. who brought on the rel, Hon
| determined to fry the effect of kindness
and cOnciliatiOn in winnin" them back to
ihcir first love. | addressed them proc
lamatiOn. congralulatng them on their res
tOraiion To the protection of the govern
mcnt Of law and order. and that a. far a.
was concerned. | WAS wiilin" Ia forget the
past. begged them to submit chccriully
and unreScrvedly to the new order of
things. and aSsured Iem that although the
State Government had been organized. vet
] was anxious that II general election for
State officers should be held. i'm which the
whole State could participate.


fulfilled every word of NV promises. ]
appointed men recommended 10 fill the of
ilceS i'm The several parishes. j signed their
to the President of the United
States for special pardon. l persisted in
my course of reconciliation. nOtwiihstand-
ing the warnings and rcmOnsirances of
| Mon men. who believed nv policy would
he unavailiug i'm accomplishing the purpose
and who predicted that at TIE
very first election these men in every par
ish where they held the power would pro
scribe every nan iTcm Office who had not
been in the rebel army and fought for the
rebel cause These predictions have been
realized To The letter, at every subsequent
election, with the exception of nv own
caSe-and it is well known. for il was pub
licly avOwed. that ] was put at the head of
their ticket simply because il was thought
| could he useful in securing a representa-
tiOn of the State in Congress. Ii is further
well known that the platform reported by
the committee appointed for that purpose
To the Democratic Convention held in this
city. was rciicration of tie doctrine of the
right of secession. and il was only through
the eNcrtiOns of few of the more cautious
and polite of the paety that this platform
was made to assume the form in which it
was adopted. At the same Convention
wcll-knOwn citizen and live Democrat was
publicly ccnsurcd by resolution. because i'm
n speech delivered before that body he said
that secession was worse than a crimc-it
was blunder.


Notwithstanding my nomination by the
Democratic party. another candidate was
put in the field in opposition 10 me, who
bad Ofliciated as Governor under rebel
rule. and who. had he been in the country
and signified his assent. | have no doubt
would have been overwhelmingly elected.


When the members of the Legislature
met in extra session in the month of No
vcmbcr, 1865. convened by me for the pur-
pose Of raising money to restore the broken
revenues and to take measures TO redeem
the credit of the State, found them more
intent on calling a Convention to change
the Constitution of 1864. than to promote
the general interests of the people. Their
chief objection to that instrument was the
of the men who framed it. and
the abolition of slavery


Having failed at the extra session to pass
a bill calling the Convention, the attempt
was renewed at the regular session held i'm
the month of January, and more than half
the time of that body was spent in discuss
ing that question. Finally committee
was sent to Washington TO consult the
President. and the Legislature only aban-
doned the measure through his advice.


i considered Convention incxpedient,
and for that reason opposed it. | had
learned enough of the real sentiments of
the people to convince me that if the new
Constitution was made, il would I've less in
harmony with the views of the President
and Congress than the Constitution of 1864
the result of which would be to lessen the
chances for the admission of our represen-
tatives. urged these views on the mem
bers of both Houses of the Legislature, but
they had no effect with the majority.
deprecated the city and parish elections for
the reason that feared the result because
of the character of the men that would he
elected, because i had seen enough of the
public sentiment to convince me that most
of those who had served in the COnfeder-
ate army, OF who had lived in the Confed-
crate lines would be elected to office.