Year: 1877

lana.


Fortunately there was no bloodshed in
New Orleans yesterday, although few ram


dom shots were fred and returned. Nichols
issued proclamation in the afternoon ex-
horting the crowd in the streets to disperse
and to avoid any breaches of the peace.


Unless General Augur should receive
new instructions there will be no
interference by the federal troops
except to suppress actual violence. The
success of the Nichols party is staked on
their ability to control their followers and
prevent breaches of the peace. From the
moment that General Augur should inter
vene to defend Packard the prospects of
Nichols would 60 into fatal eclipse.
Nichols did wise act in issuing his
proclamation, and still wiser one when
he ordered the militia under command
of Generals Ogden and Penn to with
draw and retire to their homes 1t was
perilous experiment to permit them to be
called out, for had they been resisted the
streets of New Orleans would have run with
blood. Luckily there was no resistance.
They marched to the Court House, gained
easy possession and enabled the democratic
judges to take quiet possession of the
bench. They proceeded to the State
Arsenal, which they Captured with
out resistance, but found less than
thousand stand of arms, the kellogg govern
ment having removed the greater part of the
contents of the arsenal. Their next move
,tc
ton, where they found allies instead
of opponents. The friends of Nichols
had thus gained possession of every
important point excepting the State
House, which they surrounded, but made
no attempt to capture. The Packard party
to resist, and the Nichols party were too
prudent to bring on collision. But in the
course of the afternoon Warmoth and
his friends withdrew, leaving the Leg
islature without a quorum, and it then
ceased to be Of much importance whether
the Packard party occupied the State House
or not. Packard could do nothing as Gov
ernor with the police and the courts in the
hands of his opponents, and he had but an
empty shadow of authority when shut up in
the State House with Legislature which
could transact no business for want of o
quorum.


Matters may assume different aspect to-
day but if there should be no disturbance
of the peace and the federal troops should
not interfere we do not see how Packard can
better his condition. He is understood to
have applied to President Grant yesterday
for recognition and support, but it seems
unlikely that the President will ac-
cede to his request. In the first
place, the Legislature is in session,
and the federal constitution authorizes
the President to act in such a case on the
application of Governor only when the
Legislature is not in session. In the next
place, President Grant has publicly ex-
pressed his determination not to interfere
until after the committees now engaged in
investigating, the Louisiana election shall
have completed their task. If there
should be no breach of the peace
the federal troops will remain passive
spectators, and before the end Of the week
Nichols may be in full possession of the
executive authority Of the State. A Gordon
of his militia surrounds the State House,
permitting people to come out but nobody
to go in, and in few days the Packard
Legislature will either desert or be starved
out There is no reason to doubt how this
dispute will end if the federal government
keeps hands off.