Year: 1871

| far more for his own election to the Office OF
Governor than for either his official duty OF
the success of the national Republican party,
and even more than for the denomination OF
your Excellency as Republican candidate
for the Presidency in 1879.


Third-As to the statement that the ma
jority of the delegates were pledged to de-
nounce the State administration, and were
in danger of personal violence from the


friends of the Governor, acting under his


leadership, have to say if it were as true


as it is false, that the majority of the dele


gates were pledged to denounce the State


administration, how could it justify the fed


eral officials in the organizing of an army,


and turning the Customhouse into mill


tary camp for the purpose Of expressing the


Governors friendss How could the mere


apprehension of violence from one faction
justify the other in its actual usel The


truth is that very large majority of the
delegates to the convention came with the
disposition to indorse both the national and
State administrations, but the CustomhOuse
officials determined that no expression of
approval of the Governor should be made
by the convention, and SO they themselves
resorted to violent measures. Their con-
duct in this respect has had the effect of
causing majority of the members of the
convention to seriously question whether
the national administration would be likely
to indorse the outrageous conduct of it's
official representatives in Louisiana, and so
prove not so deserving of their Endorsement
in the future as they considered it to have
been in the past.


Fourth-The idea that the troops, Gatlin
guns, and armed deputy marshals were only
called for the moral effect of their presence
and the protection of the public property is
frivolous excuse for the commission of an
outrage of such character and magnitude
as to not only shock the whole country, but
throw serious obstacles in the way of Re-
publican success in the campaigns of this
and the coming year-ebstacles calculated
to make our triumph now and in the futurea
matter of serious doubt The authors of this
excuse must have overlooked the fact that
Louisiana has civil government capable of
preserving the peace-ene which has been
recognized by Congress, and is considered
by Mr. Casey and Mr.. Packard, in every
thing else except as to the holding of Re-
publican conventions, abundantly capable
of discharging, among other duties, that of
protecting the rights of all its citizens, and
of restraining any of them from committing
any a6 calculated to endanger the safety
of the public property. The charge that
Senator West declared that unless the Gov,
ernor's friends controlled the convention
there would be blOodshed, is a weak inven-
ton. Senator West having heard of this
accusation in New Orleans fitly denounced
that falsehood, and intended, in the absence
of any other justification, to give some. color
of reason for the muster of troops and
armed deputy marshals by federal Office
holders on the day in question.


Fifth-The statements that the Governor
made an incendiary speech, that he de-
the national administration, and
that his friends are enemies of the Presi--
dent, are not true. Twice on the day of the
convention, Governor Warmoth, in language
which has already passed into print, de-
clared with rare elOquenee and force that
your Excelleney had merited the compli-
ment which the patriotic people of this
country had paid you, in making you the
nations chief magistrate, and that unless it
transpired that the conduct of your officials
in Louisianamet with your appreciation, he
would favor your denomination and re-elec-
ton. In this expression he had the indorse
ment of nearly every member in the cOnven-
ton.


Senator West, in speech to three thou
sand Republicans, the day after the nomi
nation was held, gave expression to the
same view as that uttered by Governor
Warmoth.


In conclusion, allow me to express the
opinion that no act of your administration
will give more satisfaction to the men who
voted for you and made you President, than
would the removal of the officials who have
the outrage in question, and
that nothing short of their displacement will
save the Republican party from defeat in
the coming campaign.


Respectfully your obedient servant,


THOMAS w. CONWAY,
State Superintendent Public Education


Commission.


New York, August %. 1871.