LOUISIANA. 



473 



cepting those who bore the prepared tickets 

 signed by Marshal Packard as president of 

 the State Central Committee. Commercial 

 business was, for the time, entirely suspended. 

 About eleven o'clock Governor Warmouth 

 arrived, accompanied by P. B. S. Pinchback 

 and Hugh J. Campbell, his chief supporters, 

 and followed by a large crowd of delegates 

 who were friendly to him. They proceeded 

 in a body, unmolested, to the room of the Uni- 

 ted States Circuit Court, but there were con- 

 fronted by a special deputy, who informed them 

 that they could not enter, as the committee 

 were not ready to open the doors to delegates. 

 At this the Governor expressed his indigna- 

 tion, and, proceeding with his friends to the 

 space occupied by the troops, addressed the 

 mass, and closed by moving to adjourn to 

 "Turner's Hall," and there organize a con- 

 vention. This was approved. 



The "Turner's Hall" meeting was opened, 

 in the midst of considerable confusion, by A. 

 P. Harris, Senator, and a member of the State 

 Central Committee, who announced that it was 

 an adjourned convention. After its temporary 

 organization, and the appointment of the usual 

 committees, speeches were made by Governor 

 Warmoth and others. The committees then re- 

 ported,and the convention adjourned until even- 

 ing, when more speeches were made, some reso- 

 lutions were presented and referred to a com- 

 mittee on resolutions, and provision was made 

 for the formation of a Congressional and a 

 State Central Committee, and a further ad- 

 journment made to noon the following day. 

 According to the report of the committee on 

 organization, Mr. Pinchback was made presi- 

 dent of the convention. At the final session 

 of Thursday, the two committees were organ- 

 ized ; an address to the people regarding the 

 action of the Custom-House officials was 

 adopted, accusing them of illegal practices, an 

 unlawful assembly, and overt acts of attempted 

 assassination ; a series of resolutions was adopt- 

 ed, and Governor Warmoth made a long clos- 

 ing address, in which he bitterly denounced 

 the course of Speaker Carter of the House, in 

 the Cnstom-House Convention, and charged 

 him with " corruption, dishonesty, and licen- 

 tiousness ; " and also denounced the Federal 

 office-holders. 



Of the " Custom-House Convention," Lieu- 

 tenant-Governor Dunn was appointed perma- 

 nent president. Speeches were made by sev- 

 eral prominent men among his friends, charging 

 that Governor Warmouth and his friends had 

 compelled the use of the Custom-House by 

 leasing every other hall in the city, and neces- 

 sitated the employment of the United States 

 troops by repeated threats of violence. Speaker 

 Carter went so far as to assert that " the Gov- 

 ernor received bribes, stole the public money, 

 and was the greatest living practical liar." 

 An executive committee was organized, and 

 resolutions adopted guaranteeing in the public 

 schools a place to every child ; advocating 



public improvements throughout the State, 

 and guaranteeing to them the aid of the State ; 

 approving the amendment to the constitution, 

 limiting the State debt to a fixed sum, and 

 instructing the Legislature not to exceed that 

 sum ; urging the State authorities to take such 

 measures to preserve the peace of public as- 

 semblies as will never again render it necessary 

 to call in the aid of the United States authori- 

 ties under the enforcement act, etc. 



About 60 delegates were present at this 

 convention, and 108 at the Turner's Hall Con- 

 vention. Immediately after their adjournment, 

 messages were sent to President Grant, bearing 

 the signatures of F. F. Casey, Collector of the 

 Port, and S. B. Packard, U. S. Marshal, regarding 

 the political situation, and in explanation of 

 their course. A statement from the Warmouth 

 side, signed by Thomas W. Conway, the State 

 Superintendent of Public Education, denying 

 the allegations of the Federal officials in toto, 

 was forwarded to counteract these messages ; 

 and, in accordance with the resolution of the 

 Turner's Hall Convention, a large delegation 

 visited President Grant and made a verbal 

 report. 



On November 22d, Lieutenant-Governor 

 Dunn died, and immediately after Governor 

 Warmouth issued a proclamation convening 

 the Senate in extra session to fill the vacancy 

 caused by his death, by electing a president 

 who, under the constitution, would be ex-officio 

 Lieutenant-Governor, and for other purposes, 

 as follows : 



" To act on the appointments to office made, 

 and the pardons granted by the Governor dur- 

 ing the vacation. 



" To devise and propose measures of reform. 



"To investigate the books, vouchers, and 

 accounts of the State officers." 



This action was declared unconstitutional 

 by the opponents of the Governor, on the 

 ground that one branch of the Assembly cannot 

 be called without the other, to act on miscel- 

 laneous questions, and various though unsuc- 

 cessful attempts were made to prevent the 

 session. It opened, however, on December 

 6th, and continued two days. After consider- 

 able discussion and balloting on various points, 

 it was demonstrated that the Governor had 

 the support of a bare majority. A ballot for 

 " President, who should be Lieutenant-Govern- 

 or," resulted in the choice of Senator P. B. 

 S. Pinchback, he receiving 18 votes against 

 16 for Senator T. V. Coupland, the candidate 

 of the opponents of Warmouth. He was sus- 

 tained also by the Democratic Senators. Fur- 

 ther action was prevented by the passage of a 

 resolution to adjourn sine die immediately 

 after the opening of the second day of the 

 session. 



With the assembling of the Legislature of 

 1872, on the 1st of January, the war of the 

 factions was renewed with increased bitterness. 

 The Warmouthites were understood to be de- 

 termined to oust Speaker Carter from his po- 



