478 



LOUISIANA. 



affairs, and to return to constitutional govern- 

 ment bequeathed to us by its founders in the 

 better days of the republic." The same com- 

 mittees afterward submitted the following 

 proposition, declaring it as their "deliberate 

 opinion" that it is the only solution of the dif- 

 ficulty in the way of an honorable coalition : 



In order to effect a thorough and efficient combi- 

 nation of all parties in this State having national and 

 State reform for their object, the following arrange- 

 ment is proposed by the representatives of the Lib- 

 eral Republican party : 



1. The Democratic and Reform Conventions to 

 approve and accept the platform of principles adopted 

 at Cincinnati, on May 4, 1872, by the Liberal Repub- 

 lican Convention. 



2. The delegates chosen by the Democratic ^ State 

 Convention now in session, to represent Louisiana 

 in the National Democratic Convention to be held at 

 Baltimore on the 9th of July next, to be instructed 

 to vote to accept the platform of the Cincinnati Con- 

 vention, and to indorse and ratify the nomination of 

 Greeley and Brown. 



3. Inasmuch as it is necessary to adopt a State 

 ticket on which Democrats, Reformers, and Liberal 

 Republicans can unite, it is agreed that each of the 

 three organizations shall name ten ^persons to con- 

 stitute an executive committee, which shall be au- 

 thorized to call a Liberal Reform Convention, to meet 

 at some future day, to nominate a State, congres- 

 sional, and electoral ticket. 



4. It being absolutely necessary that harmony of 

 action be assured, in order to accomplish the purposes 

 of this arrangement, that national reform may be 

 forwarded, and State reform guaranteed, it is further 

 agreed that the conventions shall respectively adopt 

 the following resolution : 



Resolved, That we accept and pledge ourselves to 

 support, in good faith, the State and congressional 

 tickets to be nominated by the convention to assem- 

 ble in acsordance with the above resolution. 



This proposition was referred to the con- 

 ference committees of the two conventions, 

 who replied to it by the following joint reso- 

 lutions : 



Resolved, That the propositions made by the Lib- 

 eral Republican party be rejected : 



1. Because the Reform party, being organized and 

 existing for State purposes only, cannot entertain 

 questions affecting national politics. 



2. The committee of conference of the Democratic 

 party have not been intrusted with powers to pro- 

 nounce itself on any subject affecting national politics. 



3. Because the adoption of the proposition would 

 involve the virtual abandonment of the Democratic 

 and Reform parties, and the convention of both these 

 parties, in adopting the report and resolutions of the 

 joint committees of conference under which these 

 joint committees were created, expressly declared 

 that neither party would relinquish its separate or- 

 ganization. 



The joint conference committee finally agreed 

 upon the following State ticket, which was 

 submitted to the conventions on the 7th of 

 June: for Governor, George Williamson, of 

 Oaddo ; for Lieutenant-Governor, B. F. Jonas, 

 of Orleans; for Secretary of State, Samuel 

 McEnery, of Ouachita ; for Attorney-General, 

 ' II. N. Ogden, of Orleans ; for State Superin- 

 tendent of Public Education, E. M. Lusher, of 

 Orleans; for State Auditor, Allen Jumel, of 

 Iberville. There was no nomination made for 

 State Treasurer, as the present incumbent, Mr. 



A. Dubuclet, was to hold over for two years, 

 having been elected for four years in 1870. 



This ticket was adopted by the Reform Con- 

 vention with only one or two dissenting voices. 

 In the Democratic Convention the following 

 minority report was submitted, signed by five 

 of the committee appointed by that body : 



We, the undersigned, members of the committee 

 of conference, respectfully ask to submit the fol- 

 lowing minority report : 



1. The minority were in favor of ascertaining from 

 the convention its wishes in reference to their further 

 conference with the Liberal Republican or other or- 

 ganizations before going into a nomination for officers. 



2. The minority were in favor of continuing the 

 conference with a view of submitting to the commit- 

 tee of Liberal Republican^ counter-propositions, in 

 the hope that cooperation could be effected. 



3. Tnat the minority were opposed to the com- 

 mittee presenting a ticket to the convention, and, in 

 view of the complications which had arisen, were in 

 favor of remitting the nominations to the Conventions 

 themselves. 



The Democratic Convention refused to accept 

 the ticket submitted by a majority of the con- 

 ference committee, and, after some discussion, 

 nominated the following instead, which 

 transmitted to the Reform Convention, and b] 

 it rejected: For Governor, John McEnery, 

 Ouachita ; for Lieutenant-Governor, B. F. J( 

 nas, of Orleans ; for Attorney-General, H. N. 

 Ogden, of Orleans; for Auditor, Allen Jume" 

 of Iberville ; for Superintendent of Educatioi 

 R. M. Lusher, of Orleans ; for Secretary 

 State, Alexander Boardman, of Caddo. 



No platform was adopted by either conv* 

 tion. The Reform Convention adjourned, " 

 meet at a time and place designated by the 

 Central Executive Committee." The Demo- 

 cratic Convention authorized its president 

 appoint ten members of the State Central Com- 

 mittee from the State at large, to be increase " 

 by one member from each district of the cit 

 of New Orleans, and one from each parish 

 the State, and empowered the committee thi 

 to be constituted to appoint the electors fo 

 President and Vice-President of the Unit 

 States. 



The conventions of the two wings of th( 

 Republican party, headed respectively by Pack- 

 ard and Pinchback, assembled at Baton Ron< 

 on the 19th of June. Governor Warmoth was 

 present as a proxy for one of the delegates in 

 the Pinchback Convention. All attempts at co- 

 operation between the two conventions failed ; 

 that led by Packard insisting on a repudiation 

 of Warmoth and Greeley, and the other refus- 

 ing to join it. After an excited session of five 

 days, the Packard Convention completed^ its 

 State ticket as follows : For Governor, William 

 Pitt Kellogg ; for Lieutenant-Governor, C. C. 

 Antoine ; for Secretary of State, O. C. Blan- 

 din ; for Auditor, Charles Clinton ; for Attor- 

 ney-General, Colonel A. P. Field ; for Super- 

 indent of Public Instruction, Charles W. Keat- 

 ing. A long series of resolutions was adopted, 

 indorsing the platform and nominations of tho 

 National Convention at Philadelphia, approving 



