LOUISIANA. 



479 



the resolutions of the State Central Executive 

 Committee adopted in November, 1871, and 

 lauding the history and achievements of the 

 Republican party. The following were also 

 among the resolutions : 



Any system of the civil service under -which, the 

 subordinate positions of the Government are consid- 

 ered rewards for mere party zeal is fatally demoral- 

 izing, and we therefore favor a reform of the system 

 by laws which shall abolish the evils of patronage, 

 and make honesty, efficiency, and fidelity, the essen- 

 tial qualifications for public position, without practi- 

 cally creating a life tenure of office. 



The franking privilege ought to be abolished, and 

 the way prepared for a speedy reduction in the rate 

 of postage. 



Among the questions which press for attention is 

 that which concerns the relations of capital and la- 

 bor, and the Eepublican party recognize the duty of 

 so shaping the legislation as to secure full protection 

 and the amplest field for capital, and for labor, the 

 creator of capital, the largest opportunities and a just 

 share of the mutual profits of these two great servants 

 of civilization. 



The Eepublican party is mindful of its obligations 

 to the loyal women of America for their noble devo- 

 tion to the cause of freedom. Their admission to 

 wider fields of usefulness is received with satisfac- 

 tion, and the honest demands of any class of citizens 

 for additional rights should be treated with respect- 

 ful consideration. 



The Eepublican party propose to respect the rights 

 reserved by the people to themselves as carefully as 

 the powers delegated by them to the State and to the 

 Federal Government. It disapproves of the resort 

 to unconstitutional laws for the purpose of removing 

 evils by interference with rights not surrendered by 

 the people to either the State or national Government, 



It is the duty of the General Government to adopt 

 such means as will tend to encourage American com- 

 merce and ship-building. 



"We recommend the establishment by the General 

 Government of a national system of education, and 

 ask our Senators and Representatives in Congress to 

 use their influence in urging upon said body the 

 necessity of establishing such a system as will give 

 proper facilities of education to all children through- 

 out the length and breadth of our great country. 



This convention recommends that the next Legis- 

 lature appoint a committee to investigate the alleged 

 frauds perpetrated against the finances of our State 

 for the last four years, and we pledge the faith of our 

 State to pay all just and legitimate claims against the 

 same under the constitution. 



We deprecate and denounce, with all the strength 

 of our nature, the efforts of certain designing men 

 to excite the evil and foul passions of the people in 

 arrayning one class of our citizens against the other ; 

 and we do hereby denounce and proclaim against 

 any more looking toward "Africanizing" the State 

 on the grounds that the colored vote is largely in the 

 majority, believing that the Eepublican party is the 

 p^arty of the whole people, regardless of race or na- 

 tionality. 



"We pledge the_ Eepublican party to use all proper 

 means to make eight hours a legal day's labor in the 

 State of Louisiana, on all public works. 



Eecognizing the fact now existing in this State, 

 that the different political parties heretofore existing 

 in opposition to the Eepublican party are dispersed; 

 and the individual members thereof having thereby 

 become political orphans, we tender them a refuge 

 from the storms of political adversity, and invite 

 them to take a place in the ranks of the national 

 Eepublican party, and assist us in our efforts to re- 

 deem our beloved State from its present disgraceful 

 and bankrupt condition. 



The Pinchback Convention, after a stormy 



session of three days at Baton Eouge, adjourned 

 to New Orleans, where it adopted resolu- 

 tions recognizing in Lieutenant - Governor 

 Pinchback " preeminent courage, unswerving 

 devotion to Republican principles, fidelity to 

 the interests of his race, and also to the wel- 

 fare of Louisiana," pointing to him as " one 

 of the most eminent standard-bearers of Re- 

 publicanism in this State, and pledging to him 

 our undivided and hearty support in carrying 

 to victory the flag of Republican principles in 

 the coming ^ contest ; " declaring that "this or- 

 ganization is the sole existing one to which 

 Republicans can look with any hope for main- 

 taining their due proportion of control in the 

 executive, legislative, and judicial depart- 

 ments of the government for preserving the 

 equal rights of all the people of the State, for 

 continuing and increasing the number of free 

 schools for our children, and for delivering our 

 people from the reactionary tendencies and 

 devices of the Democracy;" pledging to the 

 people of the State " an honest an earnest en- 

 deavor to stop extravagances, curtail expendi- 

 tures, diminish the taxes, put down venality 

 and corruptions, oppose usurpation and tyran- 

 ny from whatever source, and encourage har- 

 mony and good feelings between all the peo- 

 ple of this State, and the obliteration of all the 

 animosities and distrusts caused by past con- 

 flicts, favoring the election to office of honest 

 and capable men, identified with the people 

 of this State, and having their homes and in- 

 terests with us, laying it down as the will of 

 this convention, in view of the differences of 

 opinion existing among the members upon the 

 expediency of declaring at this time its prefer- 

 ences on national questions, that we recognize 

 the utmost liberty of opinion in the support 

 of candidates for the presidency, leaving to 

 each delegate full liberty to declare preferences 

 with the wishes of his constituents ; " and declar- 

 ing " that the convention assembled under the 

 auspices of the custom-house, at Baton Rouge, 

 Lave betrayed the Republican party, have an- 

 nulled with a high hand the will of the peo- 

 ple, expelled their legally-elected delegates, 

 and seated men in their places who were not 

 elected, and who do not even live in the par- 

 ishes they pretend to represent, have used 

 bribery, threats, and all kinds of intimidation 

 to control the organization of the convention 

 against the known will of the delegates, they 

 have outraged every principle of parliamentary 

 law in their proceedings, they have refused to 

 seat in the convention delegates representing 

 the three largest and most populous parishes 

 in the State unless they would first pledge 

 themselves to vote for the candidate selected 

 by the custom-house clique. Their delegates 

 Lave been openly bought and sold in the pub- 

 lic streets. In consequence of the fraud and 

 deception attending the whole history of its 

 career, tLat convention does not truly repre- 

 sent the Republicans of this State, and we, 

 therefore, declare that we will not be bound by 



