480 



LOUISIANA. 



their acts, and will not support their candi- 

 dates." 



The convention then adjourned till the 9th 

 of August without making any nominations. 



The Liberal Republicans of the State met 

 in convention at New Orleans, on the 5th of 

 August, and continued their sessions for six 

 days. On the first day a committee of thirteen 

 members was appointed to confer with the 

 Executive Committees of the Democratic and 

 Keform parties, with a view to agreeing to a 

 " fusion " ticket for State offices. Some days 

 were spent in consultation, and various propo- 

 sitions and counter-propositions were made, 

 but the ultimate object was not attained until 

 some time after the convention had adjourned. 

 As a result of the negotiations between the 

 several State Central Executive Committees, a 

 meeting of conference committees, consisting of 

 seven members from each of those bodies, was 

 held on the 27th of August. The final result of 

 their deliberations was a compromise based 

 upon the acceptance of the following " fusion " 

 ticket: For Governor, John McEnery; for 

 Lieutenant-Governor, D. B. Penn ; for Attor- 

 ney-General, H. N. Ogden ; for Auditor, James 

 Graham ; for Secretary of State, Samuel Arm- 

 stead ; for Superintendent of Public Education, 

 Robert M. Lusher. 



This is the same ticket, with one or two 

 modifications, already accepted by the Demo- 

 crats and Reformers, the latter having given 

 up their separate ticket. The principal con- 

 cession to the Liberals was the acceptance of 

 an electoral ticket in favor of Greeley and 

 Brown. The State Central Committees of the 

 Democrats and Reformers had already agreed 

 to the following platform : 



The Democratic and Keform parties of the State 

 of Louisiana announce to the people of the State the 

 following platform of principles : 



1. We recognize the right of, and will use every 

 endeavor to secure and maintain, every citizen of the 

 State in the enjoyment of all his civil and political 



grivileges laid down in the Constitution of the United 

 tates, and the laws made in pursuance thereof. 



2. We will^ insist upon the most strict and rigid 

 examination into the origin and character of the pub- 

 lic debt, and, while we are willing to pay the last 

 dollar of indebtedness contracted for the legitimate 

 purposes of government, within the scope of right- 

 ful authority, we will advocate the rejection of all 

 that has been contracted fraudulently, and, knowing 

 a reduction of the present excessive taxation to be 

 essential to the restoration of public prosperity; 

 to that end 



3. We will insist upon the abolition of unnecessary 

 offices, reduction of salaries and perquisites in all 

 offices, and the inauguration of a most rigid econo- 

 my in all departments of government. 



4. We will seek to restore the municipal govern- 

 ments and the powers of police to the municipalities, 

 cities, and parishes to which they of right belong, 

 maintaining to the uttermost the principles of local 

 self-government. 



5. The abolition of the extraordinary powers now 

 vested in the Executive, the repeal of all obnoxious 

 acts, such as the registration, the election, the print- 

 ing, the constabulary, militia, and metropolitan po- 

 lice laws, and the enactment of wise, just, and eco- 

 nomic laws in their stead. 



6. With a view of guarding against the corruptions 



and enormities in the State and- city governments 

 during the past four years, we will favor and urge 

 the immediate passage of the most stringent and se- 

 vere penal laws against the offering or receiving a 

 bribe, on the part of legislators, or any other State, 

 city, or parochial official. 



7. We will advocate an amendment to the consti- 

 tution which will exclude from any judicial position 

 men unlearned in the law. 



8. We will favor the enactment of a special statute, 

 imposing the severest penalties upon the speculation, 

 directly or indirectly, in State, city, or parochial se- 

 curities, by the Executive, judicial or other officers 

 of the State, city, or parish, during their term of 

 office. 



"Fusion" candidates for Congress were also 

 agreed upon for each of the five districts, as 

 well as one for the State at large. 



The Pinchback Convention, which met on 

 the 9th of August, was very much divided, part 

 of the delegates being in favor of accepting 

 overtures which were made by the Liberal Re- 

 publicans, for cooperation with them, but a 

 majority resisted this course. The result was 

 the withdrawal of a number of delegates, who 

 adopted resolutions indorsing Greeley and 

 Brown, and the Liberal platform and nomina- 

 tions, and formed an executive committee 

 auxiliary to the Liberal committee. The regu- 

 lar convention continued in session four days. 

 A committee was appointed to confer with the 

 State Central Committee, presided over by 

 Marshal Packard, in the hope of securing a 

 union of the two wings of the Republican 

 party. This was not accomplished, but the 

 State Committee was authorized to continue 

 the negotiations, and make such changes in the 

 ticket as might be necessary to secure the de- 

 sired abject! The nominations made by the 

 convention were as follows : Governor, P. B. 

 S. Pinchback, colored ; Lieutenant-Governor, 

 A. B. Harris; Secretary of State, George B. 

 Loud ; Auditor, W. Jasper Blackburn ; Attor- 

 ney-General, A. P. Field ; Superintendent of 

 Education, W. G. Brown, colored. Congress- 

 men, both for the State at large and for tl 

 districts, were also nominated. Resolutk 

 were adopted indorsing the platform and ci 

 didates of the National Republican Conven- 

 tion at Philadelphia, and making the following 

 declarations : 



That we pledge our party to the reduction of taxa- 

 tion, and we insist upon an economical administra- 

 tion of the government ; we condemn indiscriminate 

 appropriations to individual enterprises, and we urge 

 upon the Legislature the curtailment of its expenses. 



That we will advocate a policy, and will invoke 

 the aid of the national Congress, that will secure to 

 the South its full quota of assistance to the improve- 

 ment of our harbors and rivers. We believe that we 

 are entitled to an appropriation to assist in opening 

 the mouth of the Mississippi, and in constructing 

 our levees. 



That we believe that the congressional measures 

 of reconstruction have proved a complete success in 

 our State. We indorse those measures, and all laws, 

 of Congress enacted in the interests of order and 

 civil liberty. We believe that, if honestly and freely 

 executed, these statutes will conduce to the prosper- 

 ity of the South, and to the strengthening of repub- 

 lican institutions. 



That we especially indorse those planks in the Ke- 



