LETTER OF H.C. WARMOTH, CLAIMANT OF A SEAT IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AS DELEGATE FROM THE TERRITORY OF LOUISIANA, ADDRESSED TO SENATOR WILLIAMS, CHAIRMAN OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON RECONSTRUCTION FOR LOUISIANA.
Washington, D.C. McGill & Witherow, Printers and Stereotypers, 1866. Original printed yellow title wrappers [minor wear]. 39, [1 blank] pp. Stitched. Rubberstamp on front wrapper, else a clean and Very Good copy.
Warmoth [1842-1931] was born in Illinois and was admitted to the Bar in 1860. During the War he fought for the Union as lieutenant colonel of the 32nd Missouri Volunteer Infantry. After the War he went to New Orleans to resume his career. To emphasize that Louisiana had not been reconstructed as a State, he ran as a "territorial delegate" to Congress in an unofficial election in which Blacks cast about 19,000 votes. At the time, Louisiana still restricted the suffrage to white males.
Warmoth's Letter argues, like many Republicans, that Louisiana is not a State in the Union. Its statehood in the Confederacy has been smashed, and nothing constitutional has taken its place. Enemies of the Union continue to dominate the power structure, and the federal government provides no security for "the lives, liberty and property" of loyal Union men. Warmoth chronicles the acts of violence and disloyalty against the Union, blacks, and Union sympathizers. The military government established by General Banks provides no protection or legitimacy.
Not in Sabin, LCP, or Thompson. OCLC locates about twenty institutional copies as of January 2022. Item #38074
Price: $250.00