USA > Louisiana > Louisiana; comprising sketches of counties, towns, events, institutions, and persons, Volume II > Part 47
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On Jan, 5, 1824, Gov. Robertson sent his last message to the general assembly. In it he recommended the repeal of the laws sanctioning imprisonment for debt, saying: "The spirit of our government, the epoch at which we live, the dictates of justice, and the feelings of every honest heart, all revolt against this odious legacy of ages passed away." He announced that the general gov- ernment had finally made some provision for the defenses of the state, and that Capt. David Porter had driven the pirates from the vicinity of the Louisiana .coast, though he still complained of the
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dilatory course of the national authorities with regard to the public domain. James Brown, U .. S. senator, resigned his seat in Dec., 1823, to become minister to France, and on Jan. 15, 1824, Josiah S. Johnston was elected to fill the vacancy. At this session the Touro free library association, a library association at Alexandria, and the Bank of Louisiana were incorporated, and provisions made for a civil code, commercial code and a code of practice. On Nov. 15, 1824, Gov. Robertson resigned to accept the office of U. S. district judge, and Henry S. Thibodaux, by virtue of his office as president of the state senate, became acting governor.
In the campaign of this year there were four candidates for gov- ernor, viz .: Henry Johnson, ex-Gov. Jacques Villere, Bernard Marigny and Thomas Butler. Johnson was regarded as the Amer- ican candidate and it was charged by some of Villere's friends that Marigny had been induced to become a candidate with a view to dividing the Creole strength. If so the scheme accomplished its purpose, for when the returns were canvassed by the legislature on Nov. 17, it was found that Johnson had received 2,847 votes; Villere, 1,831 ; Marigny, 1,427 ; and Butler, 184. William L. Brent, Henry H. Gurley and Edward Livingston, who had been elected to the 18th Congress in 1822, were all reelected, but the electoral vote of the state was divided. (See Electoral Vote.)
Robson, a village of Caddo parish, is situated in the southeastern part on the Red river and is a station on the Texas & Pacific R. R., about 13 miles southeast of Shreveport, the parish seat. It is a landing on the river, is the shipping and supply point for the rich Red river valley farming lands in which it is located, has a money order postoffice. telegraph and express offices, and in 1900 had a population of 137.
Rochelle, a village of Grant parish, is situated near the northeast corner and is a station on the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern R. R. Rochelle has been designated as the eastern terminus of a branch of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific R. R., which is build- ing southeast from Pyburn. It is an important shipping town, has a money order postoffice and telegraph station, and in 1900 had a population of 115.
Rochester, a post-station of Jackson parish, is about 3 miles southwest of Jonesboro, the nearest railroad station, and 15 miles southwest of Vernon, the parish seat.
Rock, a postoffice in the extreme southwestern part of Sabine parish, is near the Sabine river, about 12 miles west of Orangeville, the nearest railroad station, in the timber region east of the Sabine river and has important lumbering interests.
Rocky Mount, a village in the northern part of Bossier parish, is abont 10 miles northeast of Benton, the parish seat, and is the terminus of a division of the Red River & Rocky Mount R. R. It has a money order postoffice, and since the completion of the railroad has become an important trading and shipping point for that section of the parish. The population in 1900 was 52.
Rodessa, a village in the northwest corner of Caddo parish. is a
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station on the Kansas City Sonthern R. R., about 35 miles north- west of Shreveport, the parish seat. It is an important shipping point for lumber, and is the supply town for the northwestern part of the parish. It has a money order postoffice, telegraph and ex- press offices, and in 1900 had a population of 104.
Rogers, a post-hamlet in the southwestern part of Catahoula par- ish, is situated on the shore of Catahoula lake, 12 miles east of Pol- lock, the nearest railroad station.
Rogillioville, a post-hamlet in the northeastern part of West Feliciana parish, is 7 miles east of Laurel Hill, the nearest railroad station, and 15 miles northeast of St. Francisville, the parish seat. It is an old town and in 1900 had a population of 100.
Rollins, a postoffice in the western part of Caddo parish, is situ- ated near the west end of Cross lake, about 3 miles north of Green- wood, the nearest railroad station and 12 miles west of Shreveport, the parish seat.
Roman, Alfred, second son of Gov. Andre B. and Aimée (Parent) Roman, was born on his father's plantation in St. James parish in 1824. He was a student in Jefferson college at the time the buildings of that institution were destroyed by fire, which pre- vented him from receiving his degree. He then entered the law office of Etienne Mazureau. one of the leading jurists of Louisiana. as a student, and in his 21st year was admitted to the bar. As a youth he became interested in public questions and exerted a con- siderable influence over the political affairs of his parish, especially in the presidential campaign of 1844, when he "took the stump" for Henry Clay, who was a warm, personal friend of his father. In this canvass, although not yet of voting age, his speeches were listened to with rapt attention by throngs of people, and he ac- quired a reputation for logic and eloquence that clung to him throughout his life. When about 25 years of age he married Miss Felicie Aime, daughter of Valcour Aime, and gave up the law to engage in sugar planting. His wife died in Paris while visiting France with her husband in 1858. A short time before the war Mr. Roman organized a cavalry company called the "Chasseurs de St. Jacques," and early in 1861 he offered his company to Gov. Moore for service in the Confederate army. Upon being informed by the governor that infantry was needed more than cavalry, Capt. Roman's men readily consented to the change, and the company entered the service as part of the 18th Louisiana infantry, of which Capt. Roman subsequently became colonel. After the war he mar- ried Miss Sallie Rhett, daughter of Senator Robert B. Rhett of South Carolina, and set about retrieving his fortunes that were lost by the war, but through floods and other disasters he was irre- trievably ruined. In 1877 he was appointed clerk of the supreme court, and later Gov. Wiltz appointed him judge of one section of the New Orleans criminal court, where he made a brilliant and irreproachable record. While serving in this capacity he wrote "The Military Operations of General Beauregard." Judge Roman died in 1892.
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Roman, André Bienvenu, the 6th and also the 8th governor of the State of Louisiana, was born in the parish of St. Landry, March 5, 1795. His ancestors came to Louisiana from Dauphine, France, about 1740. Jacques Roman, the father of the governor, was at one time one of the leading cattle raisers of the Attakapas country, but later removed to St. James parish and became a suc- cessful sugar planter. Andre B. Roman was graduated at St. Mary's college, Baltimore, Md., in 1815, returned to his native state and bought a sugar plantation in St. James parish, and the following year married Aimee Françoise Parent. In 1818 he was elected a member of the lower house of the state legislature; was speaker of that body for 4 years; parish judge for two years, and in 1830 again became speaker of the house. On Jan. 31, 1831, he was inaugurated governor. At the close of his term of four years he was succeeded by Gov. E. D. White, but in 1838 he was again elected governor and served another term of four years. He was a man of sound judgment, firm and unyielding in support of a cause he believed to be right, and his administrations were marked by a spirit of progress. W. H. Sparks says: "Of all the creole popula- tion, A. B. Roman was, at this time, the most prominent and the
most talented. *
* He discharged the duties of the office with great ability, and, after Claiborne, with more satisfaction to the people than any man who ever filled the office." Upon retiring from the governor's office in 1843, he refused to reenter the political arena, though he was a delegate to the constitutional conventions of 1845 and 1852, and to the secession convention in 1861. He had been allied with the Whig party and was opposed to secession, but yielded to the will of the majority and remained steadfast in his allegiance to his state. He was one of the three peace commis- sioners sent to Washington by the Confederate government in 1861, to confer with the Federal authorities and endeavor to obtain a peaceful separation of the North and South. Being too old for military service, Gov. Roman did not enter the army, but he sent his sons to the support of the Confederacy, and when the state was occupied by the Federal troops he refused to take the oath of allegiance. After the war he was appointed recorder of deeds and mortgages in New Orleans by Gov. Wells and held this position until his death, which occurred suddenly while he was walking along the street. Jan. 26, 1866. A few days later the legislature passed a resolution "to go into mourning for 30 days, tender the sympathy of the general assembly to the relatives of the governor, and to attend the funeral in a body."
Roman's Administration .- Gov. Roman took the oath of office on Jan. 31. 1831. His inaugural address has been characterized as "well written and judicious." He expressed his gratitude that his election was not due to party spirit, showing "that in Louisiana we are all Louisianians, and that we all belong equally to the great American family." He referred to the growth of the liberal spirit in the nations of Europe, and to the nullifiers of South Caro- lina, but the greater part of his address was devoted to the subjects
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of education and internal improvements. Like his predecessors. he paid some attention to the attitude of the general government on the question of the public lands, but, owing to the proximity of the time for the adjournment of Congress, said: "I abstain, at this time, from submitting to your consideration various repre- sentations which we ought to address to the general government, in order to insure the maintenance of rights that they seem disposed to forget, but which they must acknowledge as sacred, if it be admitted that they have not the privilege of violating treaties."
In July, 1830, the people of France had revolted against Charles X and elected the Duke of Orleans to the throne. In March, 1831, the Louisiana house of representatives appointed a committee, of which Charles Gayarre was chairman, to prepare an address to the French people, congratulating them upon the snc- cessful termination of the revolution. The address was reported and adopted on the 24th, a copy, printed on vellum paper, was sent to William C. Rives, the American minister in Paris, to be pre- sented to the chamber of deputies. That body notified Mr. Rives that they could not receive it unless it came through the French executive department. Gen. Sebastiani, the French minister of foreign affairs, declined to receive it because it came from a state legislature, and under the Federal system a foreign government could hold no direct relations. Thus the subtle intricacies of diplo- macy thwarted the design of the Louisiana legislature.
Early in the year 1832 numerous meetings were held in the state for the purpose of expressing approval of President Jackson's course in dealing with the nullifiers of South Carolina. One of the resolutions adopted declared that "The citizens of the several states are also citizens of the United States: their primary alle- giance is due to the United States, and no legislation nor conven- tion of the people of any state can absolve its citizens from that allegiance or excuse acts committed in violation thereof." The question also played an important part in the presidential campaign of that year, which was the most important and exciting in the his- tory of the state up to that time. The popular vote was 4,094 for Andrew Jackson, and 2.522 for Henry Clay. During the summer of 1832 the state was scourged by Asiatic cholera, more than 5,000 deaths resulting from the epidemic in New Orleans, while many negroes died on the plantations. A large number of deaths from yellow fever also occurred. This year the state bought the old building of the charity hospital in Canal street for a state house. to take the place of the government house that had been destroyed by fire some years before, and a penitentiary was built at Baton Rouge.
The annual session of the legislature was convened on Jan. 7. 1833, and was organized by the election of Charles Derbigny presi- dent of the senate, and Alcee La Branche speaker of the house. In his message Gov. Roman declared the attempt of South Carolina to nullify the laws had a tendency to destroy the very foundations of the Union, and rejoiced that "such doctrines find no advocates
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in Louisiana." Referring to the financial condition of the state, he said the Union bank, organized in 1832, had prevented in a great measure the disastrous results that might have followed the with- drawal of large sums by the Bank of the United States, and an- nounced the banking capital of the state at the close of the year 1832 as being $25,873,430. The legislature was evidently in perfect harmony with the governor on the question of nullification, for on Feb. + a joint committee of the two houses reported the following resolutions, which were adopted without a dissenting vote :
"Resolved, That the attitude assumed towards the goverment of the United States by the State of South Carolina is justified neither by necessity nor law ; that the whole course of her policy is calculated to involve the Union in unnatural excitement, and has a direct tendency to weaken the cause of liberty throughout the world.
"Resolved, That it becomes the duty, and it is the determination, of Louisiana to support the integrity of the Union, when assailed either by internal commotion or foreign aggression."
The committee on Federal relations made a long report, recom- mending a series of similar resolutions, and Fortier says: "When viewed in the light of subsequent events, the resolutions of the legislature of Louisiana in Feb., 1833, sound strange indeed."
At the legislative session which met on Dec. 9, 1833, Alexander Porter was elected U. S. senator to fill the vacaney caused by the death of Josiah S. Johnston, who had lost his life in a steamboat accident. In his message to this session the governor announced that the cholera had again ravaged the state in 1833, and that yellow fever had appeared in New Orleans before the people had fully recovered from the effects of the cholera epidemic, yet, notwith- standing these disastrous visitations, the industries of the state were in a prosperous condition.
The political campaign of 1834 aroused considerable interest. Gov. Roman was a candidate for reelection on the Whig ticket : Judge J. B. Dawson was known as the "Jackson candidate:" Edward D. White was the nominee of the Democratic party, and Denis Prieur, mayor of New Orleans and a Jacksonian, was also a candidate. White was elected. (See White's Administration.) The opposing candidates in 1838 were Gov. Roman and Denis - Prieur. Roman was elected, and his second administration began with his inauguration on Feb. 4, 1839. In his inaugural address he said: "I announced before the election, that I would be the gov- ernor of Louisiana, and not the chief of a party. I am proud to re- peat that declaration here. Recognizing in every citizen the right to act and to think freely, in relation to the great political questions which divide us, I shall know how to respect in others that inde- pendence of opinion which I claim for myself. . Those who think that it is enough to be honest, capable and faithful to the constitu- tion, in order to merit public employments, are themselves, in my opinion, unworthy of any." This utterance shows that Gov. Roman, while a Whig, was not a partisan. He did not subscribe
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to the doctrine that "to the victors belong the spoils," and coun- seled moderation in dealing with the abolitionists, notwithstanding their incendiary doctrines had found favor with some members of Congress "whom it would not be unjust to regard as affected with mental alienation."
A short time before the inauguration of Gov. Roman a body of armed men from the republic of Texas, duly organized and in command of an officer, had crossed the border into Louisiana and marched to Shreveport. In his address the governor referred to this invasion as being "too extraordinary an event not to be noticed by the authorities of this state," and assured the general assembly that he would call on the Federal government to prevent the repe- tion of such an occurrence.
In the legislative session to which this address was delivered, Felix Garcia was president of the senate and William De Buys was speaker of the house. Among the acts passed were those increasing the number of supreme court justices to five ; establishing the com- mercial court of the city of New Orleans; reinstating a number of banks that had violated their charters by the suspension of specie payments in 1837 ; and providing for a loan of $500,000 to the Clin- ton & Port Hudson railroad. The old French and Spanish land claims in the state still remained in an unsettled condition and a series of rather trenchant resolutions were adopted-couched in courteous language-insisting on some definite action by Congress looking to their final settlement.
The general assembly of 1840 met on Jan. 7, with the same officers as at the preceding session. In his message the governor treated of the financial conditions prevailing throughout the coun- try, which had not yet recovered from the panic of 1837, and attrib- uted the destruction of credit to the refusal of President Jackson to renew the charter of the United States bank. "The state banks," said he, "from that time, no more restrained, and freed from the control that prevented their increase when wanting the basis of solid capital, began to multiply in every part of the Union. They extended their discounts beyond measure, and have since inundated the Union with an unprotected paper currency. Extravagant spec- ulations were the necessary result of this new order of things; all classes of society were hurried along ; no project was too vast or too chimerical not to be attempted by individuals, corporations, and even legislatures." Then followed some good advice concern- ing the banking system, though but little beneficial legislation was enacted during the session.
Gen. Andrew Jackson was invited by the citizens of New Orleans to visit the city again on Jan. 8, 1840. At the request of the legis- lature the invitation was made to include the entire state, and the "Hero of New Orleans" became the guest of Louisiana, the general assembly appropriating $5,000 to defray the expenses of his recep- tion. It was during this session that the act was passed abolishing imprisonment for debt.
The political campaign of 1840 was full of interest and excite-
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ment. Mass-meetings of both parties, well attended, were held in all parts of the state. At the state election in July the Whigs barely held their own, but in the presidential election in November Harrison carried the state by a majority of nearly 10,000 votes. In his message of Jan. 4, 1841, Gov. Roman alluded to the excite- ment of the preceding campaign and recommended a registry law for voters. The New Orleans banks had not yet resumed specie payment, but their solvency was so well established that their notes were at a discount of less than two per cent. "Their paper," said the governor, "is in demand throughout the West, and forms very nearly the only circulation of a neighboring state." In re- viewing the situation he called attention to the fact that at the beginning of the year 1839 the state owed the banks $75,000, while at the beginning of 1841 the debt had increased to $850,000. "This simple statement suffices to show the danger of increasing too much the facilities of borrowing."
Several bills, purporting to be internal improvement measures and authorizing issues of state bonds in favor of corporations, were vetoed by the governor. The vetoes created intense dissatisfaction. Nearly every newspaper in the state assailed the governor and he is said to have been burned in effigy in the parish of St. Landry, but he stood firm and his judgment was soon appreciated by the people when the excitement had died away sufficiently to permit them to take an unbiased view of the situation. The legislature of 1842 established a "Board of Currency" to control the operations of insolvent banks, "to examine and publish their real situation." and the result was a number of bank failures, but those that with- stood the storm were stronger than before.
The candidates for governor in 1842 were Alexandre Mouton and ex-Gov. Henry Johnson. Mouton's majority was about 1,600. On Jan. 3, 1843, Gov. Roman sent his last message to the general assembly. In it he said: "I leave the office with which I have been honored, with the painful conviction of having done very little for the good of the state, and of having often failed in preventing what was injurious. It affords me some relief, however, to be able to say that I have refused my signature to various bills which, but for my disapproval, would have added to the debts of the state the sum of $7,185,000, and that the act which binds us to pay, without any consideration, $500,000 for the Clinton & Port Hudson railroad does not bear my name. My true consolation is in the certainty that distress, in a country so endowed with every element of pros- perity and wealth, cannot be durable. The greatness of our re- sources has, for some years past, tended to lead us astray. We thought them without limit, and abandoned ourselves to under- takings and speculations far beyond our real strength. The errors of the past will not be without their benefit. if they serve as beacons to warn us from similar mistakes in future. * *
* Louisiana may yet be prosperous and happy, if the means which we still retain are . administered with that prudence and economy which should have been always observed."
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With this wise counsel Gov. Roman's administration came to an end. On Jan. 30, 1843, he turned the office over to his successor and retired to private life, bearing with him the respect and best wishes of the people of the state.
Roosevelt, Theodore, Visit of .- Oct. 26, 1905, was a red letter day in the calendar of the Crescent City. On the 3d official notification was received that, notwithstanding there were a few cases of yellow fever in the city, the president would visit New Orleans on the 26th, and preparations were at once commenced for giving him a suitable reception. An executive committee, composed of the gov- ernor, the two United States senators. Congressmen Meyer and Davey, the mayor of New Orleans, representatives of the cotton, sugar, stock and real estate exchanges, the progressive union, the board of trade. the merchants' and manufacturers' association, and a large number of prominent citizens, assumed the management of all the details of the president's visit, and the program they ar- ranged was carried out without a hitch, showing that they had done their work well. The special train bearing the nation's chief executive was met at Hammond by Congressmen Meyer and Davey, and at 9 a. m. on the 26th it arrived at the Stuyvesant docks, where it was met by the governor, mayor, chairman of the executive committee, and army and navy representatives. After a brief reception Mr. Roosevelt was taken in charge by the river reception committee and conducted on board the Southern Pacific steamship "Comus" for a view of New Orleans harbor. The ves- sel proceeded up the river as far as the Texas & Pacific terminals, then turned and passed down the stream as far as Chalmette, being saluted along the route by the whistles of the various steam craft in the harbor. About 11 o'clock the Comus landed at the Harrison sheds, where a procession was formed which moved over the prin- cipal streets of the city to the St. Charles hotel. where the presi- dent was tendered a luncheon and a reception in the palm garden. At 5:30 p. m. Mr. Roosevelt and his party were conducted to the steamer Magnolia at the Harrison sheds for the voyage eastward. Two incidents of the president's visit are deserving of more than passing notice. As the procession was passing Lee circle 7,000 school children greeted the president by singing "America" with a vigor that called forth approving remarks from Mr. Roosevelt. and after the main reception at the St. Charles the president was invited into an adjoining room, where he was presented with a handsome watch charm, representing miniature United States and Confederate flags, the stars of which were small diamonds, the presentation speech being made by Gen. A. B. Booth, commander of the Louisiana division of the United Confederate Veterans, to which the president responded with a few brief but appropriate remarks. The interweaving of the flags was intended to typify a reunited country, and the same spirit was manifest throughout the ceremonies attending the president's visit.
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