however, that such abuses, such corruption
and infamy, such vile and degraded practices as those which
characterized Warmoth's administration as Governor of Louisiana could
long continue. So in 1871 came the crash. An open rupture in the ranks
of the Republican party developed. The gatling gun convention,
so-called, because federal troops with two gatling guns, guarded the
convention building, was held. Warmoth, scenting a conspiracy, bolted
and held an independent convention in Turner Hall. With him as the
leading spirit of the gathering was Pinchback, then majority leader in
the Senate.

The career of Pinchback sheds additional light upon this period. He
held a high place in the political life of that day, rising from
majority leader, by successive stages, to the lieutenant-governorship,
and to the presidency of the Senate. He also became immensely wealthy
on account of his association with Warmoth, who is said to have
acquired a fortune of more than a million dollars during three years
of his administration. While Pinchback was Park Commissioner he was
accused by Antoine of cheating him out of $40,000 at one clip. For a
time Pinchback was one of Warmoth's staunchest supporters, and when
the party in Louisiana was split by the two factions, the Custom House
ring and the Warmoth faction, Pinchback was elected permanent chairman
of the Warmoth convention and made the keynote speech for the
campaign. Subsequently, Warmoth's utter degeneracy alienated him and
so they parted company. Warmoth's star descended, and he went down to
ignominious defeat. Upon his name and memory were heaped derogations,
curses and anathemas. And unfortunately these will always be
associated with his memory. On the other hand, Pinchback's star rose
to the ascendant and he was elected to the United States Senate.

Pinchback was a man of good breeding, education and culture; and if he
yielded to the corrupt influences of his time, it was because he was
unable to withstand the flood; it was because the corrupt hand of
everyone in politics at that time, Ishmael-like, was turned against
the forces of righteousness in political affairs. For, at that time,
as the author clearly shows, crime, corruption and fraud were so
rife, so common, that they were taken for granted. And the moral sense
was so low, so negligible, that men did not think of their crimes as
crimes. They committed them simply because "everybody was doing so,"
and unrighteousness fille