State officers, and a large concourse of people and distinguished citizens, irrespective of party, attended the mournful cortege that bore his remains to the family tomb.
Mr. Hahn was a Bavarian by birth, but came to this country at an age so youthful that his opinions and convictions upon public questions were due exclusively to the associations he formed and to the education he received in the country of his adoption. Before the war he was an ardent Douglas Democrat, and after the disruption of the Charleston convention he addressed a large Union mass-meeting held in New Orleans on May 8, 1860, at which he made a strong Union speech and offered the resolutions which were adopted by the meeting. This outspoken declaration of his convictions foreshadowed his attitude of firm adherence to the cause of the Union. As a public official, after the State had seceded, he refused to take the required oath to support the constitution and laws of the Confederate States.
When the possibility of the emancipation of the slaves first dawned amid the rude shock of armed conflict, as early as November, 1863, Mr. Hahn, in a speech delivered in New Orleans, declared himself as the champion of their freedom, and advocated the abolition of slavery throughout the State of Louisiana. Hence, from an early period he gained the unreserved confidence of the colored people, not by any shallow pretense of undue solicitude for their welfare, but by reason of his sincere convictions upon the question of slavery. Their confidence he retained to the day of his death, for they knew that his labors for their educational, social, and material improvement were disinterested, and that no selfish consideration of personal advantage or political advancement induced him to profess to be their friend and benefactor.
Although recognized as a Republican leader, rather than appeal to race prejudices or engender race animosities he preferred to live in political retirement, asking for no rewards unless voluntarily tendered to him in grateful recognition of his ability and willingness to faithfully serve a trusting constituency. He could always rely upon the united and hearty support of the colored people, for to them he had
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