The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1872-01-17
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ADDRESS
To
ThePeopIc OF louisiana a.

we t1e huutisiouCN T'SuioS'" wa W."
General Assembly IF the State OF
Louisiana call your earnest attention,
careful, personal aad iWpartial j"dg-
ment to the following statements rela-
tive to our legal legislative action prior
to and since Thursday, January 5tl',
1872, in order that you may arrive at
the true cause of the same, md ntFost
that you may know tile respons'b'e
authors of the recent outrages which
have been inflicted upon us, as legally,
elected members Of the Legislature,
and npon you as our constituents.
Hoping that this plain, truthfni
statement, of which we challenge sue
c.ssful contradiction, may have the
Ell, ct of vindicating us in the premises
and inducing yon to assist MS by your
approval, that we may remain firm and
untauated in onr opposition to armed
might against right, we respectfully
submit To you the following statement
to-wit :,-aIr maA .fFn1p ha'i1H"l
On Wednesday,. january 81. Gafter
the meeting of the Honse. and during
the call Of the roll Of the Honse Mr..
Car insisted upon offering motion
declaring the Speakers chair vacant.
The Speaker, Mr.. Carter, refused to
nut the motion to the House, for the
reason that the House had on tile pre-
vious day declared its fun confidence
lin the Speaker and fully endorsed his
course and pledged itself to support
him during the remainder IF the ses-
sion, and the motion was rccnnsi,lercd
and laid nl,on the table. The motion
was out OF ORDER because he was a
constitutional officer of the State, and
could only be removed by impeach-
-ment; and secondly, Tor the reason
that no motion was in order while the
roll was being called. Mr.. Carr took
no appeal from the decision of the chair,
aud, contrary to the rules of tile House
aud all precedent, Mr.. Carr pnt the
motion himself that the Clair be dc
!. clared vacant, and Mr.. Waters invited
to take possession thereof. He de-
clared the motion carried; and, backed
by disor,ter1y body Of the members
started towards the speakers stand with
the evident intention Of taking pos.
6 session forcibly Of the same. But
being met with undetermined resistanc.
=, he and his revolutionary hackers re-
e tired to their seats. After ti,tttsact
Z ing other business, tile House adjourn
cd. On Thursday there was a de
tclmined effort made TO break til,
quorum, Mr.. Carr and other member
p attempting to leave, permission to d.
:. so having been refi,s''d by the House
# Mr.. Carr finally got the permission o
, the Speaker to leave the hall for n few
, moments, pledging his word Of hon"
70 to Immediately return, bnt failed to d,
-. so. Another member eliided the vigi
-, lance of the Sergeaut-Arms by cscap
! ing through the Speakers ROOM
:, When the resolution unseating Messrs
>f-r,e,---a-=s c, @ 4 - -------
Wheyland was voted upon, fifty mem
bers voted. The Speaker did not vot
:, So the jnMMal shows fifty one mem
!. hers present at the vote. The Hous
x was at that time composed Of lGI mem
y hers, instead Of la2, as declared b.
i the Clerk in his affidavit. This is evi
i, dent by az examination of the roll d
= the members!G LOG members wer
n, elected in 1870, and four of these wer
b, dead before the commencement of til
:, session.-Onc from Tensas, one frol
:. Assumption, one from the Parish {
East Baton Rongp, and ono frotn Ricl
J.. laId; and Buchanan, from the Paris
~ OF Orleans, right bank, was declar,
not entitled to his scat in 1871 NAL
-, ing il, all Eve vacancies, leaving L
members. saa-rt .;5i.a.lH a,il si ~.
!. Thus it ia evident that the adopt,
of the report of the Election Con,,l
tee declaring thnse members not e
titled to their seats was strictly leg;
:, as we'll as other actions of the HUu
which took place upon the same d:
~, When the House adjourned ION TIM,
;..h day. it was until 10 o'clock on Frid,
BY the sworn statement of the Gle
t.a that no quorum was present, that I
-; House consisted of l02 members, II
~. said that the Governo, issued his PIX
eo lamation calling f"r an extra session
IAN the General Assembly, Which CO
~. vened that day. f9'H#}t ~ ~ III
And here, let it be remarked, u
it the Governor did not Know I
mo statement Of the Clerk to be incorre
-, he was very much to be blamed in n
the being in possession 0f the hf0r,iati
nay necessary to enable him to act W
no. certainty in the premises. This p
~. tended proclamation was not ma
..s known to the members OF the Gene
,h Assembly; only the Governor's pa,
II sans were made acquainted with it
~, They assembled and retained
~, members of the House IF Represen
:, tives seven persons. WIN had b,
L., legally excluded tlicrefrum OF i,
q g,ound of being nom residents OF 10