New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-12-14

as these protests reflect upon the action OF
the Chair, to make q statement to the Sen
ate. Each of these gentlemen-the Senator
from Carroll Mr.. McMiIlen) and the Sena'
tor from the Second District (Mr. Camp,
beli} have been quite bitter in their attacks
upon the Chair. One of them went so far
as to address the Chair as the ex-senator"
The Chair will endeavOr to take no notice
of this reflection on him as an individual OF
as an officer; but when gentlemen launch
out into broad statements about disturb
ance Of the peace, mbittering the races,
and the usuTpatiOn and uneonstitutiOnahty
Of the acts Of the President of the Senate,
he feels bound to say few words IN de-
Tense Of his action. And to begin with,
| where does the responsibility lie for the
action of the President of the Senate this
| day2 1 charge here that the very law
| which the President ct the Senate has
this day executed is the coinage of the
brain of the very gentleman from the Sec
Ond District Mr. CampbelD. remember as
an old Senator when this proposition was
first brought into action; when this idea
| was first conceived of perpetuatlng the
| Secretary Of the Senate and giving him the
| absolute control of the organization of the
Senate well as the CT r'l O. Il sfganiza
ton OF the House. At the time this law
was conceived the gentleman from the
Second District (Mr. Campbell) stood in a
| different aspect before the people of Louisi-
ana. He was the most radical of the radi-
cal upon the floor of the Senate. He was
| an opponent of the constitutional amend
| ment which sought the repeal of the dis
| franchising article Of the constitution of
the State. He was the author of the report
Of the committee on peace and good order,
| as [ think it was called. lie was the au-
| thor of this bill and of all the "atrOcious
| legislation as he and go many OF those
now co operating with him are now pleased
l. to characterize the laws passed for the per
| petuation of the Republican party But
| now, when he seems to be Worshiping
| other gods, now when he has got
into other company and has discovered that
| all the responsibility and chivalry and
| honesty of Louisiana are embodied III the
! Democratic party, he comes in and talks
| about usurpation, about the unconstitu-
| ti0nal exercise of authority by the Presi-
dent of this Senate. repeat, and l call
| upon Senators, many of whom are here
present, living witnesses to confirm me, that
this law which have enforced is a partisan
measure, conceived and, l have no doubt,
dawn up by that gentleman (AIr. Campbeul
for the express purpose OF perpetuating
Republican rule / did not exercise it tor
that purpose | am just as much opposed
to it, and to taking undue advantage of any
person having right to a seat here as
either Of these two Senators. | have simply
executed the law which they made, for the
purpose OF continuing themselves in power,
and which they carried by appealing to the
passions and ignorance of a large number
of persons who constituted the General
Assembly at that time. These are the facts
| say today it there is any feeling of
bitterness between the white and black
races, it is the work of just such men as
have entered these protests.
Here there was some applause in the
IOhhU which the pPpaiRpOf npHnpn1
pressed.
Mr. McMHlen-Ob, let them shout. Let's
have more oft.
Lieutenant Governor Pinchback-The
gentleman is very felicitiOus. He attempts
now with his Buave manner TO bcOWbeat the
chair / never said u word while he launched
bis iIvectives against me. | am simply
making my defense. | have been attacked
and / do not want the Senator from Car,
roll or any Senator on the floor to charac-
teTlse Inc as uSurper Of power, as a reyO-
lutiOnist or partisan who seeks to organ
lze this Senate in the interests of party.
have simply obeyed the letter Of the law
which the gentlemen, to perpetuate them
selves in power, put upon the statute books
OF this State. Look over the record OF these
gentlemen, people of Louisiana; look at their
votes in the several assemblies and in the
constitutional convention, and in the Gen
eral Assembly down to this time. and then
look at the authors of almost every So
called obnoxious bill on the statute book,
and tell me if you please who are they?
" ny, MY friend, Senator Campbell is the |
author of nearly every one; and it was be,
cause OF his great talent, because of his |
great genius, because Of his massive powers
rs politician and statesman that | parted [
company with him not long ago, in sorrow. |
L know who he is. | respect him as man |
equally as much as he does me, if not more. |
because ! know am pigmy in talent com
pared with him; but while that is true, | |
have duty to perform in the line of policy |
l have marked out, and that duty | will en-. |
d@aT0r 10 discharge. | shall not asperse |
his motives or imPugn his character, but ! |
shall make the best defense | can before
the bar Of public opinion. Let ne
pretty cali your attention to the |
E Y IS o usurpatiol that have taken
place since last we met. You know that
when the Senate last met there was a rego-
luton going on, and instead Of the bows in |
blue there was the State militia and the
metropolitan Police, the latter no longer a |
police but an armed body of men, in Dos
session Of this Capitol, and that the portals
o. this chamber were stacked with musk
cts every night. And for what To pro
tect the people as we thought in their
rights. And you remember the clamor on
the Outside-the clam0r which went |
forth for the repeal of these obnoxious
measures, the election bill and others; YOU
know that during that time his ExceIlency
Governor Warmoth sent in his proclama-
JlOn demanding instant action from the
General Assembly on those measures in
order that the public Indignation might be
appeased; and that this General Assembly
did enact those measures of refOrm-tirst
without legal quorum, and subsequently,
n a modified form after Uncle Sam came
n with his protecting arm to which
5he gentleman had no objection at that
lime, / say these United States troops
'ome in now in the same way to protect the
people of Louisiana, not against the gentle
1ell), not against John McEnery, but
against Henry Clay Warmoth That is the |
ssue. That man who has tramDled under
cot the constitution and laws OF the people |
Without scruple, and for what? To
reform and 10 give You
. better government? If it were for
hat / question whether / should
AYE ,. exercised 7! the arbitrary powers
which it is said I have exercised today.
No; it was to satisfy his personal ambition.
nd to seat himself in the Senate of the |
United States. Are the whole people to be
epriTed of their rights arc the whole
'eope to be. made Fandals and slaves,
lerely to pug Henry c. Warmoth into the
enate of the United States! Great God,
2rbld! Z repeat that the condition of
bIngs that we are now witnessing has been
oTn of this ambition, and Of the aiding
I'D abetting which this gentleman has re-
elVed from those who claim to be the
onest, intelligent and respectable portion
our people" Who could believe that
banner State of the South
ne home OF chivalry-cOuld so abase itself r
5 to roll III the dust at the feet of Henry :
lay WarmOth? Yet such is the spectabie
Gan NJ, i |