New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-01-27
NEW ORLEANs REPUBLICAN SATURDAY, JANUARY a. 1872.

sonal altercation right here in the Senate
| Chamber-right here in the midst OF the
Senators of the State Of LOuisiana-was
/ drawn from the pocket Of one OF your men
| a pistol. l say that we have been lntlml-
dated by your Metropolitan Police and your
militia; and repeat that on Saturday, right
| here in the Senate Chamber, where we are
supposed to be protected, pistol was
drawn ready to assassinate those who be-
longed to the opposition. That is the rea-
son that remark was made. l wish it to be
distinctly understood, however, that fear
| no personal violence, and am ready to de-
fend myself when attacked.
Mr.. Hunsaker-Will the Senator state
| the name Of the man who drew the pistol
| Mr.. Blackman-l received my lnforma-
| ton from Senator O'Hara.
! Mr.. O'Hara-I will state that on Satur-
day. some confusion arising on account OF a
| nersonal alteration between the President
of tie Senate and Mr. Ingraham, and the
lobby having applauded, rose in my seat
| and made O motion to close the doors
| Upon that motion being made, l belleve
everv gentleman inside the railing started
| toward the door, with one exception he
stood there in the aisle, Mr.. President
! land have the testimony Of other senators
to prove that what l say is correct), and
pulled from his pocket, clearly IN slght, a
revolver. looked him in the face, and
told him this was the Senate OF Louisiana,
and that was Senator. do not know
what that man was going to do. Ills name
| is Lucien Adams.
Mr.. Raw here asked that the rule of the
| Senate excluding from the floor all persons
not members, except State officers, be en-
forced.
| Mr.. Campbell called the attention OF Sen
| ator Raw to the fact that, under the rules,
any Senator had right to invite his friends
| to seat on the floor of the Senate.
| Mr.. Blackman said he did not wish to be
understood as insulting any peaceable cltl-
| zen in any remarks he might make. Senator
Bowman. he understood, had been stopped
| and challenged at the head OF Dryades
street, and in the hall leading to the Senate
| Chamber: and when the alteration took
place on Saturday between the President
and Senator Ingraham Metropolitan police
1 men had swarmed down from the top OF the
State House, and taken possession OF the
hall leading to the Senate Chamber.
| The President said he had appointed extra
sergeants- at arms, and perhaps Senator Kay
had mistaken them for persons who had no
right to remain on the floor of the Senate.
| If Mr.. Ray insisted upon it. the Chair
would order the Sergeantat-Arms to see
| that no person was inside the railing who
was not entitled to be there.
Mr.. Blackman inquired how many ser
| geantsat- arms the President had sworn IN.
The President said lie had appointed
1 about twenty.
| Mr.. BIackman said those sergeants at
arms had been appointed when there was
no quorum of the Senate present, according
to the ruling of the President. He thought
| they should be dsbanded and required to
leave the Senate Chamber.
The President said he would entertain a
motion to disband the sergeants- at-arms, II
made at the proper time, and would be gov
erned by the action of the Senate. At the
present time such a motion would not be in
order as the Senator from Carroll Mr.. Nc
Mllen) had the floor on the pending ques-
ton.
Mr. McMillen-I have been exercising my
patience, Mr.. President. in listening to what
the gentleman from Claiborne Mr. Black
mani, Mr.. O'Hara and yourself have had to
say. l desire to state to the Senator from
| Claiborne that l did not allude to his eX-
pressed intention not to come here to-day in
! consequence of threatened disturbance.
because | wished to intimate in any man
ner that he did not have the physical
strength nor courage to protect himself. for
| accord to the gentleman the highest order
| of courage and the greatest ability to carry
| on defensive and offensive warefare, both
| of physical and intellectual character. |
refer to this fact simply for the purpose OF
showing that in the mind of this distin-
| guished Senator there existed valid rea-
son for remaining away from his seat upon
| the floor of the Senate today in conse-
quence of declaration of war issacd by
| George w. Carter against the State OF
Louisiana. and an attempt on his part to
| inaugurate violence and bloodshed, and of
| showing further that there exists now an
actual necessity for the employment OF
force to protect the representatives OF the
people and the Capitol of the State.
| George w. Carter. after the General As
sembly convened in regular session on the
/ fifth day of January, and had recognized
and ratified the organization which was
| effected by the House in extra session. was
expelled from the House of Representatives
| and is no longer member of that body.
! The four men who. on the fourth day OF
January. made false and frivolous charges
| against nineteen members of the House
| were also expelled from the House of Rep
| resentatives, and are not regarded by that
body as any longer members. These, Mr..
| President ARE the only men, SO far as l know,
whose expulsion it is intended to make
| final. So far as | understand it, the action
of the House on Friday last in expelling the
members who are cooperating with Mr..
| Carter, is of such character that it can be
| reconsidered at any time, and any one OF
those gentlemen allowed to take his seat.
| L.
thirds of the members voted to expel.
Mr.. McMillen-If / am not mistaken,
there were forty-eight votes in favor OF
their expulsion, and eight against it. II
| that is not twO-thirds vote, then l am at
fault in my arithmetic. A quorum consist
ing of tifty-four being present, forty-eight
were two-thirds, and they were competent
to expel any member. What is the House
of Representatives 1t is quorum for the
| of hot 10 oil a
quorum is a majority of the number fixed by
law as composing the House of Representa-
tives. A quorum is as competent as full
House to transact all business. Any action
taken by the House of Representatives is,
under parliamentary law, binding and legal
whether there be simply quorum or a
larger number than quorum. Now, Mr..
President, rose for the purpose of show
ing the Senate. and the gentleman from
of Representatives., now sitting in its
regular place of meeting, is not the out
growth Of revolutions: that it is not founded
upon military usurpation; but it is meet
ing of the chosen representatives of the
people in the place designated by law for
them to meet, and that their action, in or
ganizing and proceeding to the regular order
of business. is constitutional and parlia
mentary. l have consulted the journals OF
the House of Representatives as they APP
peared day by day. and, if l am not mis-
taken, there has not been day, since the
fifth OF January, that there has not been a
quorum of the legally elected Represent
atives of the people, answering to thei,
names in the hall OF the House of Rep
resentatives. They are there to day; they
were there on Saturday; they were there al
last week and the week before. when the
| honorable Senators were RECALLING them
| al nd no Of =
gulf at one of the watering places in on,
| yicinitv They haya hean in their rronn,