The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-03-08
Buras, Feb. Is, 1878.
IJNEEttN3 W. IV3 1OVVa
The Proposed Compromise.


The New Orleans Times, in an edito-
rial on this subject, says:
One Of the propositions really made
by the representatives of the Kellogg
gOyernmenment was essentially differ
ent from that above indicated. 1t pro-
posed to accept the figure of the United
States census of 1870 as the base of
compromise, aud to use them as a means
of suggesting election probabilities,
when the election returns are doubtful
or disputed.
According to the census tables the to-
tai white population of Louisiana num-
beers 1862, 065, and the negro population
49,, 210-Chinese and Indians not being
included in either count. Now the prOpO-
sition was to consider all the whites in
the State as F~usiOnists and all the ne
gFoes as Republicans. This certainly
could not be objected to, as the white
Republicans and non voters exceed in
number the cOlOred FusiOnists. This
settled, it WAS suggestedthat the Repub-
licans have the choice for the first OF
gubernatorial Office, ashaving a plurality
| Of voters, land the second or Lieutenant
Governors office be given to the Fusion
lists. Col. Kellogg would on this pro-
gramme remain Undisputed Governor,
| andMr. Penn would be hndisputedL Lieu
tenant Governor and President of the
/ Senate.
For the Legislature it was proposed
| that the upper house, or Senate, should
be made ND of. the members who held
over, q majority of whom had been act
ing with the FusiOnists, and such Sena-
tors as we're entitled to their seats ac-
| cOrding to the returns of both parties.
For the parishes whose returns were in
dispute the census tables were to be
| substituted for the election tables, and
| where the census showed q majority OF
negroes q republican contestant should
| be seated; hut where, on the contrary,
| the census shOweda majority of whites a
| Fusionist should be admitted to his seat,
| This would leave the Senate, when com
| pleted, with eighteen Republicans and
eighteen FQsionists, and Lieut. Gov;
Penn as presiding officer.
AS to the House OF Representatives,, il
was proposed that a,similar rule should
obtain, seating those whose seats We're
originally u~ndisputed and filing dis
| puted seats as the census facts might
suggest electoral probabilities. Where
q disputed parish is entit1edt0 but one
member, his political complexion should
Undetermined by the party credited with
an excess of members on the census Ia
! bles where two were to be returned, one
should be o Fusionist and the other q
Republican, and where three We're. to be
returned, the majority should be. aeterm-
med by the excess of party inhabitants
in the parish. This plan would giTe a
minority as Fga e q majority repfsseHp.
Republican party, it would be because
that party had an excess of members il
the disputed parishes. .z.
BY ~eanvassing the census statistics, We
discover that there would be n Repub,
liean majority of three or four in The
House, which is, however, not sufficient
to press to an issue any obnoxious meas
ure under a twO-thirds rule. lii this con.
nection it must be remembered thattherC
are several Republicans in the HOUSE
who are sincerely DESTROYS of efeetins
reforms, and WHO would vote for anJ
reform measure, no matter by whom
lnr0p0sed.