The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-03-15
Mr.. ElaER'S Views

Mr.. Elam-Mr. Speaker, l rise to- a
question of privilege. [ see i'll the
newspaper, the Picayune of this morn
ing, an article headed, "The Joint eau
Il Yesterday" and read from it this
paragraph:
"The bad faith of Kellogg and his fif-
teen Senators being thus apparent, the
Senators and Representatives returned
by both boards were unanimous in the
opinion that no good could be achieved
for the State or for their constituencies
by submission to the Kellogg regime in
this manner, and that they would stand
by their colleagues in a firm and steady
resistance to the Kellogg usurpation, by
a continuance Of the Peoples Legisla-
tlrre, and a refusal to sell out by piece
meal to Kellogg.
To this resolution there were two only
dissenters, Messrs. Elan and Harris"
Mr.. Speaker, | feel constrained in
justice to myself, since the proceedings
Of our caucus have been almost accu-
rately reported in the Picayune of this
morning, to give some of the reasons
that | gave yesterday why | was OPP
posed, not so much to the resolution but
to the general ideas that prevailed i'll
the caucus, and, sir, to resent the i'm
Piled calunny contained in this article.
When Il sale is made Il price is always
expressed or implied. Now, if [ had
sold or was willing to sell the State, it
is naturally implied that | had received
q price. If that is what is intended to
be expressed by this article, l have to
say that it is a calumny for as cheap as
| am, | am not p~urchaSable.
| have nothing more to say on that
point. l will not speak of myself; it
innS MT mot hn0n1b1n w lint / nnA not
entirely unknown in the State, and if
my character and reputation is not sutfi-
Client REPUTATION Of this implied SANDER,
it any corrupt bargain has been made,
it any corrupt bargain has been made
by me, | challenge the writer of that
article OF any other man to the proof.
Now, sir, it is not often the cas that
when we do not agree with other peO-
pie that those people attempt and Of
ten successfully to place us in Il false
position. Few men have the candOr
and fairness to fairly state the premises
OF al opponent.
There is an implied misstatement, if
nothing more, of my statement and the
position of my friend Mr.. Harris. Ire
peat, there is an implied misstatement
in that article of my position and
Of the position of my friend, Mr..
Harris. Now l appeal to the testi-
mony Of every gentleman on this
floor, as an honest man, if there
is anything in my conduct or the
conduct of Mr.. Harris, warranting this
implied accusation, that we were will
ing to sell the State, which means the
rights of the people of the State, i'll
whole or in part, to Kellogg or anybody
else on the face Of the earth. Mr.. Booth
in caucus made some humorous re-
marks about selling by wholesale and
retail, but am not a physician myself,
and | never would have used such
language and applied it to matters of
this kind.
Mr.. Speaker, the position I took yes
terday in caucus was this: That | be-
lieve that the best compromise we could
get we ought to take. l had been in
formed, and was inclined to believe,
that we could get fOrty-seven Fusion
lists in the House Of Representatives,
and that we could get thirteen Fusion
lists, Democrats, Liberals or RefOrmers
in the Senate | believed then that it
was best to take that, and I believe it
now.
Now, sir, because I believed that, and
advised that, my motives are to be i'm
pugned by this newspaper, and [ am to
he charged with an attempt to. sell out
the State, and charged by this paper,
which has not had one word to say in
respect to the city government of New
Orleans, that has been continually sup
porting h represent Kellogg Government
LApplauSe.l
Sir, during the recess, when we were
labOring to wake up the people to this
struggle, when we were labOring day
and night to wake upthe people of this
State and this city to urge the members
of the Legislature to stand by the Com
mittee of Two Hundred, Mayor Wilt
OF some of his friends, said he didn't
think we could get Lyceum Hall. E
don't impugn the motives Of Mayor
Wilt. | don't impugn the motives OF
the editors Or writer's of the Picayune.
But, sir, they were %prejudiced. They
were afraid that if the legislature should
meet in Lyceum Hall, that that would
bring about a repeal of the charter Of
sequent removal of Mayor Wilt anC
the balance of the city officers, so as tt
put out all the officers elected to Office
in the city.
3 When / saw this state of things, whe1
I saw the police of the city, when / saw
, every judge in the city adhering to thu
J lie fdctO government, when | saw the
) position taken by President Grant il
) his last message to the Congress of thu
United States, which is to the effect tina
} if Congress did not settle this question
that he should adhere to the position HI
took in the beginning, that is, recOg
/ fizs the Kellogg Government as thu
: de .fact0 government, when | saw al
, this, / had but little hope that we WOull
: be able successfully to carry on am
l warfare against the Kellogg Govern
, ment, as proposed: What was tn
: proposition? TO get up tax resistin!
} associations throughout the State, in
: duce the people to refuse to pay taxes
and in that way bring them to terms
Other gentlemen present thought tina
: was the best policy. I believe you
= DIR. Speaker, disagreed with me, NJ,
: Judgment was the other way.
l When q man has come to my age, ant
lived in the State so long as |, and .seel
so much of public life, is he not to .bl
z permitted to give his deliberate opinion
{ without being charged with acting from
improper and corrupt motives?
: J predicted yesterday, and l reiterat
! it no4y, that if we resort to this plan
that every day that ellapses the kellogg
: Government viii become more an
: more firmly established, and that b,
s the end of the year the Kellogg Govern
: ment viii be an established fact.
That was the reason, Mr.. Speaker
s that | was in favor of making the bes
compromise.
|, THE CAMPTEAN QUADRUPLdcARE.-