The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1875-01-15

building. Owing to these precautions
the Legislature assembled in the State
House without any disturbance OF the
peace. At II o'clock VIM. Yigers, the
Clerk of the lest House of Representa-
tives, proceeded to call the roll, as &C
cording to law he was empowered to de.
One hundred ond two legally returned
members answered to their names. Of
this number 80 were Republicans and
90 Democrats. Before entering the
House l.. A. Wintz had been selected in
the caucus as the Democratic nominaee
for Speaker, and Michal Hahn as the
Republican nominee. Vigers had moi
finished announcing the result, when
one of the members (Billen, of La Four
chez nominated Wintz for temporary
speaker. Vigers promptly declared the
motion out of order at that time when
some one put the question, and amid
cheers on the Democratic side of tine
House, Wilt dashed on to the rostrum,
pushed aside Vigers seized the speak
ers chair gavel and declared himself
Speaker. A protest against these arbi-
trars and unlawful proceedings was
promptly made by the members of the
majority, but Wintz paid no attention to
these protests, and on motion of some
one on the Democratic side of the
House it was declared that oneTrezevani
was nominated and elected Clerk of the
! House. Trezevant at once sprang for
ward and occupied the Clerks chair
amidst the widest confusion over the
whole house. Mayor Wilt then agaiU
on another nomination from the Dem
ocratic side of the House, declared one
Flood was elected Sergeant-at-Arms, and
ordered certain number of assistants
to be appointed. Instantly n large num-
ber of men throughout theh hall, who had
been admitted on various pretexts, such
as reporters and members friends and
spectators, turned down the lapels of
their coats, upon which were pinned
blue ribbon badges, on which were
printed in gold letters the words, Gas
sistant ergeant-at-Arms, and the As
sembly was in the possession of the mi
nority, and the White League of Louis
lana had made good its threat of seizing
the House, many of the assistant Ser
geants-at-Arms being well known as
captains of the White League companies
in this city. Notwithstanding the sud
denness of this movement, the leading
Republican members had not failed to
protest again and again against this rev.
olutionary action of the minority, but
all to no purpose, and many of the Re
Ipubicans rose and left the House in a
body, together with the clerk Vigers,
who carried with him the original roll of
the House, as returned by the Secretary
of State. The excitement was low vel y
great, and the acting Speaker directed
the Sergeant-at-Arms to prevent the eg-
ress or ingress of members or others,
several exciting scuffles ensued, in which
knives and pistols were drawn, and for
few moments it seemed as if blood
would be shed. At this juncture Du-
pree, Democratic member from Or
leans parish, moved that the military
power of the General Government be
invoked to preserve peace, and that
a committee be appointed to wait on
General De Trobriand, the command
ing officer of the United States troops
stationed at the State House, andrequest
his assistance in clearing the lobby. The
motion was adopted. A committee Of
five, of which Dupree was made the
chairman, was sent to waitupon General
De Trobriand, and soon returned Will
that officer, who was accompanied by
two of his staff officers. As Gen. De
Trobriand walked down to the Speaker
desk loud applause burst from the Dem
ocratic side of the House. General De
Trobriand asked the acting Speaker if il
was not possible for him to preserve ord.
er without appealing to him to preserve
order as United States Army officer.
Wilt said it was not, whereupon the
General proceeded to the lobby and ad
dressing q few words to the excited
crowd peace was at once restored. Oh
motion Of Mr.. Dupree, Wintz in the
name of the General Assembly of the
State of Louisiana, thanked General De
Irobriand for his interference in behal
of law and order, and the General with
drew. The Republicans had now ger.
orally withdrawn from the hall, and uni
ted in signing a petition to the Governor,
stating their grievances and asking his
aid, which petition, signed by fifty-twc
legally returned members of the House
is in my possession. Immediately sub
IoCIuSlu w ullO uSllOu VI w luz III 6JGClLuS
the Clerk of the old House, Billen NOV
ed that two gentlemen from the parish
of DeSoto, one from Vim, one from
Bienville, and one from Iberia, who had
not been returned by the Returning
Board, be sworn in as members, alC
they were accordingly sworn in by Wilt,
and took their seats on the floor as mem
bers of the House. A motion was now
made that the House proceed with its
permanent organization, and according.
! ly the roll was called by Mr.. Trezevant,
acting lCerk, and Mr.. Wilt was declar.
ed Speaker and Mr.. Trezevant Clerk of
! the House.
Acting ON the protest made by the
majority of the House, the Governor re-
quested the Commanding General of
the Department to aid him in restoring
order, and enable legally returned mem
bers of the House to proceed with its
Organization according to law. This re-
quest was reasonable, and in accordance
with law. Remembering wildly the
terrible massacres that took place lin
this city on the assembling of the Con
stitutional Convention in 1866, at the
Mechanics Institute, and believing that
the lives of the members of the Legis-
lature were, or would be, endangered, in
case an organization under the law was
attempted, the posse wasfurnished, with
a request that care should be taken that
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