The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-01-12

which the following are copies: !. @
,-r.. IL, il.. % STATS OF LouIsrlSA,3
"ExEcuT1yE D.ErARTMsNT,
"Ngw ORLEANS, january 4, 1907
" General De Trobrtdnd, Commanding:
IAN illegal assembly Of men having taken
possession of the hall OF the House OF Rep
resentatives, and the police not being able
to dislodgc them, I respectfully request tnat
you will immediately clear The hall and the
State.House Of all persons not returned as
legal members of the House of Representa-
tiyes by the Returning Board of the State.
|Signedl "WILIIAM p. KELLodG,
Governor Of the State Of Louisiana"
aExEoUTlvE DEPARTAENT,
"Nkw ORLEANS, La, January 4.
General De Trobrsdnd:
1.-THE clerk of the House, who has IN bis
possession the roll issued by the Secretary OF
State of the legal members OF the House OF
Representatives, will point out to you those
persons now 10 the hall of the House Of Rep
rcseutatiyes returned by the legal Returning
Board Of the State.
ISignedl +" WILLIAM P. KELLOGG,
"Governor Of the State"
The Speaker refused to allow Mr.. Vigers
to read these documents, he not being clerk
of the House, and at the request OF General
De Trobriand they were read by his adJu-
tant. Speaker Wilt then asked General De
Trobriand: .57l .@
"Hsve you submitted these documents to
General Emoryr .tA.JI -
"Geueral De Trobriand: I baye not; but
I presume that duplicate copies have been
sent TO him. D. t..-. --assa A.,
"Speaker Witt: wish to say to you that
since our organization we have admitted,
sworn In, and seated FIVE members from the
referred parishes. Are these members to be
elected:
General De Trobriand am but SOL
der. There are my orders. l cannot enter
into a consideration of that question. The
General further stated that he was under In
structions to obey the orders of Governor
Kellogg.
speaker Wilt: respect you, General, as
a gentleman and soldier, and dislike to give
YOU trouble; but l, like you, have duty to
perform, which l owe to my State-to main
tain the dignity and authority Of my posi-
ton as Speaker of the House Of Representa-
tives. Force will have to be used before |
can permit you to execute your orders"
Upon the refusal Of Speaker WiItz and
Mr.. Trezevant, clerk, to point out the per-
sons, and the refusal of Speaker Wilt to
allow William Vigers to call the roll for the
purpose Of identifying the members, Hugh
J. Campbell and T.. D. Anderson assisted
General De Trobriand in identifying the
members to be elected.
General De Trobriand then ordered his
soldiers, fully armed, with fixed bayonets,
into the hall from the lobby, and approached
the members successfully while in their
seas-nameiy, Quinn, Waugh, Stafford, JEFF
fries, Luckett, Dunn, Kelly, Koran. and
Land-and, one by one, he caused them to
be taken from the hall by his soldiers, each
gentleman first rising in his place and utter
ing his solemn protest, in the name of his
constituents, against the unlawful expulsion.
Thus were gentlemen ANONYMOUSLY arrest
ed, and despite their public protestatIons and
their appeals to the Speaker and the House
for protection, which neither coultt afford,
were taken from their seats and forcibly
elected from the hall of the House OF Repre-
sentatiyes Of the State of Louisiana, at the
point of the bayonet, by officers and soldiers
or the United States army.
General De Trobriand then proceeded to
eject the Clerk and arrest the proceedings Of
the Assembly, and for that purpose brought
file of soldiers to the Speakers stand, when
the Speaker arose and addressed the House
as follows:
GAS the legal Speaker of the House of
Representatives of the State of Louisiana /
protest against this invasion of our ball BY
the soldiers of the United States with loaded
musketS and fixed bayonets. We have seen
our brother-members violently seized by
force of arms and torn from US in spite of
their solemn protests. We have seen file
of soldiers marched up the aisle of the hall
Of the House of Representatives of LOUISE
ana, and have protested against this in the
name of O once free people. In the name OF
the down.troddep State of Louisiana 1again
enter my solemn protest. The chair of the
Speaker OF the House of Representatives OF
the State OF Louisiana is surrounded by
United States troops. The ball of the House
of Representatives is 10 the possession OF
armed forces, and l call upon the representa-
tives OF the State of Louisiana to retire with
me from their presence"
Speaker Wiz then left the hall, followed
by all the Conservative members, the hall
being left in possession Of the military.
| Ii we have dwclt somewhat at length upon
the details Of the military overthrow Of a so.
vereign State, and her reduction to pro.
vince, it is that other States may see and
know the process whereby the overthrow of
| their own liberties may be accomplished.
We solemnly warn the American people,
jealous of their liberties, that military power
displacing the House of Representatives in
the State of Louisiana may yet seryeas a pre-
cedcnt to shackle them and their posterity
if in this hour of our trial, standing as we do
| to-day amid the ruins of constitutional liber-
| ty, they leave us 10 our fate. All of which
| is respectfully submitted.
[Signedl l.. A. WILT,
Speaker House of Representatives
State of Louisiana.
PeterJ. Trezecant Clerk. With sixty.two
names of members following.