Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1875-01-23
CONGRESSIONAL.
Conclusion Of Yesterdays Proceedin.

SENATE.-After our report closet
Mr.. Sherman took the floor To continue his
argument on
LOUISIANA AFFAIRs
| from the point where tie suspended on SatUr-
| day last. He expressed the satisfaction that
| The debate on the matter hal been pro-
tracted, for IL afforded time for party pa >Sions
| 10 cool; III this subject couli not b. conSid-
cred calmly and dSpassionately here IL could
not be done elsewhere. He said there was
| 10 dispute a. Ia the right Of tn majority tn
| rule. In the legislature of louisa A there
| were hfty-two republicans and nifty demo
| Gratis when it assembled on tine 4th OF Ia..u-
airy. Therefore the rcpubi loans were entitl.I
To the organization of the legislature. He
then read from the constitution and laws of
Louisiana as u the method OF orga uiZing the
Legislature, aid said the action of Witt was
q bold, glaFiDg assumption. and any man
would have been Justified in tearing him
from his at He then sent to bo read the
report OF the Foster committee in describing
The scenes which occurred ia the legislature
AZ q the action of Wilt. He then said thar
Wilt had tranpled u!.der foot the con>titu-
ton and all parliamentary law, violated the
oath which lac had just taken, and if
that oath was valid nc committed perjury
lis crime WIS Infinitely greater t.lai the
mCr3cr of Il hundred men. because il struck
at tic Liberties OF the people. Ii the preCedaut
sct by him was 10 be follow u, If our legiSla-
tive assem- htlcS were To be organized in this
lawless violence, then republican govern
ment in this country was at al end. II his
conduct was not entirely lawleSS nj rcvOlu
t'On3ry. then how ca n majority ever Orga-
riIS n legislative assembly. This con.luct of
Witt went on Tor two hours, until Gen. De
II9briand appeared and put out five men VIA
had no right 10 b. there.
Mr. Stevenson said the Senator was talk
ing about majOrities and miuOritieS. The
report OF the committee which the Senator
redu said That these five men were legally
elected. And this being the case, he slet
the Senator did not Wilt represent the ma
jurity2
Mr.. Sherman said these men were not re-
turned by the returning board. They had no
night 10 attempt 20 take part in the proceed
iEgs until their claims To seats were decide
upon ny the legislature. The whole cause of
TIE trouble lay in the usurpation Of Wilt.
Mr.. SChurZ said the whole cause of the
trouble lay in the returning board. which WAS
fraudulent, and whose actions were in viola
ton of the laws and constitution.
Mr.. sherman said he wOuld come to the re-
turning board hereafter. He repeat II that
the whole cause of the trouble lay in the law
less proceedings of Wilt, and the popular
voice, more wise even than this Senate was
beginning To see this, although 10 might not
approve of the dispatches of General Sheri-
dan in the intervention OF the military. He
believed that but for the intervention of the
military this lawle>S regard for the rights of
the majority would have resulted i'm blood
shed, and upon the head of Wilt would have
rested all of the blood that was shed. He
then referred Ia the fact that both sides hal
solicited the aid of General DE Trobriand,
and no complaint was made whatever when
he responded TO the request of the Wilt
party. The uSurpatiOn of Wilt was never
for one moment acquieSCei in by the major
ity, and they would have enforced their
rights had il not been for Gen. De Trobriand's
action at the request OF Wilt, who had no
more right in that chair than one of us.
Mr.. thurman asked did Mr.. Sherman APP
prove OF inc erection OF the members of the
legislature by Gen. De TrObrand?
Mr.. Sherman said his colleague ought to
know that he could not catch him in this
way, by asking premature question. He
would come To that in due time. He then
proceeded 10 comment further on what ne
regarded as the lawleSS conduct of Wilt and
his party, who disregarled all calls for the
"a afnl a. 10 t.NF..
der. suppose that, in an election for the
Speaker of the House of Representatives the
| clerk should undertake to deny the yeas and
| nays. There are several instances in our
history where such a denial would have re
| suited In blOOdShed. 1t would have been the
| case when Mr.. Winthrop was elected. when
General Banks was elected, and when Mr..
| Pennington was elected. The yeas and nays
are the very foundation of parliamentary
| law. No Sophistry, no elOquence can palli-
| ate the laWleSS conduct OF WIFI and his as
| SCclateS. 1t Is not improbable that, had the
| democrats been willing to observe the forms
IOf law, they would have attained the control
| of the legislature, but they preferred 10 win
| by force what they might have attained by
fairness. Mr.. =. then had read from the desk
| lie views on this matter published by Mr.. f.
| W: Stoughton, OF New York, which he said
| reflected his opinions exactly. He said that
the act of Gen. DE 1rObrand. SO much criti-
| CiHcd consisted entirely of removing five
| men VINO had no business there, and who
| were lawlcSSly assuming To take part in the
| proceedings. As To the power Of the COVER
ifI Oh I-')UlSld 81 IllDuglt tlat II
| was greater than should be vested in any
| governor. But he had the power by the CON
| SttUilOn ana laws of the state. Fifty-t
| members of the legislature, a majority of
| those entitled 10 participate in the OrganiZa-
| ton, found themselves helpless before the
| laWleSS minority, and signed a written state
ment to the governor asking his aid, AMI it
| was his bOunden duty to respond to that APP
| plicatiOn. Had he been Il bold man he might
| have immOrtalized himself by going into
| that hall and commanding that minority to
| respect the law.
| Mr. Morton. He would have been muir
| dered
Mr. Sherman. Perhaps he would, but that
| would only have been another evidence OF
4 the bold audacity, the laWlessneSS which pre-
l walls in Louisiana. But ne (Mr. 81 was in
\ Clined to think that Gov. kellogg would not
| have been murdered, but that the lawleSs
| minority would have respected his demand.
Mr.. Sherman sent To the desk to be read the
| report Of Gen. Sheridan on the murders COM
| United in Louisiana. He said that he be-
| lieved implicitly the statements in that re-
| port. In answer to question by Mr.. Bay
| ard. he said that the denialS of the merchants
| the religious bodies, &c, were of the first dis
| patch of Gen. Sheridan, not his second dis
| patch, which was historical
Mr.. West desired to say that the five men
| had not been seated by the Legislature, "a
I stated by Mr.. Thurman, but that three men
| had been seated who were from republican
| parishes
| Mr.. s. then read the "banditti" dispatches
! Of Gen. Sheridan. He said that Gen. Sheri-
dan had made an unwiSe suggestion and one
/ mat COula not De carried out, ana ne was
glad of IL; but was Sheridan to be denounced
| and degraded on account of this. God help
thiS nation il every man who made indiS-
| Greet or improper suggestions TO Congress
| was to be punished for it. He then read from
| WebSter'S Dictionary the definition of ban
| dit" lie said the Italian banditti preyed on
| the rich, but these men oppressed the poor
and the lOwly. He read from description
of the ku-klux, their objects and their acts.
| published in a book by +. A. Pollard in 1862.
| The white leagues, he said, were the lineal
4 descendants nf ktI- WIS
| General Sheridan not right when he called
| them banditti? Were they not worse than
| banditti? 1t is our duty To use every means
| in our power to put down these atrocities,
| even TO the verge of the law.
| Mr.. Johnston said there had been much
l general denunciatiOn on this floor of the
| southern people, and they had been aSsailed
| with the utmost bitterness. He was willing
| 10 compare Virginia with any state of the
| north or of the south for obedience To the con-
| stitutiOn and the laws, and the rights of all.
| lie doubted the sincerity of those Senator's
/ who had made so much here of what they
= called attempts TO stir up a new rebellion.
| He then read from the law of Louisiana as