New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-05-18
MR. VHEELER REVIEWS HIS OWN AWARD

In connection with his actlO0 ID ILLS ma'
ter. In his late letter be departs so yer.
widely from bis verbal assurances IN New
York, Washington and this city, that w
deem it proper to refresh his memory OF
some points which he has evidently los
sight of. His latest opinion is that tn
four members who were unseated by thu
| House at the extra session were not IN
| cluded in that part of the award whlci
| declared:
| The House Of Repre- sentatives, as to itt
mem ers, as constituted under the award
shall remain without change, except by
! resignation or death of members, until a
| new general election.
He now thinks this condition has not
been violated, because his understanding
of it is that the House of Representatives
was to be as returned by the Returning
Board, and not as it was constituted
when the Democratic caucus voted to
accept the proposition Of Mr.. Wheeler as
basis of negotiation and award.
This very question was freely discussed
pro and con while Mr.. Wheeler was in the
city. The Republicans insisted that the
House, as it stood at the time, with such
changes as were specifically named in the
award, was to remain as the House until
changed in the manner above named, in
which MIR. Wheeler at all times and in all
places assented.
While he was in New York, Mr. Wheeler
took the names of all the members of the
Hahn House who were then seated and
the parishes from which they came, from
Mr.. Packard, and maintained that they
must remain and be counted. Among the
Republicans who were thus to remain were
Messrs. Rochon and Martinez, of st. Mar
tin: Reichard, of Orleans, and Floyd. Of
st. Helena. He said the whole theory of
the compromise was upon the legality of
the Hahn House. That the Conservatives
must agree to that as condition prece-
dent; to recognize that House by going
there and being sworn in by Speaker
Hahn, and submitting the contested cases
to the Committee on Elections That this
committee was to make favorable report,
which the House should adopt before the
members were to be seated
Mr.. Wheeler furthermore ssid that no
other plan would do but the Republicans
must insist that all action of the Hahn
House must 60 unchallenged, including
the change Of the four members.
Mr.. Wheeler arrived here on Monday
night, April II, and on the next day met
Governor Kellogg, Marshal Packard, Mr..
Leonard and others in General Sheridan's
room, with the General present He here
reaffirmed his New York opinion that the
four Republican members could not be
legally unseated, nor without violation
If the conditions of the compromise.
Mr.. Wheeler then went with Governor
Kellogg and Mr.. Packard to the State
House, and before the Republican State
Central Committee, where the Republican
of the House had been invited
% be present. Here, in answer to ques- |
ion propounded by some Of the members
If the House, and one or more of the 'four
members, he stated that the four mem
)ers were as much entitled 70 their seats
Is any others on the roll. When asked |
whether the Democrats would not attempt |
% uDseat them, he said he could not |
answer or be responsible for their |
lction, but if they did GUST them |
t would be violation of the agreement |
Messrs. Rochon, Martinez,
Richard and Floyd wrote letter to
Wheeler, submitting their case and re-
luesting him to put his opinion, SO often
in writing. He promised to
end this answer and assured the bearer
# the letter of the four members that it
would be favorable to them He then as
ertained the date of the signing of the
by the Conservatives to be
1arch l, and as the four members had
cen seated several days before that, he
rgued that the Democrats knew how the
louise was constituted" and recognized
ne changes made up to that date. CAN'T
be fifth member, who was seated on the
ourth Of March, after the agreement was
gned, Wheeler held to be without good
and SO informed CAN'T, who
ithdrew from the House at its meeting
n the first day, April II.
A few hours before leaving for the
orth, MIR. Wheeler was requested by
eneral Sheridan to put his opinion in
riting, as he had expressed it to him, to
overnor Kellogg, Mr.. Packard and sew
al members of the House, and leave it
ere before departing. This he promised
do, and left the Governors office to 20
the st. Charles Hotel to prepare the
tier Governor Kellogg called at the
otel just before train time to take Mr..
'heeler to the depot He informed the
overnor that he had been interrupted,
I'd had not been able to prepare the
tier, but had the memoranda and data,
Id would have it ready and mail it from
tlanta, where he expected to wait four
five hours for the train.
Abort this time the House unseatei
e four members, and the Governor tele-
'aphed him to know if he had mailed .
e letter as per promise. To this |
heeler answered by telegraph from
ashington, as follows
WAsHINGToS. d. c., April II, 1915.
oveInor Kellogg
Have carefully examined question OF