New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-01-17

TIE Real Outrase-The Democratic Re
violation.
The spectacle of federal soldiers enterin,
tho hall Of State Legislature is not vel
come to the traditional sense of the Ameri
can people. We have frankly expressed
our own regret and condemnation. NJ
matter IT that body did sink itself to a mer.
mob; no matter if it let loose the furies O
revolution; no matter if it trampled upor
every mandate of law; no matter if it wa.
guilty of the most fragrant usurpation, We
should have made the appeal to law instead
of to force. and should have employed arms
only when it became imperatively necessary
In order to rescue the State from overthrow
and the people from bloodshed. As i,
seems to us on the present reports, The CITY
should have been protected and the hall
spared. In other words, we should have
lot the wrong. with all its odium. be clearly
placed upon these reckless revolutionists.
Then the appeal could have been made to
the country with undivided and irresistible
9orcf. AZ the same time, it should be borne
IN lnind that the presence Of the troops was
tlrst invoked by these Democratic revoIu.
Honists themselves and that the soldiers,
interfering with no rightful memb Der. re-
moved only those {ntguders who had been
illegally thrust in,
SO much for tina one side. But this Is
very far from being the whole story. An
courage" as gross in every aspect. with
more malign purposes and more real danger
TO the countrv's welfare, wss that which
%as peIpetrated by the White League
Democratic revolutionfsts. In Tho discus
zion Oh the military act we must hot lose
sight Of this more insidious and lniqutous
performance. In feprobatirg the presence
OF soldiers. we must not spare these incom.
parably greater and revolutionary criminals.
Follow US in , brief review of their acts,
By the law of Louisiana the Returning
Board rs the one body authorized TO can.
Sass the returns OF the election. 1t dis.
charged its junction and declared the result.
1T may or may not have made wrong deci.
sions-!f 1t did there is redress through
law-but until lawfully reviewed and re.
Tersed, it's determinations were controlling.
1t declared who were elected to the Legis.
Iature~-leavlng a few cases to be decided
by the Legislature after being fully organ.
4zed-and only those thus declared by the
board were entitled to participate In the
organization. Their names alone were
placed on the roll, and they alone could be
recognized a. Nembeya with the right TO
yoses
Thus much preliminary to the meeting Of
the Legislature That body was to convene
on Monday Before entering the House, let
US look in upon the Senate. The Senate
holds over from last year, and has = clear.
undoubted Republican fpajority. Under
these circumstances q remarkable fact al.
pears. Not q single Democratic member
met with the Senate, and not one has met
with 1t since. They have caucused with the
Democratic members Of the House. but did
not 20 into the Senate at the beginning or
attefwafd. That fact shows that there was
D conspiracy, 3 premeditated purpose Of
revolution. on the far Of ho XAYh;%o M ....
democracy Why did they absent them.
selves altogether from the Senate at the an.
pointed time Of meeting9 Why. unless be.
cause there was no hope Of Overturnine the
Republican majority there, and because
there was conspiracy to organize a new
Evolutionary Legislature2 Now, enter the
House. and what do we see! The law pro-.
rides that those declared elected by the
Returning Board shall be enrolled and or. !
game the House. electing officers by ballot. I
and that the clerk Of the last House shall !
preside over the new until 1t is organized. /
This Is the usual practice everywhere, and /
st Is peremptory. In the light Of the pro.
VisOns consider what was done.
1t was found chat Republican majority |
was present and that the White League
must resort to a couu d'ehuf in
order to obtain control. Accordingly. in. I
stead OF following the lawful process, one
OF their men jumped up and moved that
Mayor Wilt be made chairman pro TEN.
and without any count. without anything
but rebel yell. in the face of the presence |
OF cleas Republican majority. tho motion
was simultaneously pronounced carried.
and Witt, who stood ready under that pre-
arranged plan, Immediately seized the
chair. over the head of a rightful presiding
officer, and assumed to appoint clerk and
Then, though the House
could lawfully do no other business until
fully and legally organized, motion was
declared carried through the Same rebel |
yeil-stiil in the face of Republican ma.
ority-to seat five persons who were not on |
The rolls and who had no right to the floor
intil their cases were examined. This VIC. /
ent nsurpatiOn gave the DEMOCRATS a ma.
ov!ty. such as it was, aud Witt proceeded
q preside over his own ''election" as
Speaker! Next, he had the amazing assur.
ance to call in the federal troeps-and this
vas their tlrst appearance on the scene--to ,
Keep the Overawed Republicans in their .
places and to clear the police out Of the
,all.
Such were the successive scenes IN this {
evolutionary drama. it was IN infamous /
lsurpatiOn throughOut-a usurpatiOn in the e
O-cailed election of the chairman pro tenn:
usurpatlon in the so-called admission Of d
he tive w hite League Democrats necessary ! {
make White League majority3 q usur.
auoH ~ tHo SO-caIl0O cnOlC0 OF the Speaker.
III this Is the real Louisiana outrage. The
utrage which SO excftes the Democratic
apers consisted simply in the exclusion Of !
he tive !ntguders. and did not in the re. !!
hottest degree touch the right Of q single ! !
nember. We do not approve it. But we .
Q say that, IN ite spirit and It's purpose, it :
'as less criminal and dangerous than the q
lotOus mob. conspiracy and revolution of '
nese White League Democrats. That con. .
piracy and seyolutfcn had one of two oh. I
'cts. II was either insidiously designed to I :
rovoks interference. and 20 :ntiame pas. =
on throughout the land, or else it hoped ! '
succeed TAR enough to organize a new 7
evolutionary Legislature. which should a
ssnme to topple over the existing govern. :
ens. and thus bring about an inevitable :
onuict. In either case it was infamous, g
nd 5Taught with Che most disastrous con. :.
,guencess and. while the country should ! y
3 cool and calm in deploripg the military Il
8. It should at the same time not permit 7
lese red-handed revolutionists ta escape
5 righteous wrath !-.i!bany Journal.
No Temporizine. o
From the Cincinnati Times.l In
Congress has plain duty to perform In ! Il
e Louisiana case. Ii it fails to do it. if 1t ia
incapable 1T rising to the demands OF the ia
casion. so much the worse for the Repub. t.
IAN party and for the country. The facts pl
. not doubtful. The falsehoods which are I'll