The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-01-09
STATE OF LOUISIANA,
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT,
New Orleans. Jan. 4. 1875.

/ Il,
| ....... New Orleans, Jan. 4, 1875.
Gen. De Trobriand, Commanding:
| An illegal assembly of men having take
possession of the Hall of the House of Re
personalities. and the police not being abb
| to dislodge them, I respectfully request tina
you will Immediately clear the Hall and Stat
house OF all persons not returned as lega
members of the House of Representatives b,
the Returning Board of the State.
W. p. KELLOGG, Governor.
STATE OF LOUISIANA, J
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT, :
New Orleans, Jan. A, 1874.
Gen. De Trobriand:
The Clerk of the House, who has in hi
possession the roll issued by the Secretary O.
State, as the legal members of the House O
Representatives, will point out to you those
persons now in the Hall of the House of Re
representatives., returned by the legal Return
ing Board of the State.
w. P. KELLOGG, Governor.
The Speaker refused to allow Mr.. Vigers tc
read these documents, he not being clerk Of
the House; and at the request of Gen. De
Trobriand they were read by his Adjutant.
Speaker Wilt then asked Gen. De Trobri.
and, Shave You submitted these documents
to Gen. Emory?"
Gen. De Trobriand-I have not, but pre-
sumo that copies have been sent to him.
Speaker Wiltz-General, wish to say to
you that since our organization we have ad.
mitted, sworn in and seated five members
from referred parishes; are these members to
be elected ?"
Gen. De Trobriand-"I am but q soldier;
those are my orders. cannot enter into the
consideration of that question" The Gene
raj further stated that he was under instruc.
tons to obey the orders of Gov. Kellogg.
Speaker Wiltz-"I respect you, General,
ss gentleman and soldier, but !, like You,
have duty to perform, which owe to my
State, to maintain the dignity and authority
of my position as Speaker of the House Of
Representatives. Force will have to be used
before can permit you to execute your Or
ders."
Upon the refusal of Speaker Wilt and MI.
Trezevant, the Clerk, to point out the persons
and the refusal Of Speaker Wilt to allow
VIM. Vigers to call the roll for the purpose of
identifying the members, then Hugh J.
Campbell and T. G. Anderson assisted Gen.
De Trobriand in identifying the members to
be elected. Gen. De Trobriand then ordered
his soldies fully armed and with fixed
bayonets into the hall, approached the men,
beers successfully while in their seats, namely:
Messrs. O'Quinn, Vaughn, Stafford, Jeffries,
Luckett, Kelly, Dnnn, Koran and Land, and
one by one, he caused them to be taken out
of the hall by his soldiers, each gentleman
first rising in his place and entering his
solemn protest, in the name of his consti-
tuents against the unlawful expulsion.
Thus were these gentlemen ignominiously
arrested. and despite their public protesta-
ton, and their appeals to the Speaker and the
House for protection, which neither could
afford, were taken from their seats and forcibly
elected from the Hall of the House Of Repre-
sentatives of the State of Louisiana, at the
point of the bayonet, by the officers and SOL
diers of the United States army.
Gen. De Trobriand then proceeded to eject
the Clerk, arrested the proceedings of the As
sembly, 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
l protest against this invasion of our Hall 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 a file Of soldiers march
up the aisle of the Hall of the House of Rep
of Louisiana; we have protested
against this in the name of once free people.
.In the name of the down-trodden State of
again enter my solemn protest.
Gentlemen, the chair of the Speaker of the
House of Representatives of the State of
Louisiana is surrounded by the United States
troops; the hall of the House of Representa-
tives is in possession OF armed forces. and l
call on the Representatives of the State Of
Louisiana to retire with me from their
presence"
Speaker Wilt then left the hall, followed by
all the Conservative members, the hall being
in possession of the military.
If we have dwelt thus somewhat at length
upon the details of the military overthrow Of
a sovereign State, and her reduction to q
province, 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 a military
power dispensing House of Representatives
in Louisiana may yet serve as precedent to
shackle them and their posterity forever, If
in this hour of trial, standing IS we do to-day,
amidst the ruins Of constitutional liberty.
they leave us to our fate.
All of which is respectfully submitted.