The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-04-22
THE CHARGE OF BAD FAITH.

l Vi LQ6 clCCIlUu W LILO 4AOAoO -
tives of George P. Burkhardt OF Oriean'
Felix VOORHEES, and Charles Delhommer Of $
Martin, and o. L. Collins OF st. Helena
These four members were therefore returne
to the Secretary of State, were reported b
the latter as members, were on the roll Janr
ary 4th, were present, answered to thei
names. were sworn and took their seats.
During the period Of the regular session
, minority of the members of the House, with
out quorum, pretended to deprive thes
J Representatives of their seats and to insta
other men in their places. Had this beel
done by House with legal quorum, the IN
seating of these members while they and fit
of their colleagues were absent could no
have precluded review and reversal of thei
action by a full House.
On the Goth the reorganized House in extr
session took up the report of the House Com
mittee on Elections and Qualifications, b,
which the above-named members were de
clared elected and entitled to seats. The re
port was adopted by a vote of sixty-one yea
to thirty-fve nays, and the members were
sworn and seated.
It is now commended that, in readmittine
these four members, the Conservative ma
jority acted in bad faith and violated at leas'
the spirit of the award made by Messrs. Hoar,
Wheeler, Frye, Potter, Phelps and Marshall.
In order to show the spirit Of that award We
quote the resolution introduced in the United
States House of Representatives, March !,
and which was agreed to-:
Whereas, both branches of the Legislature
of Louisiana have requested the special COM
mittee of this House to investigate the cir
cumstances attending the election and returns
thereof in that State for the year 1874; and
Whereas, said committee have unanimously
reported that the Returning Board of that
State, in canvassing and compiling said re-
fully applied an erroneous rule of law, by
reason whereof persons were awarded seats in
the House of Representatives of Louisiana to
which they were not entitled, and persons en-
titled to seats were deprived of them;
Resolved. That it is recommended to the
House of Representatives of Louisiana to take
immediate steps to remedy said injustice, and
to place the persons rightfully entitled in
their seats.
Resolved. That William Pitt Kellogg be re-
cognized as the Governor of the State of
Louisiana until the end Of the term of Office
fixed by the Constitution Of that State.
The award of the committee, therefore, was
for the sole purpose of undoing the unjust
action of the Returning Board and to place
the persons rightfully entitled in their seats.
This the members Of the Congressional Com
mittee, meeting in New York, did by finding
and awarding that the Returning Board had
erred in depriving of their seats Messrs.
Beasley, Dugas, Brice, Scales. Schiller, Kidd,
James Jeffries, Luckett, Stafford. McCullum,
Keys and Kelly. Their award was that these
gentlemen had been duly elected and were
entitled to their seats. The cases Of Burk-
hardt, VOORHEES,, Delhommer and Collins
were in no way before the arbitrators, who
were not asked by either party to consider,
and did not consider the cases of Conserva-
tives and Democrats returned by the Re-
turning Board.
The adjustment had no reference whatever
to these four returned Democratic members.
The arbitrators were reviewing the action of
the Returning Board, and they enumerated
the cases in which that board had done in
justice. Their award was made up from cleo
ton returns, and upon evidence connected
with the election, and it related in no manner
whatever to the proceedings of the so-called
House, which by their very award is pro-
to have been without q legal quo |
rum at any and all times. It is not probable |
that the arbitrators had ever read the pro-
ceedings of the Hahn House, or knew of any
Of the pranks and capers of that always quo.
rumless body. With the Wells list of the |
returned members before them they scruti-
aized it by the light Of the facts and found
hat twelve men were returned as elected
while twelve other men were actually elected
ind ought to have been returned. That is
III. They did not find or award that Burk-
lardt, VOORHEES,, Delhommer and Collins
we're not elected. Those cases were not re-
'iewed because their right to seats was not
Questioned.
The Conservatives, in claiming their re-
urned members, infringed no agreement,
xpress or implied. They accepted the
ward, but they have not gone beyond it.
The arbitrators undertake to remedy the in
ustice of the Returning Board, and the
emedy which they prescribe is accepted by q
.rge majority Of the Conservatives and
lrger majority Of the Republicans. This
cling done, the recognized and full House,
, the same spirit, proceeded to remedy the
,justice done by the fraction of q House in
listing four Conservative members who are
) clearly entitled to seats as any citizen is to
10 coat on his back. Complaint Of this last
ct of simple right and justice is without
auSe or reason.
MARKS KA1sER-We take great pleasure in
the following extract from q notice
the second soiree of the Baltimore String
uartette. referring as it does in unmeasured
rmc nf v,roico n our ka1onfa6 vO,, M fownc. |