The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-01-06
A Better Account of the First Days
Proceedings i'm New Orleans-A Fine
Specimen OF Free Government.
Specimen


Specimen OF Free Government.
New ORLEANS, January f.. AT A. NJ. the
Conservative members and the sergeant
marched to the State-House and secured q
room. Precisely at IL M. Viger took the
speakers chair, called the House to order.
and proceeded 10 call the roll. The roll
showed 102 members present.
Mr.. Ballen took the floor and moved the
election Of Mr.. Wilt temporary chairman.
Quicker than thought the vote was taken
uira roce, and Mr.. Wilt was declared elect
ed. and the oath was administered to him by
Justice Houston. Wiltz then called upon
Lowell to administer the oath to him.
A sergeant.at-arms WAS then appointed.
Great excitement ensued. Motions fol-.
lowed rapidly for various purposes, but they
were ruled out of order until the members
had been sworn in. The members were
then asked to stand up, and the oath was
read by the temporary Speaker.
\ motion was made to seat certain dele.
gates who had been counted out.
Mr.. Lowell protested that the manner of
the election Of temporary chairman was ille-
gal.
Mr.. Balleu offered a resolution declaring
that the Democratic members from the four
parishes referred to the Legislature are enti-
tied to their seats.
Republican members protested, demand
ing division, and the ayes and noes, but
their motion WAS Oyerruled, the vote called
uiud coce, and the resolution was declared
adopted, and the gentlemen Immediately ap-
peared and were sworn in.
Wilt was nominated for permanent
Speaker by the Conservatives, and Hahn by
the Radicals. Wilt received 81 votes, Hahn
=, and Lowell /. Four were refused.
A quorum having voted, and MIR. Witt
having received the majority Of votes, he was
accordingly declared elected. Judge Hous-
ION then administered the oath of office.
The Speaker then addressed the House,
while the Radicals continued to gradually
withdraw. He said: Z" In accepting the re-
>ponsible position you confer upon me
sincerely thank you. 1t is responsibility
| would like to see another more able than l
occupy, but will discharge my duties to the
best of my ability, and the finger Of scorn
shall not be pointed at me for dishonorable
acts when retire"
! MIR. Ray addressed the Speaker on ques-
ton of privilege, and asked leave to retire
from the House, and entered protest
against its organization.
The Speaker then charged the sergeant.at-
arms to allow no member to so out.
Mr. Z. j. TrezeVant was then put in
nomination for clerk, and was elected.
| The swearing iu of members then COM
menced, and the Radicals endeavored to
move out of the House, and the sergeant-at-
arms sought to prevent tbems Several
scuffles ensued. when, on motion OF Mr..
George Z. Dupre, General De Trobriand
was sent for, and cleared the lobby Of police
! ,a,Ss
General De Trobriand, who had been alb
sent for about quarter of an hour, appeared
again at the House accompanied by two ott
GERS of his staff. A file of about twenty sol
diers had been marched into the corridor
leading into the ball, and at the head of the
large staircase in the State-House the police
we're also drawn up in force. General De
rrobriand at once stepped up TO Speaker
Wilt and asked that Mr.. Viger, the former
clerk of the House, should read a letter be
held in bis hand. MIR. TreZevant, the CLERK
elected, objected when the General. stating
that he was unable to Judge who was clerk
asked permission to have the letters of Go
vernon kellogg read by bis adjutant; which
was granted.
That officer then read two letters, one o.
which stated to the General that an illega
body was sitting as the House of Representa-
tves, and that Mr.. Viger's clerk would fur
nSh him with list of those members who
had been duly elected and as such returned
! BY the Returning Board. The other letter
contained request to General De TrobrianC
to eject those members who had not been re-
turned as elected by the Board.
Speaker Wilt protested, and told The
General that this was legally-organizeC
body.
General De Trobriapd replied that he was
soldier, and only second in command, ano
that he had to obey the orders OF bis supe
rior, General Emory, who had ordered him
to obey the instructions OF Governor Kellogg
Speaker Wilt said: 81 desire to state to
you again that this House, duly elected, has
organized itself by eleeting me as Speaker,
Captain Floyd as Sergeant-at-Arms, and Mr.
TrezevanL as Clerk. After organization we
have seated five gentlemen, whose cases have
| been referred to Us by the Returning Board.
Will you eject these menu"
General De Trobriand said "Mr. Speaker,
| am an officer, and must obey orders. l
came here alone. l thought that my presence
would be sufficient to have these orders
obeyed."
Speaker Wilt replied: 81 am thankful to
YOU, General, for that. While l recognize
in you gentleman and officer, and while we
su bmlt to the United States Government, II
is my duty as Speaker Of the House OF KEEP
resentatiyes of the State of Louisiana to ask
you to use force. Until then the i've men
refuse to leave the ROOM"
General DE Trobriand: 81 do not like to
make show. do not know members. !
should prefer for you to point them out. L
will ask them to leave, or will you have me
ill the room with soldiers?"
Speaker Witt: Il cannot permit those
members whom we have just recognized as
being elected to be put out. My duty is to
ana as well as yours is to keep up the United
States army"
Mr.. Dupre at this time offered report OF
the Committee on Elections, which declared
JeffeIies, Luckett, and Stafard, of Rapides !;
Vaughan, Haran, and Lamb, of Caddo;
Schwing, OF Iberia; and AGAIN., OF AVo-
quelles, TO be elected.
General De Trobriand, who had retired,
again advanced towards the Speaker, who
said: Gentlemen, be quiet and be men"
The General then, pointing to MIR. Y1ger,
ex-clerk Of the House, said that he had been
represented 10 him by Governor Kellogg as
clerk Of the House, and that he bad list OF
names OF the representatives returned as
elected by the Returning Board.
Speaker Wilt: Il protest against Mr.. VIZ
ger as having anything TO do with this
cody. He is no longer clerk of this House,
his successor having been legally elected"
General De TrobIiand: This protest will
be OF no avail"
Speaker 'WiIH again protested, and was
Joined In his protest by all the Democratic
members, who, after much further protest.
ing and counter protesting, left the ball and
,an stnta II n,,,a In, a hndu and met again Oh