The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1875-05-01
THE LOUISIANA SETTLEMENT.

The Ottawa KcpubttcdH mus l'hfii s'i"nSc
ly excited against the conservatives OF LOUIS
lana, because the Chicago Hsr Ocean and
Times have persuaded 1t that said conserva
tives have acted very badly in the matter o.
the famous wheeler compromise whereby
the distressing muddle into which Grants
greed and mismanagcmcnt had precipitated
the fair state of Louisiana had been cleared
sp and settled. The wheeler compromise,
which, to please Grant, was endorsed by q
resolution of the lower house of congress the
day before its last adj ournment, recommend
ed, Ia substance, that Kellogg should be rec
ognized as Governor in ct,withou, inquirlng
into his original title to the Office, and that
the five conservative members of the lower
house OF the Louisiana legislature, who had
been clearly elected but were so outrageous.
ly expelled from their seats by Grants bay.
0ncts, should be rc.scated This would give
the governor and all his appointees (involy-
| ing most of the local officers in the state) to
the republicans, and one branch OF the legis-
laturc to the conservatives, or democrats
The compromise was violently opposed by
the Pinchback wing Of the republicans in
Louisiana and the McEncry wing Of the con
servatives; but by the aid of Grant and kcl.
lOsg and the leading democrats among the
business men in New Orleans, it was adopted
by the Louisiana Legislature, and the house
peaccably organized with an undisputed dem.
ocratic majority. And in tins shape the leg.
islature proceeded quietly with It's work, did
up all the necessary legislation, and then, on
Saturday of last week, peaccably adjourned
sine die.
From anything that appears in tho pro
ceedings Of the Legislature or its surround.
ings, nothing occurred during this session that
was either regarded by Kellogg or any ofthe
local parties to the compromise as breach
of 1t, or in any way TO deserve the cpithets
outrageous" Infamous" &c, heaped upon
itby the Inter Ocean, and rcechoed by the
Ottawa Republtean. The "lnfamy" is appar.
emily pcrceptble only away outside of Lou.
isiana, and consists in violating side under.
standings which the conservatives of LOUIS.
lana were neither parties to or had any init
nation Of The act that cxcites such indig.
nation at the White House in Washington,
ard which all the Grant ar-bearing organs
are so turiously ventilating, was the admis-
sion by the Louisiana house of three or four
other fairly elected conservative members in
the place of radicals who held seat. unjuslly
Well what oft? by the compromise the
democrats were given the house, and their
majority there would have been the sheerestj
burlesque and sham If they could mt use it in |
all legitimate ways with entire freedom. And
so seem to have thought the republicans
ia Louisiana, at least of the KEEL.
logg pershatioh, for no complaint was made
by them of any violation of the compromise
on the part of the conservatives, But where
the shoe piuchcs is here. by admitting the
four or five other conservatives in the house
the republican majority in the Louisiana sen
ate is SO far over balanced that on joint bal
lot OF the legislature the democrats would
have majority Now Grants sole interest
in the compromise arose from the fact that,
the legislative trouble once peaceably settled
In Louisiana, and Pnchback being laid on
the shelf by the refusal of the L. 5. Senate
to admit him to a seat there, the republican
majority on Joint ballot would elect his par.
ticular pet and protege, brothcr.inlaw Casey
to the senate. This quiet little game Of
course the action Of the conservatives, in ad.
hitting other conservative members, has eff.
fectuaily blocked; and hence these tears, and
furious revilinps and groanings of the Grant
collar bearers