The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-01-13
STATEMENT OF FACTS AND
LAW.

STATEMENT OF FACTS AM
LAW.
10 the Honorable Charles Foster, William Wa
ter Phelps, and Clarkson N. Potter, Congrei
sional Committee Oh Louisiana Affairs, Slttin
III New Orleans:
.. AS TO THE NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. OF
GANIZATION.
The total number of Representatives t
which the people Of Louisiana were entitle
at this session was one hundred and clever
Gid. The Returning Board, prior TO tn
18th of January, 1876, had furnished the Sec
rotary of State with list of one hundred ant
six 1O6) members upon whose election salt
Board had passed, of which number fifty
f54) were supposed to be Republicans, an(
fifty.two (52) Conservatives and Democrats.
At twelve o'clock on the 4th day Of January
1876, the day prescribed by law for the meet
ing of the General Assembly, the House being
assembled, William Vigers, clerk Of the pre-
.ceding House Of Representatives,, whose term
of office had expired on the 4th Of November
1874, proceeded to call the roll, under the
forty fourth section of Act No. 50, approved
November 10Th, 1872 which section declares
'That it shall be the duty of the Secretary
of State to transmit to the Clerk Of the House
of Representatives, and the Secretary of the
Senate of the last General Assembly, list oil
the names of such persons as, according to
the returns, shall have been elected to either
branch of the General Assembly; and it shall
be the duty VI the said Clerk and Secretary
to place the names of the Representatives and
Senators elect so furnished upon the roll of
the Senate and of the House respectively
and those Representatives and Senators whose
L.,k
tary respectively, in accordance with the fore
going provisions, and no other. shall be COM
petent to organize the House Of Representa-
tives or Senate. Nothing in this act shall be
construed to conflict with Article thirty four
of the Constitution of the State"
Article 81 Of the Constitution provides that
each house of the General Assembly shall
Judge of the qualifications, elections and re-
turns of its members; but a contested election
shall be determined in such manner as may
be prescribed by law.
Article 80 of the Constitution provides that
not less than a majority Of members of each
quorum to transact business; but smaller
number may adjourn from day to day, and
shall have full power to compel the attendance
of absent members.
Article 20 Of the Constitution provides that
each parish in the State shall be entitled to at
least one Representative.
Article 36 of the Constitution provides that
each house of the General Assembly shall
keep aud publish weekly journal of its pro-
ceedings, and the yeas and nays of the mem
bers on any question, at the request Of any
two of them, shall be entered on the journal.
After the completion Of the roll call by
William vigers, Clerk of the former House,
as provided by section forty-four, above reci-
koI r. A zxuoc inofo
chairman by a member, and was, upon a
.oiUd coce vote, declared elected temporary
Chairman, whereupon he took the chair, and
announced himself temporary Speaker of the
House of Representatives, and as such took
his oath of Office before Judge Houston, and
also had said oath administered to him by a
member. He thereupon administered the
oaths to the members of the House. He
then declared the functions of the former
Clerk, Vigers, at an end. Clerk was then,
on motion, nominated and elected. A
Sergeant-at-Arms and assistants were also
elected
motion put and adopted, the five members
whose elections the Returning Board had not
promulgated and had referred to the House,
were admitted as members and sworn in.
Thereafter l., A. Wilt was nominated as
permanent Speaker. The roll was called, and
Witt and Hahn being in nomination, Witt
received 55 votes, Haha 2, and l blank
Fifty-six icing majority and legal quorum
of the whole number, one hundred and
eleven, to which the House was entitled, he
was thereupon declared duly elected perma-
nent Speaker, and was sworn in and then ad-
ministered the oath to the members (by
fcurs), including Michael Hahn, Thomas
Baker, Murrel and Drury, Republicans A
Committee on Credentials was then appointed,
of which Hahn and Thomas were appointed
members and accepted, and withdrew with
the committee. Upon the return to the
House of said committee, Hahn made known
that he would make minority report.
About this time, resistance being made to the
of the House, and there be-
ing great danger of violence and bloodshed,
the Sergeants-at-Arms, consisting of only
ZONE ten men, the State-House being crowded
on the inside and outside with metropolitan
police and other unruly persons, said police
ray Of United States soldiers, the Speaker,
upon motion Of Dupre, q member of the
House, put and carried, requested Gen. De
T,obriand, who had previously entered the
accompanied by some United
States troops, without the knowledge
or request of the Speaker, to speak
a few words to the persons in the lobby, |
the Speaker expressing the opinion that
the Generals remonslr .nce would pre- |
vent riot which was imminent. The |
General complied with the request, and
without the use of any force restored COM
parative quiet in the lobby. No other inter-
yention by the United States authorities was |
asked for or obtained, This request was |
made, as above stated, after the General and |
some soldiers had entered the room.
About an hour after this, order being fully |
restored, Gen. De Trobriand returned, and in
formed the Speaker that he had been ordered |
by Gov Kellogg to replace Vigers as Clerk,
and to eject the five members above referred |
to- upon whose cases the Returning Board |
had failed to report, and desired to know
whether his orders would be complied with |
without the use of force. The Speaker re-