The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1875-01-14


| order was restored.
After this interruption the House proceeded
| with its business. The Committee on Flee
| tons and Returns reported, and upon their
report the following Representatives were
duly sworn in and seated members
Ayoyelle; j. J. Horan, A. ID. Land and
Thomas X. Vaughan, of the parish of Caddo
J. Jetfries, K. l.. Luckcll and q. W
Stafford, of the parish Of Rapides; and
VIM. F. Schwing, Of the parish of Iberia.
While the proceedings of the House were
quietly progressing about the hour Of three
o'clock y. m Gen 7. K de Trobriand, com
manding the United States troops in and
around the State House, entered the hall in
uniform, his sword at his side, accompanied
by two Of his staff and Mr.. Nigers, the former
Clerk of the House, and addressed Speaker
Witt, exhibiting documents Of which the
following are copies:
NEW ORLEANS. La, Jan. 4. 1873
Gen. dc Trohrisnd, Commanding:
An illegal assembly of men having taken pos
session of the hall OF the house OF Representa-
tivcs, and the police not being able to disIodgc
them | respectfully request that YOU will imme-
daely clear the hall and state House of NIL per
sons not returned as legal members of the HnH-e
vi Representatives by the Returning Board.
WN. P.KELLosG
Governor of the State of Louisiana.
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT
NEW ORLEANS, La, Jan. 4. 1873. I
Gen. dc Trobriand:
The CLERK Of the House, who has in his posses
sion the roll issued by the Secretary Of state as
legal members OF the House Of Representatives,
will point 9gt :" y"n those persons now in the
nall OF the House of Representatives returned by
the legal Returning Board Of the State.
W F. KELLOGG, Governor of the State.
The Speaker refused to allow Mr.. Nigers
to read these documents, he not being Clerk
OF The House, and at the request pf Gen. de
Irobriand they were read by his Adjutant
y III ler, l-..l N.,,,
Have you submitted these documents to
Gen. Emory 81
Gen. de Trobriand-I have not, but pre-.
sumo that duplicate copies have been sent to
him.
Speaker Wilt wish to say TO you that
since our organization We have admitted,
sworn in, and seated five members from re
ferred parishes. Are these members to be
elected?
Gen. de Trobriand-I am but a soldier; these
are my orders. | cannot enter into considera-
tion of that question.
The General further stated that he was un-
der instructions TO obey the orders of Gov.
Kellogg.
Speaker Wiltz-I respect you, General, as a
gentleman and a soldier. / dislike to give
you trouble, but |, like you, have a 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 per
init you to execute your order.
Upon the refusal of Speaker Wilt and Mr.
Trezevant, the Clerk, to point out the
persons, and the refusal of Speaker Wilt to
allow William Nigers to call the roll for
the purpose of identifying members, Hugh
J. Campbell and T. c. Anderson assisted Gen
dc lrobriand in identifying the members to
be elected. Gen. de TrobraDd then ordered
his soldiers, fully armed, with fixed bayonets,
into the hall from the lobby, and approached
the members successfully while i'll their seats,
namely: .. Quinn, Vaughan, Stafford, JEFF
fries, Luckett, Dunn, Kelly, Horan and Land,
and one by one he caused them to be
taken from the hall by his soldiers, each gen
tleman first rising in his place and uttering
bis solemn protest, in the name of his con
stltuentS, against the unlawful expulsion.
Thus were the gentlemen ANONYMOUSLY ar
rested, and despite their public protests and
their appeals to the Speaker and House for
protection, which neither could afford, were
taken from their seats and forcibly elected
from the hall of the House of Representatives
of the State Of Louisiana, at the point of the
bayonet, 10y officers and soldiers of the United
States army.
Gen. dc Trobriand then proceeded to eject
the Clerk, and arrested the proceedings of the
Assembly, and for that purpose brought file
OF soldiers To the Speakers stand, when the
Speaker arose Gud addressed the House as
follows:
sentatives of the State Of Louisiana / protest
against this invasion OF our hall by the
soldiers OF the United States with loaded mus
kets and fixed bayonets. We have seen our
brother members violently seized by force
OF arms and torn from us i'll spite Of their
solemn protests. We have seen file of
soldiers march up the aisle Of the Hall of
Representatives Of Louisiana, and have pro
tested against this. In the name Of a once
free people, in the name Of the down troddcn
State of louisiana again enter my solemn
protest. The chair of the Speaker of the
House of Representatives of the State Of
Louisiana is surrounded by United States
troops. The hall of the House of Represent
ativcs is in possession of armed forces and
cali upon the Representatives of the State Of
Louisiana to retire with ne from their pres
ence.n
Speaker Wilt then left the hall, followed
by all the Conservative members, the hall
being lett in possession Of the military.
II we have dwtlt thus somewhat 1T length
upon the details of the military overthrow Of
a sovereign State and her reduction to a
province, it is that other States may see aud
know the process whereby the over
accomplished. We solemnly the
American people, jca'ous of their liber
ties, that a military power displacing House
of Representatives in the Stale Of Louisiana
may yet serve as precedent to shacklc them,
and thus posterity, if in this hour of trial,
standing as we do to day amid the ruins of
constitutional liberty, they leave us to our
fate. All OF which is respectfully submltteds