New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-12-10
QUESTION IN CONGRESS-
What The PAPERS Saw,


pers since. There seems to be but one SEN
timent on the subject, and that decidedly
unfavorable to the great leaders of the
Bourbon Democracy.
A special to the Chicago Tribune says:
The Democrats of the House ,rely es-
capped committing fatal political blunder
Their cowardice, and not uheir principles
prevented. The leaders and the majority
OF their party sought to open up the Louis
lana question by raising question as to
the vaidily OF the Kellogg government, by,
in fact, denying its validity. This they
proposed to do BY preventing Morey, Re-
publican from Louisiana, from being sworn
in, and by sending him to the Committee
on Elections. They did not succeed. Fer
Dandu Wood, with an assurance which
showed his confidence in the majority be-
hind him, claimed the Bourbon leadership.
He found before the day was ended that his
leadership was repudiated and his political
sagacity impeached. He objected to the
swearing in of Morey, of Louisiana, and
offered IA resolution referring the matter of
the contest between Morey and William d.
Spencer to the Committee of Elections, to
| report which OF said claimants was entitled
to the seat. Both of these gentlemen held
certfca es from both Kellogg and McEnery,
and be was opposed to giving either man a
seat until the committee had decided the
question.
The Republicans were quick to see their
vantage ground, and showed that they had
| at least two men equal to the role-Blaine
| and Wheeler. Blame was quick upon bis
feet. The debate upon the Louisiana ques.
ton, which, it had been supposed, was for
ever ended, seemed about to be opened
The Den. rats seemed prepared to repudi-
ate the Wheeler compromise. McEnery
had done no official act except to sign Gre
dentials.
Lamar, to the surprise of all the cid
House, came to the support of Wood, and
endeavOred to secure the reOpening of the
case aud the defeat OF the Wheeler com
promise. Lamars action to day was the
more surprising from his professed con.
servative views, and his action in the last
Congress respecting the Wheeler comprJ-
mise. At least one member of the Wheeler
committee is prepared to state that last
winter Lamar offered to v, to for the re-
cognition of Kellogg de Jfaeto Governor If
it was necessary to secure tne passage of
the resolution, hich did pass, and which
it was thought had definitely settled the
question.
Lamar, by his conduct to-day, has done
much to lose the high esteem which he had
won among Republicans for his fairness, as
he permitted partisan zeal to stultify his
own record.
Blaine saw the weakness of Lamars po-
sition. and seized the opportunity to deliver
one OF those q ,quent and effective three
minute epeeches for which he is famous.
He said McEnery's zeal was impairment
His giving certificate was bold, pre-
| sumptuous fraud, and he hoped the dOmi-
nant party in the House, in the hot zeal OF
| its advent to power, would not thus inau-
gurate a measure which would trample
upon State rights and be an outrage upon
| ipai1eH hu ha
| House last year, in the Louisiana adjust
ment, that Kellogg was the legal Governor
| of Louisiana. He wanted to know now if
| the other side would now t,anple upon the
| agreement 80 scltmnly made last winter,
| when it was understood that the Louisiana
| case was to be considered settled.
| Mr. Holman, of Indiana, first made a
| break in the Democratic ranks. He said
the Huu-e knew that Tor three year krl
| logg had beeAthe acting and de facto Gov
ernur of the State. As to the de jtre uues-
tion, that could be settled by the courts
| hereafter. He deemed it wiser, safer and
| better that tine name of Mr.. Mo'ey be placed
on the rolls and the member sworn in.
| The roll call was demanded on ordering
| 1856, nays 1874. several Democrats near the
| foot of the roll call voting no, and indi.
| eating sudden change OF policy on that
| side.
Mr.. Woods motion was then rel cted
| without division, and, on motion OF Mr..
| Blaine, Mr.. Morey was admitted and sworn
| in.
There has seldom been more conspicu-
| ous defeat of leader. The Democrats dis
covered the probable political effect OF
| Woods action, and joined with the Repub-
| licans to defeat him. The Louisiana gu. y.
| ton has not yet been reopensd, and the
sceptre has fallen from Woods hands.
The following is from the Washington
correspondent of the Chicago hter Ocean;
The first fight of the session occurred in
| the House to-day, on the admission of the
| Louis lana delegation. Six representatives
| from that State answered to the call Of the
House. Four of them, for the sake of avoid
| ing a discussion, had brought certificates OF
election signed by both X, llogg and Nc
Emery. The fitch brought credentials signed
by Kellogg only, but as there was no Cther
claimant to his seat he was admitted with
out question; the SIXTH Frank MOrey,
brought credentials from Kellogg, but his
seat is contested by Spencer, who came
with McEnery's certificate. The clerk
stated that as Kellogg had been recognized
dent and the last House of Representatives
he had put Morey's maine on the roll in
stead of Spencer's.
Fernando Wood arose at this juncture
with instructions to make report that
would have reopened the whole Louisiana
question, which was settled last year by the
compromise, 10 which the Democra had
all agreed.
Blaine arose at once and demolished
Woed. Lamar came to the aid of the lat
ter, and while managing the case with ear
nestness and great ability and good temper
conceded the whole case by admitting the
pnn nf laar wi Whiah X al,
logg was recognized as the de facto Gov
ernor by the House, Wood called the pre-.
vious question, and the yeas and nays were
had on sustaining it. Banks voted with the
Democracy, and yet the vote to sustain the
previous question had but one Majority,
aud as many Democrats who voted to sus-
tain the previous question merely as q
means OF getting the question out OF the
way publicly announced their intention to
vote against a reference, the matter was
allowed TO go by default, not dozen vo ces
being heard voting yea. Woods party
friends denounced his motion as blunder
by which the Republicans gained the first
fight of the session.
The Democratic St. Louis Republican
says:
Quite lively little debate grew up over
the objection raised by Mr.. Wood to the
swearing of Morey, of Louisiana, and the
leaders of both sides gave themselves an
airing. There is some little talk this even
ing about Wood, Lamar and Cox having
killed themselves by their apparent effort
to revive the Louisiana question in the face
Of the compromise OF last spring; but though
the position which they took Is conceded by
the more sensible and conservative of the
Democrats to have been wrong, it is apps-
rent that the division in the party was due
to a lack of prp yious undarsts n, ling of the