National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-01-06
THE TRUTH ABOUT LOUISIANA

cert, will secure the preservation of peace.
THE TRUTH ABOUT LOUISIANA.
The special dispatches to THE NATIONAL
REPUBLICAN. regarding current affairs in
Louisiana, have furnished about the only
reliable information thus far given to the
public relative to the organization of the
Legislature in that unfortunate Common
wealth. The regular press dispatches
printed yesterday morning are, as usual,
based upon the boldest and most inexcusa-
BILE partisan fiction. Accepting these lat
ter reports as truthful, and using them as
the basis of their editorials, the New York
Tribune, Herald and World earnestly de-
nounce the acts of Gen. De Trobriand on
that occasion, and assume to hold the Ad-
ministratfon responsible therefor, while
the Times of the same city contents itself
with brief rehearsal of few of the lead
ing facts connected with the affair. We
refer particularly to these four journals
because they are supposed, to a certain
extent, to be truthful opponents of metro
politan public opinion. While we admit
that if the premises upon which they base
their arguments were well founded their
deductions would be inevitably correct, we
do not hesitate to declare that they have
not only been misled themselves, but have
misled their readers probably with will
full intent, because it is well known that
the sources of information on which they
seemingly rely are unsafe. For example,
the World, which is not less violent than
its contemporaries, begins its allusion to the
matter with the following extrayagant
comparison
1.-TWO hundred and thirty -four years ago yes
terday Charles Stuart went down to the House
Of Commons in person and demanded the ar
rest of Pym, Hampden, Hollis, Haslerig and
Strobe. Yesterday Ulysses Grant, in the per-
son of General De Trobriand, entered the
Legislature of Louisiana and demanded the
election Of five members of that body. The
five members of Louisiana were as strictly the
champions of free government as the five
members of the House of Commons, and the
whole political welfare of these United States
is bound up with the success of the cause for
which these men are fighting"
How thoroughly inappropriate this COM
parison is will be appreciated when it is
known that the five members of the Louis
lana Legislature referred to obtained their
seats by fraud, by the grossest deception,
and by the violation of solemn pledges
which any man of honor would respect as
sacredly as the obligations of an oath. The
Republicans had fifty three members of the
lower House of the Legislature; the Demo-
Gratis had forty-nine. The Republicans ad-
mitted the Democratic contestants upon
the floor, under solemn pledge that they
would not thrust themselves by force into
their seats, but would await the organize
ton of the House. Ex-Governor Michael
Hahn, mild Republican, against whom
even the most inveterate White Lacquer
never breathed suspicion of corruption,
was placed in nomination by the Repub-
icans for Speaker. The Democrats nomi-
mated ex-Mayor Wilt, a leader of the New
Orleans Thugs, for the same position.
Previous to this the Democrats
had confidently counted upon a sufficient
majority to secure the election of their can
didate. As the roll-call proceeded, or
rather as the vote was being taken, they
discovered to their discontinue that their
candidate would be defeated and ex-Gov-
ernor Hahn elected. Two Democratic
members had united with the Republicans
in the support of Hahn, and as the GER
tainty of Hahn S success became apparent,
the Democrats made rush for the clerks
desk, drove him from the platform, and
proceeding with revolutionary violence,
assumed to elect Wilt to be Speaker.
Here is where the violence began No
where else The Democracy began the
turbulence which would have resulted in
bloodshed if the Republicans had not re-
Trained from forcible resistance. 1t should
be understood that during the pretended
balloting which resulted in Willis cleo
ton, Wilt himself occupied the chair as
temporary presiding officer, and in that
capacity controlled aud announced his
election as the result of a pretended vote
as follows Witt, Sc; Hahn, 2 blank, /.
Previous to this, however, according to
the testimony of the Associated Press dis
patch, the Give members not returned by
"the board were declared by a resolution
"members of the House and took their
"seats." Here was the violation of the
pledges to which we have referred. The five
contestants who had pledged themselves not
to take their seats until after the House
was organized, not only did take their
seats before that time, but participated liz
the illegal and revolutionary organization |
of that body.
NOr f1yfbar yroof oft I,o
ness of the Worlds comparison. General
De Trobriand, acting under orders from
General Emory, who had been directed to
aid Governor Kellogg in securing a fair
execution of the decisions of the Returning
Board, entered the hall after Wilt had as
sumed the full functions of Speaker. The
blasphemous farce of taking the oath of
office had been played by Wilt, and he
occupied the Speaker chair. De Trobriand,
as an officer, had no right or authority to
question any one. He was simply there to
obey orders. He might have inquired,
under other circumstances, how Wilt
could have presided at his own election,
instead of allowing it to be conducted by
the clerk of the last House, as the law pro-
Vides; but he simply caused two letters to
General Emory from Governor Kellogg to
be read, one of which stated that an illegal
body was sitting as the House of Repre-
sentatives, and that Mr.. Viger's clerk would
furnish him with list of those members
who had been duly elected, and as such re.
turned by the Returning Board. The other
letter contained request to General De
Trobriand to eject those members who had
not been returned as elected by the board.
Wilt protested that the organization had
been regular, and the result was that, in
spite of the protests of Wilt and his CO.
eonspirators, General De Trobriand was
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