Wilmington journal., 1875-01-08
HEADQUARTERS.
PROCEEDINGS IN CONGRESS.
LOUISIANA AFFAIRS IN THE
HOUSE.


% After some local business Hale. [
Maine, offered the following resolu
n ton:
:. WHEREAS. The disturbed and revo
> 'utionaiy condition of afftirs in Louis
= lana threaten the destruction of la!
= and order and civil rule in that State
? and
q WHEREAS, By section of article
y | of the Constitution il Is made the i'm
perative dnty Of Congress to guarante,
, to every State of the Union Republi
q Can form of government, and
WHEREAS. In the Judgment of this
. House, tn, most practical mode of ren
{ ! dering this guarantee effectnal in the
; C sse of Louisiana is to remove ali
sense of wrong and oppression from
the mind of its people by a new, far
md we'll guarded election for their
civil officers; therefore,
ResOtUed That the judiciary Com
mittee be instructed to prepare ano;
report. without delay, bill providing
tor "a uuw election of State officers and
representatives, in Congress, III Louis
lana, under such guards, restrictions
and guarantees us will ensure the fullest
liberty to every citizen to exercise the
right f suffrage without fear and with
out restraint, and as will provide for
ailch a count and declaration of the
result as will ensure to the rna jority
their constitutional AMI legal rights
| Mr.. Hale-As objection is made |
now give notice that { will on Monday
cext move 10 saspaud the rules IL or
der 10 aaOps this resolution. / do not
propose to take the subject from the
s5el,c5 Committee if the Hnuae ciOust.
~ send it tG it, bat the impotency of
any committee getting information
that will solve the question is airendv
hown by the fact that the mot high
handed pror"rliBgs have taken place
while the Cot..uittee IS sitting ther".
Mr. RandalI-Who las committed
these high-hauded proceedings?
Mr. Cox-Tfe gentleman from Maine
h IS given notice that he will offer his
/ tesolution next Monday, I give notice
| of another resolution on the same sub
| iect which cOmprAhends the 'dea of the
withdrawal of the military force from
Lnui%ia,la | hope the line Will be
drawn on that.
! SENArE-After local business was
| trasact.1 the Senat> resumed the con
| ~i(lertfion of :llt. resolution suh;nitttd d
yesterday by Thurman, in regard to-
the Louisiana troubles. Pending which
tie QUESTION beng on mUtis'n nt tnjl
| ling to insert the words III not IN
compatible with pnhlic interest"
West, of Louisiana, said It was
| somewhat remarkab; thnt those who
thrust this resolution upon the Senate
declared that they were in possession
of all ti, facts about Louisiana; yet
they wanted the President to send i'll
formation to them. He then spoke Of
the condition Of affairs III Louisiana,
and quoted from the dispatch OF Gen. |
Sheridan to show that it was naces- |
sary for the Government TO interfere |
10 protect life in that State. 1t had |
been charged here by Senators on the
othyr side of the Chamber that the |
President had used the army in Lou |
isiana in violation of the law. They |
need not think that the President had |
made mistake. He might make mis-
takes some times, but he never made Il
military mistake 1t had heen charged |
here further that Gen. Sheridan Wa
ordered to New Or cans over the |
Genera, Of the Army, and contrary to
all uSdSes. He, West, before com
mencing his speech, fortunately had
found upon the floor OF tire Senate the
Secretary of War, and upon asking
him if such had been the case, tie
Secretary replied in the negative, and
handed the evidence to him to contra
dict the statements that the General
OF the Army had been ignored.
West then SEM to the Clerk 5 desk |
and had read the following letter re-
c..ived by him from the Secretary OF
War:
HEADQUARTERS OF THE ARMY,
ST LOUIS. Mo,
Dec 80, 1874.
To " ". Belhnap, secretary Of Var,
Washington
GENERAL-I have the honor to ac-
knowledge the receipt OF your conf
lentiai Communications of December
10Th, with the enclosures.
Very respectfully,
Your ob'd't serv't,
w L SHERMAN, General
Salisbury, of Delaware-That IS
simply az acknowledgement OF the re-
ceipt of confidential COMMUNICATIONS,
and does not state the character Of |
them.
When this resolution shall have
been passed and all the information |
comes out, the Senator will See that it
was an acknowledgment OF the receipt |
Of ali the orders and communications |
III reference to General Sheridan being !
ordered to New Orleans. That is the |
tact, and | know it to be so. He then |
proceeded to review the circumstance |
attending the organization of the Leg
lslature in New Orleans, on Monday |
last, and charged that by the lawa of |
Louisiana the acts of the Con |
seryatlve members of that Leg |
Isiature were illegal, v1oent and !
at the outrage lie perpetrated upon |
his people, he stood agha +, at the |
spectacle presented i'll this, Senate yes |
terday, u spectacle OF one portion of |
the members seeking TO ruin the fair |
lame and tue honor Of the people of |
one section of this country before the |
civilized world. He WAS amazed, ut |
terly amazed, that there should be
found i'll the hearts of men with whom |
he daily associated upon this floor SO
much hate, he was totally unprepal ed
for it, and if he believed to day that
the expressio ons, which he heard from
Senator's lips yesterday, reflected the
sentiments OF the Northern people.
he would feel that it was time for the
Southern people to die. IF he believed
that these expressions fOreshadowed
the policy of this government towards
the South, then he would say let us
have done with this farce of local self
government. He did not believe that
such sentiments were entertained by
the Northern people, he did not be-
ieve that the brave men against whom
5Ile people of the South had lately CON
tested entertained any such seutime nG@-
He beneved the great majority Of the
American people, both North and
South, white and black, abhorred any
such a spirit of animosity. He be-
lieved the movement inaugurated in
1872 by that large headed and large
hearted man of New York to bring
about good feeling andharmony would
be successful. III the support which
| he (Gordon) gave to the resolution, as
/ presented by the Senator from Ohio
! (Thurman), he protested against Hny