The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-03-31
RADICAL ASSUMPTION.

The State official journal Of this mornini
promulgates an act of the General Assembl.
"making appropriations for the general ex
penses of the State for the year 1875; pro
viding for Deficiencies existing in appropria
tions for the year 1874, and for the paymen
Of claims and obligations due by the State o
Louisiana prior to the 1st day Of January
1874" ETC. 1t fills three columns, and bear:
the signatures. of Speaker Hahn, Lieut.. Gov.
Antoine and Gov. Kellogg. The date of APP
prevail is March q, or twenty-four days after
the close of the session, March 3.
From this it is plain that in all Republican
or Radical circles the Hahn House is held to
be a body capable Of passing finally and le-
gally upon bills, and that it had, therefore a
legal and constitutional quorum at the time this
bill was passed in the House. 1t is undoubt-
eddy expected that the lower and Supreme
courts will hold the Appropriation bill as duly
and properly enacted by both Houses and
duly approved. Yet it is notorious that,
from the moment when Speaker Wilt and all
the returned Conservative members Of the
House retired before the bayonets of United
States soldiers until the House adjourned
sine die March 3, at about ~ p. NJ,
there was no quorum present full House
is one hundred and eleven, of whom fifty six
are necessary to form quorum. The Re-
turning Board returned one hundred and six
Mr.. Wilt and fifty-one returned Conserva-
tives Withdrew January 4tn, and never en-
tered the House afterwards. Oaly ffty-tour
were left Of those returned as elected by the |
Returning Board, and only that number was
lett on the list of returned members as fur |
nished by the Secretary of State in pursuance
of law. Thus, when the pretense of the
election Of Mr.. Hthn as Speaker took place,
there was no quorum present. Even two or
more OF the remaining fifty -four Radical men,
bers were absent from the city.
The members less than quorum had
authority to do nothing but to meet from day
to day and await the arrival, or compel the
attendance of absent members enough
to constitute a quorum. They did
neither, but trusting to the fctions of
facile and INSCRIPTIONS officer pro-
ceeded to organize by the election of Hahn
as Speaker, who, two hours before, had par
tlcipated as a member and as a rival candi-
date in the election by which Mr. Wilt was
legally chosen Speaker, and who acquiesced
that election.
The Hahn House, which started without
quorum, never cured and never can cure this
initial defect 1t will be competent for the $
House, any time before the 4!h March, 1876, {
70 review the journal Of January A, 1875, and {
IN the errors there exhibited, declare that j
Hon. Michael Hahn, of Jefferson is not and Y
1as never been, the Speaker of that body r
Yet it to be presumed that our brazen oppres- |
ors will persist to the last in the assumption S
# legality and of the validity Of their legis- t
alive action. In any State not ruled by {
ayenets and the will of tyrant, all the pro- s
ceilings of such a pretended House would p
. declared and held as utterly null, void and h
none effect in law fl
From this we need not be at loss to anti lie
pate what such body will be when the Ii
fairly elected Conservatives de- d
land from Hahn and his Radicals the scepter
much abused authority. i