The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-02-13
CORRECT HISTORY
M THE COMPROMISE FIASCO
Complete Record of Proceedings.
The Propositions Submitted.
what would have Resulted from
the Acceptance of the
Wheeler Compromise.

The compromise business" has never
heen thoroughly understood by the public.
-rhe secresy with which the proceedings were
conducted, and the air of mystery which sur.
rounded them, have made it extremely diff.
cult to get at all the facts. They have been
gradually developed, however, and we now
4 Complete and Correct Account
of the transactions in the compromise move.
ment.
Events have clearly demonstrated that the
mission Of the Hoar Committee, under cloak
of another investigation, was to entrap the
place them in default before the tribunal OF
the people, and settle to the glorifcation OF
Gran. the Louisiana question.
The committee had been in this city but a
short time when by letter an interview was
requested by Mr.. Hoar with number OF
gentlemen of the Conservative party. These
gentlemen were Gen. Randall Gibson, Con.
gresham elect, and E. D. White, Esq, Of
the parish of Orleans, Messrs. James Jeffries,
Of Rapides, A. H. Leonard, Of Caddo, Ger.
John Young, of Claiborne, and DR.. w. A.
Robertson, Senator from st. Landry. They
responded to the request, and met Mr. Hoar,
in company with Mr.. Frye at the rooms of
!. the former gentleman, and at this meeting
The First Compromise Propositions
.were made.
Mr. Frye acted as spokesman, ard the
proposition he submitted was that the Con.
9resssional Committee would return Mr. Mon.
cure as Treasurer, and aConservative majority
of from ten to thirteen in the Lower House,
with Witt as Speaker, with no other reserva-
ton or guarantee than that the House and
Conservatives would not take any action
against the existing government Of revolu-
tionary character, but would, in whatever
action they took, comply strictly with the
forms of law. Action Of revolutionary
character was distinctly understood to mean
the counting of the votes of the election of
1872, and the unseating Of Kellogg and in
stallation of McEnery.
The gentlemen representing the Conserva-
tives stated that the.proposition was accepta-
BILE, and they had no doubt that it would be
adopted and endorsed by the caucus.
Mr. Hoar said that he would see Kellogg
and submit the proposition to him, and would
notify the gentlemen when he was ready to
meet them again and have the proposition
in writing, and they retired.
\ Gen. Gibson waited two weeks for the
promised notification, and then addressed a
communication to Mr.. Hoar, requesting in
formation as to when another meeting would
be called.
Mr. Hoar's reply was that the matter was
in the hands of Mr.. Wheeler and that he was
managing the affair.
Two or three days after the receipt of this
letter two of the gentlemen who were present
at the meeting submitted to the Democratic
caucus "the ultimatum of Mr.. Wheeler" with
the information that it could not be changed
either in word or punctuation. This,
The Second Prop sition,
was as follows:
Whereas, it is desirable to adjust the diff
culties growing out of the general election in
this State in 1872; the action Of the Returning
Board in declaring and promulgating the
results of the general election in the month
of November last, and the organization of the
House of Representatives on the 4th OF Janu-
ary last; such adjustment being deemed neces-
sary to the re-establisment Of peace and order
in the State:
Now, therefore, the undersi gned members
of the Conservative party, and claiming to
have been elected members of the House of
Representatives, and that their certificates
of election have been illegally withheld by
the Returning Board, hereby severally
agree to submit their claims to seats in the
House of Representatives to the award and
srbitrament Of George f. Hoar, William
A. Wheeler, William P. Frye, and
Samuel S. Marshall, members Of the Con-
gressional Committee, now in New Orleans,
who are hereby authorized to examine and
determine the same upon the equities Of the
several cases: and when such award shall be
made, we hereby severally agree to abide by
the same, and such Of us as may become
members OF the House of Representatives I'M
der this arrangement hereby severally agree
to sustain by our influence and votes the
Joint resolution hereinafter set forth; and the
UNDERSIGNED. claiming to have been elected
Senator's from the Eighth and Twenty-Second
Senatorial Districts, hereby agree to submit
their claims to the foregoing award ana
arbitrament, and in all respects to abide the
results Of the same; and the undersigned
holding certificates of election from the Re
turning Board hereby severally agree that
upon the coming in of the award Of the fore
going arbitrator,
They will, when the same shall have been
ratified by the report of the Committee on
Elections and Qualifications of the body IN
session at the State House, claiming to be the
House of Representatives, attend the strings
Of said House for the purpose of adopting
said report, and if said report shall be adopt
ed and the members embraced in the foregoing
report shall be seated, then the undersigned
severally agree that Immediately upon the
adoption of said report they will vote for the
resolutions:
Therefore, be it hereby resolred By the General
Assembly Of The State Of louisiana, That said
General Assembly hereby declares its &C.
quiescence in the existing State government