New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-01-12

A few days prior to the day fixed for II
meeting OF the General Assembly. pos
N of unauthorized persons secretly kidnappe
rs a. ). Cousin. a Republican member. and /
city under color of Al pretended charge I
- embezz!ement of SIS, across Lake Pon
L. chartrain to a distant parish. where the
g held him In confinement until after the da
v for the meeting OF the General Assembl,
They afterward released him. the very me
u who made the charge going on his bono
and acknowledging that their object in a.
resting and OBTAINING him was to break
Republican majority. Certain parties
o the meanwhile, sought by the payment c
o several thousand dollars TO certain Reput
q lican members to bride three of them t
vote. for the Democratic nominee fo
Speaker. Attempts were made to k!dna
other Republican members.
/, Public and repeated threats were mad
for weeks previous to the fourth of Januar
OF violence and assassination toward Gel
tain Republican members of the Genera
I ! Assembly. These threats and menace
( I were repeated, confirmed and endorsed b,
q the press Of the opposition throughout tn,
State. In consequence of information i,
: his possession that organized violence wa
intended to be used to influence the organ
| ization of the House, the Governor PLACED
, the State House under the military com
mand Of General Hugh J. Campbell. of the
State militia, who was ordered to assist anC
; sustain the police. Under this order Gen
eral II. j. Campbell excluded from the
building On Monday all but Officials o. the
State government, members of the General
, Assembly and persons claiming to BE- mem
bers. judges. members of Congress and
members OF the United States civil, military
and naval service.
The constitutional! provision 70 govern
! the organization of the House are as follows:
ARTICLE %. The House of Representa-.
tlves ehall choose its Speaker and other
, | officers.
ARTICLE 81. Each house of the General
Assembly shall judge of the qualifications,
elections and returns OF its members: bu. a
contested election shall be determined in
such manner a. may be prescribed by law.
ARTICLE IS. Each house OF the General
Assembly shall keep and publish. weekly.
a tourna! of it's proceedings. and the yeas
and nays OF the members on any question.
! at the desire of any two Of them. shall be
entered on the journal.
The law governing the organization Of
| the House is as follows:
Section forty-four. act No. 90, approved
November 30. 1872: That it shall be the
1 duty OF the Secretary of State to transmit to
the Clerk Of the House OF Representatives
and the Secretary of the Senate of the last
| General Assembly, a list of the nance of
| such persons a. according 20 the returns
shall have been elected to either bran.h of
| the General Assembly; and it shall be the
duty o; the said Clerk and Secretary TO
place the names OF the Representatives. and
Senators elect so furnished upon the roll of
the House and of the Senate respectively:
and those Representatives and Senators
whose names are so placed by tho Clerk
and Secretary respectively. in accord snce
with the foregoing provisions, aud none
other. shall Do competent to organize the
House of Representatives or Senate, Moth
ing in this act shall be construed 20 conf ct
with article thirty four Of the constitution
Of the State.
At IL NJ. Monday. January 4. 1875, the
State House being surrounded bv an ex-
cited crowd of several thousand persons.
the members assembled in the hall Of the |
House. and the Chief Clerk called the roll /
OF the House. Immediately atterward. or a |
little before the clerk lad finished the an.
nouncement of the number of members who |
answered to their names, which was iO..
MI. BDlleu, Representative from Lafourche, |
moved that l.. A. Wilt, Representative from /
Orleans. be elected temporary Speaker, The !
Chief Clerk replied that the legal motion !
was to elect Speaker. Mr. Billieu. paving
no attention to the protest of the Clerk, pro.
ceeded hurriedly To put his own motion
against the protest OF all the Republican
Representatives.. The motion was put in
quick and excited manner. and not
IN loud voice. and was voted for only !
by portUn Of even the Democratic
members. The negative was not put q.
all, lr. Witt had previously taken position
near the clerk's desk, and az quick "a |
thought upon the putting Of the motion.
without waiting for any announcement of
the vote. he sprang TO the Speakers desk
where the clerk was standing. seized the
gavel from his hand, and pushed the clerk !
of the stand and declared himself
temporary Speaker. Following him was
w. 7. Houston. first justice Of the peace,
parish OF Orleans, who took from hi,
pocket book looking like Bible, and pro-
'eeded to 60 through the form OF admins
ering an oath. +;
Mr.. Wilt as temporary speake, as.
umed to administer the oath to the
members en- masse, against the protes. o.
republican members. Some Democratic
MEMBER then made a motion to elect a Mr.. t
Irevezant rs clerk. Mr.. Wilt put the ! G
notion and declared it carried.
Nrs arevezant at once spranS forward l
MT took the Clerks chair. il
Immediately after, in a hurried and ex. +
tied manner, q Mr.. Flood was elected q
upon motion OF a Demo
ratio member: also. a motion was made
rom the same side OF the House that a
lumber OF assistant sergeants-at-arma be :.
ppoln:ed by the Chair, hich the Chair n
ecia1ed carried. when large number of Y
ersons at once appeared wearing badges ! II
which was printed assistant Sergeant "
t-arms.S While all the above motions ~
ere being put. Republican members OBJ. =.
cted. and called for the yeas and NAYS. all q,
which was disresarded by thu acting /;
Colonel Lowell. Republican member. =
ade the point of order that the constitu.
Oil Of the State allowed any two members
cal! the yeas and nays on any motion. =.
r. Witt decided the point OF order no, Z
ell taken. lSes constitutional provision in
'ove.) -,
The pretended HOUSE then proceeded, in
fiAncs OF the law. to swear in five addi-
NAL Democratic members, to wit: James
light. OF Bienville; Charles Schiller and Ia
I'm L. Scales. OF De- Soto:,C. G. Dunn. of
amt. and George S. Kelley, of VIM, by
lich the Democrats gave themselves = Sill
ajority. G.:
The Republicans protested aeain.. this
,lencs and lawlessness. but their protests
re disregarded. The Democrats then
sumed to elect permanent Speaker. Mr..
iltz declared himself elected after goin,
rongh the usual form. hating received az
claims. fifty five votes, which included -
five men seated in violation of law;
Republican members Withdrawing and
voting, as they deemed the proceedings
gal. About the time of the withdrawal Of
the Republican members Of the House, | me
+. Witt gave or caused instruction to be
en to the persons assuming to be ser. on
ants-at-alms not to allow any ono to be
- out OF, OF to enter the House,
at cOmmotion at once ensued and 90,
10 num9eF OK knives and re- Sp'
'efs were 0raWn ana displayed in 1
manner. Most of the Repub- tha
IN members had already left the room an,
Id great confusion, when Mr. Dupre. Of son
eans democratic member), moved tina, Ho
Speaker be requested 70 call on the /