The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1875-03-26
Louisiana in the senate.

From the very able speech made ny Sell
ator Edmunds "a very bitter Radically OIL
the resolution to seat Pinchback, we copy
tho following strong legal points against
the Kellogg usurpation:
Mr.. Edmunds then read from tho consti-
tuition of Louisiana the clause prescribing
that the returns of elections shall be sent
to the Secretary of State, and by him to the
Legislature to be canvassed, and argued
that it was the original returns which the
theGsiamdEe hs hoar b nGs
of the constitution of Louisiana upon this
subject was almost the same as that in the
the count Of the vote for President and Vice
President. What would be thought Of that
to declare that the vote OF the electoral col
lege, instead OF being sent to the Vice Pres
ident President of tho Senate, should be
BY the President Of the United States, and
after the Returning Board should find re-
suit Which they he 70 be
action of the Senate and House to find out,
according to that return who was PRESIDENT
He {Edmunds) would have no difficulty in
saying that no matter what Returning
elected Pinchback was the legal Legislature
of the State, it was the duty of tho Senate to
know whether that Legislature was COM
posed OF persons returned elected according
to the constitution of ouisiana, or by some
intermediate body. He then read from tho
board, and said that the duty OF such board
was to- honestly make IA result of what the
original returns from the polls showed:
law organizing tho Returning Board. they
had the power TO set aside all returns from
was proved that violence existed but the
board had no power t" change the vote OF
such parish or precinct. Tho law itself gave
i the board no power !" thmper with me re-
| turns upon its own Judgment. The liber-
ties of tho State would be in u rather hope
less condition if the determination of tho
| people as to who should he their rulers was
to be coniided to any body of men what
| ever.
Tho law recognizing the Returning Board
declares that the board should certify to the
I Secretary of state the names of those per
sons which the returns from the polls show
to be elected. When an examination was
made i'll this case it would DO seen that tho
board which returned the ' men IS memnof
never had any returns from tho polls before
them. 1t returned these men as elected
. solely upon information which they receiv-
I OF: from great variety of sources. Mr..
Edmunds then read from the testimony be
Lynch board, and said he we'll understood
| how men, thinking that they were uphold
ing the Republican party, the party Of law
would severely condemn if committed by
their opponents. If such departure from
rity for liberty or right of any kind. He
could not palliate such lawless proceedings,
sHe ede prod1ea Of W
| a gentleman belonging to race which at
this time il was our policy to conciliate.--
| The action of the Lynch board could find
| no warrant in the law Or constitution of
| Louisiana. He then referred to the action
ting away from the unpleasant fact that the
body of men which elected Pinchback were
| gotten together by IL system of contrivances
were without parallel in the history of this
or any other free country. The Senate was
| not trying whether the credentials of Nc
Millen were good u whether McEncry was
the legal Governor. 1t did not follow that
/ because some other body of men acted as
badly as the Lynch board that tho claimant
! now before the Senate had any rights. The
question whether Pinchback was elect
| ell by the real and constitutional Legisla-
ture. 1t did not help the Senate to believe
| as he {Etlniunds) believed, that the election
in Louisiana in 1872 was carried by sys,
tenatic and vigorous system of fraud and
! Intimidation. The Senate would viol late it's
duty and become party to revolutionary
| and frludulcn proceedings tho moment it
puts its seal OF approval on them by adj
Knitting this applicant:
| Mr.. Edmunds further referred to the
action of tho Lynch board in returning men
| as elected from their knowledge of how the
parishes had voted in previous years, and
said he would like to be Il Returning Board
to return members for the next House of
Representatives. He might DO guided by
the fact that in IL majority Of tho Congress
sional districts of tho country for some
wears past there had been Republican ma
joritics, and, governed by such fact, he
majority in the next House; but he did not
think such II thing could be done. 1t would
SHOCK everybody. ASONernnlenG OF HDcrCN
had it's chief cornerstone III reverence for
law, and when any body of mon having
charge OF tho government east loose from
that, they would have revolution and tho
guiffotine, as in France tunufts and dis
orders of cvcry kind, as in Louisiana; be.
sides, tho tone of respect for tho law would
DO lowered when people only respected law
because it. backed by power. They
| would very soon either become tho abjcct
| slaves of II tyrant or would produce an OK
ploson which would carry them to anarchy,
and the Republican party had stood by law
| and insisted that their southern brethren
| should stand by it also. Let tho party DO
| careful thai il did not make an example
now worse than tho South had ever given.
| a speech was made by Andy Johnson on
| tho same subject. Even the moIgre report
| of what tho cN-PreSident said, made by
| telegraph, will DO pcrused with interest by
onr rcnucrs:
WASuiNuroN, March 22.-In tho Senate
every seat was occupied and thouS:tns were
snr"ing through the galleries to hear An
drew Johnson. After II O'Clock inSrcss
was impossible. The diplomat gallery was
we'll filled, and the Senate floor proper
crowded with privileged outsiders. Mr..
johnson was dressed in his usual st Vie of
| elegant ncatncSS. lie has u fun suit of
| grCy hair His voice, ut first low, grad
/ Hal