Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1875-01-12
LOUISIANA.
Revolutionary Proceedings i'm the
EsP2iSIafurP.


HouSe OF R1DreSctlotiros ofuic = m. eJ Loysyi-
GENTLE,TEN: Your COMMITTEES selected 10
| prepare statement OF the revolutionary
| proceedings in the hall OF the house of repre-
/ ScntafivcS on Monday, January 4ta. beg
| leave To submit the following statement AMI
recommend that II he Immediately forwarded
| 10 the Congress OF the United states
Respectfully. James =. Mathews. ChaS.
| and X. II. Ray.
The returns OF the election held November
| -d, lNil. a> FTumUlgat"lby the proper return
| ing officers thereof According Il law showed
there were elected hfty-thrr,, republicans
! and ttty-thrce democrats, and there were
nNc seats FOR which the returning officers
/ had made no returns. which were referred
Tor decision of the right ID hold them 10 the
! general assembly. The whole number of the
| house OF representatives i III 4 quorum
/ Is "a majority Oi the members elected. and
was at ihat time 81: a quorum. when
! the whole number j. seated l. So \ Few davS
! prior To The day fixed for the meeting OF the
! general assembly posse OF Unauthorized
| persons secretly kidnapped \. g. Cousin. a
republican member. and 10y force and yio-
| lence conveyed him out of the city. under the
! color OF a pretended charge Of emieZZlemant
fifty miles across Lake PoutchartUst.n. To I:
distant parish. where theV held him ip CON
hnement until after the day lor thc meeting
of the general assembly. They afterwards
released him; the very men who made
me charge going on his bond and
acknowledging that their object in ar
resting and detaluln@ him was 10 break
The republican majority. Certain parties
meanwhile sought by the payment 0f several
thousand dollars TO certain republican mem
herS 10 bribc three OF them 10 vote for the
democratic nominee for speaker. ATTEMPTS
were made 10 kiduap other republican mfIn-
bCTS. Public and repeated threats were made
ior weeks previous 10 the 4th Of january OF
violence and assassination towards certain
republican members Of the general assembly.
These threats and menaCpS were rpDeaisl.
confirmed and endorsed 10y the press of the
opposition throughout the state. In cOnSe-
quence OF information IN his possession that
organized violence was intended and would
be used 10 influence the organization OF the
House. the governor placed the state-hOu~e
under the military command OF General
H. j. Campbell. of the state militia
who was ordered 10 assist ard sustain the
police. Under this order Gen. Campbell ex-
cluded from the building on Monday all but
omclalS OF the state government, members
OF Jle general assembly and persons claim
ing to be members. judges, Members OF Con-
gross. members OF the United States civil
military and naval forces The couStitu-
Uonal provisions 10 govern the organization
OF the house are as follows: Article .. The
House of Representatives shall choose its
Speaker and other officers. Article 81 Each
house of the general assembly shall judge OF
the juStificatiOHS. elections and returns OF IL,
members; but q contested election shall b.
determined in such manner aS may be pre-
scTibed by law. Article ST. Each house Ofthe
general assembly shall keep and publish |
weekly a journal OF its proceedings, aud the 1
yeas and nays OF the members on any qUes-
Ion at the desire OF two of them shall be en-
cred on the journal. The law governing the /
organization OF the house is as follows:
Section Il. article y, approved November |
80, 1s'2 That il shall bc the duty OF tine Sec
Ietary of State TO transmit TO the clerk OF tue 1
House of Representatives and the secretary |
OF the Senate Of the last general assembly a 4
list OF names OF such persons as according 10 /
The returns shall have been elected To either /
branch of the general assembly. and il shall /
be the duty OF said clerk and secretary 10 /
place the names OF representatives aud sena- |
tors elect 50 furnished upon the I
roll of the House and Senate raSpec- |
lively, and those representatives and /
senators whose names are placed /
by the Clerk and Secretary respectively, i'm |
accordance with the foregoing provision, and |
none other shall be competent 10 organize |
the house of Re epTeSen,atiVeS or Senate: /
nothing in this act shall be construed % con
fiict with Article NXNlN. Of the COnstitu- /
ton.
A. II o'clock on Monday. January 4th.
the State House being surrounded by an cV-
cited crowd of several thousand persons, the |
members assembled in tine hall Immediate |
~ afterwards, or a little before the clerk IA |
hhiShed The announcement OF the number OF |
members. who answered to their names. /
which Was ciO2. Mr.. Bllieu, representative /
from l-alGurche. moved that l.. y. /
Niltz. representative from Orleans BE /
elected temporary Speaker. The Chief /
Clerk replied that a legal motion /
was TO eject speaker. Mr.. Billiew payin l
no attention TO the protest Of the clerk, 70 /
ceeded hUIriedly TO publish his own mot on, /
against the protest OF all the republican rep
fcSent8tiVeS. The motion was put in QuiC X /
and excited manner. and not ia loud voice, /
and was voted for only by q portion of eve !
the democratic members. The negative was /
mol put at all. Mr.. Witt having previously /
taken position near the clerks desk. as quick /
as thought upon putting the motion, without i
waiting for any announcement OF the vote. /
Sprang to the speakers desk, where the clerk /
was standing, seized the gavel from his hand, /
and pushed the clerk violently off the stand, /
declaring himSalftempOrary speaker. Follow |
ing hlmWaS W. I, Houston, first justice Of the /
peace in the parish of Orleans. who took from |
his pocket a book looking like bible and /
proceeded TO go through the form OF admins |
tering the oath. Mr.. Wilt, a. temporary
speaker, assumed to administer the oath TO /
the members en- maSSe, against the protest OF /
the republican members. Some democratic /
members then made a motion to elect Treze-
want clerk. Witt put the motion and de- /
clared ii carried. TreZevant at once Sprang /
forward and took the clerks chair. Imme- /
diately after, in a hurried and excited man
ner, Mr.. Flood was elected Sergeant-at-
arms, upon motion by democratic mem
Der. Also, a motion was made from |
the same side of the house that number of |
assistant sergeants-at-arms be appointed 1
by the chair, which the chair declared car
ried, when large number OF members at
once appeared wearing badges, on which /
were printed assistant sergeant alarms"
While all the above motions were being put,
the republican members objected and called
for the yeas and nays, all of which was disre-
garded by the acting speaker. Colonel Low
ell, republican member, made the point OF !
order that the constitution OF the state al
owed any two members 10 call Tor the yeas
and nays on any motion.
Wilt decided the point of order not well
faken. (See constitutional provision above.l |
The pretended house then proceeded i'm
defiance OF law TO swear in five ad- |
ditional democratic members, To wit:
Joseph Bright, of Bienville; Charles Schuy-
Ter and John l.. Scales, of Desota; c. c. Dunn, |
of Grant, and George 5. Kelly, OF Winn, by |
which the democrats gave themselves a ma
ority. The republicans protested against
his violence and lawlessness, but their pro-
estS were disregarded. The democrats then !
assumed to elect a permanent chairman.
Wilt declared himself elected, after going
through the usual FORM after having received
as he claims, IS votes, which included thefiye
men seated in violation of law; the republic
can members Withdrawing, not voting as
they deemed the proceedings illegal. About
the time of withdrawal of the republicans
WiltZ gave or caused instructions 10 he give,
the persons assuming to be sergeants-at-arms
not 10 allow any one pass out of or enter the
house. Great commotion at once ensued and
quite a number of knives and reIolxerS