The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-01-23
PRICE FIVE CENTS.
CONGRESSIONAL.
SENATE.

WASHINGTON Jan. %. Mr. West of Louis
lana, presented the credentials of p. B. S.
Pinchback, as Senator elect from that State
for the term expiring March 4th, 1879, and
they were read at the clerks desk
MIR. Sherman, of Ohio, moved that the Gre
dentals and all accompanying papers be re-
ferred to the Committee on Privileges and
Elections
MIR. Thurman said he wished to know the
scope Of that motion; what purported to be
the credentials of this person, two wears ago
were referred to the Committee on Privileges
and Elections, and reported back to the SEN
ate; subsequently they were recommitted to
the committee at the request of the Senator
from Indiana (Morton)
Mr.. Sherman said it would be impossible
for the committee to make an examination of
all the facts in the case, unless they had all
the papers.
Il His motion to refer was agreed to, and
further consideration of the resolution was
then postponed till Wednesday next, and the
Senate resumed the consideration of the reso-
luton submitted by Mr.. Schurz, instructing
the Judiciary Committee to inquire what leg
islation is necessary by Congress to secure to
| the people of Louisiana the right of self-gov-
eminent. under the Constitution.
Mr.. Sherman, of Ohio, being enttleHto the
floor said ne did not regret that some little
time had elapsed since this question was last
discussed here, as it could now be debated
with less excitement if the subject could not
be discussed here fairly and calmly, where
could it be? He then referred to the organi-
cation of the Legislature in Louisiana on the
18th inst : said of one hundred and two men,
bers present then, fifty-two were Republicans
and fifty Democrats. The conduct of Witt
was bold and daring usurpation, and any
member would have been justified in going
up to the Speakers chair and taking him
| from his seat.
| He quoted from the report of Messrs. Fos-
ter, Phelps and Potter, and said it showed
Wilt had violated all law as well as the Con-
stitution of Louisiana. The Senators on the
Democratic side of the chamber had not
uttered one word of condemnation of the
course of Wilt while denouncing that of
Gen. Sheridan and Gen. Grant.
Mr.. Bayard, Of Delaware, said the question
before the Senate was not whether the con-
duct of Wilt was regular or irregular, but
| that it was not the province of the President
OF the United States to interfere in the organi-
zation of State Legislature.
| Mr.. Sherman, resuming, said: "This act
of usurpation on the part of Wilt, as q crime,
was more dangerous in its consequence than
the murder of hundred or thousand men.
It was the first time in the history of the
country where a minority had usurped the
rights of the majority in this manner. The
signal gun of all this trouble in Louisiana
was the usurpation of Witt; but for his con-
duct there never would have been any inter-
ference by Federal power in the Louisiana
Legislature.
Mr. Schurz said if the Senator was willing
to take the report of the House sub-commit-
tee which visited New Orleans as true, then
he must admit that the grossest frauds were
committed by the Returning Board, and.
fbaro hot ri If oil fh1
trouble.
Sherman said he would refer to the Return
ing Board. In his Judgment, Wilt would
have been overthrown by revolutionary force
had not Gen. De Trobriand interfered and
there would have been q scene of bloodshed
IN that hall.
Mr.. Bayard said Wilt had administered
the oath to 102 members who were present,
hence the Legislature was lawful body.
Mr. Sherman said the roll call had been
denied in that Legislature by the Democrats.
Suppose roll call had been denied in the
House of Representatives when Gen. Banks
was elected Speaker, did any one doubt that
there would have been bloodshed?
There had been half dozen times in the
history of the country where a refusal to call
the yeas and nays would have resulted in
bloodshed.
With the five men whose seats were con-
majority of that Legislature were Republican.
Nothing could excuse or de1end the lawless-
ness of Wilt in this matter. The Democrat
ic party in Louisiana had seized upon the Or
ganization Of the Legislature and trampled
liberty. .''' - ''A''''''''D''
n- They would rather win by force than gain
~ fairness. He sent to the clerks desk and
had read communication from the New York
Times, which he said, he learned was written
by D. w. Houghton, lawyer of eminence,
and he thought took an unprejudiced view Of
the whole matter. 1t was the duty of Kellogg
to put down that irregularity in the Legisla-
ture; the oath which he had taken compelled
him to interfere.
He could not do it by calling upon the
State militia because his call would not have
been obeyed. Under all the difficulties which
surrounded him, he was perfectly right in
calling upon the military power of the Gen
eral Government Gen. De Trobriand went
trample on the liberties Of any; he went there
to put out the five men who had no business
there. His colleague (Thurman) had asked
him if he approved of that, he (Sherman) ap-
proved Of It; the President Of the United
States did.
To call this Louisiana trouble great his
torical outrage, where the rights Of the peo-
pie had been trampled upon, was SIMPLY
making mountain out of q mole hill. Gov.
Kellogg had the undoubted right to call upon
the President to put down domestic violence.
The Legislature was not in session, and the
Constitution expressly provided that the
Governor in that case might call on the
President for aid What was the result Of his
Interference
No blood was shed, but the five men who
had no business there were excluded. The
Legislature would have acted on the cases Of
those members. He had seen Republican
House seat Democratic representatives and
Democratic House seat Republican representa-
tives. He had no doubt the Legislature would
have performed its duty, according to law.
Mr.. Thurman asked if his colleague did
not know that body now claiming to be
the Louisiana Legislature seated five men in
the place Of the five put out, without any in
vestigation whatever.
Mr. Sherman said he did not know it. but