Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1875-02-19
The Louisiana Comuromise.

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to compromise the Louisiana Difficult.
ties and the causes that led to the
failure. The despatch says:
1t is evident that the responsibility
for the failure rests with the Demo
cratic schemers in the South. 'Lost
Ditchers," as they are called in Louis
iana,--and with the Democratic lead
ers North, who have been so unpatri-
otic, so unmanly, so wickcdly ambi-
tious of personal power, as to desire
the continuance of the Louisiana i'm
broglio in the expectation thatanarchy
there may do political service in the
campaign of 1876 The most au-
thentic information here is that these
persons, for the sake of supposed
partisan advantage, hope for con.
tinuance of the turmoil and mistor-
tunes in that unhappy State. Imne-
diately upon the arrival of the COM
mittee in New Orleans, the McEnery
people repeated proposition which
had been made to the Foster Com
mittee for an arbitration as to the
election of 1872. The subcommittee
doubted their authority to arbitrate.
The Conservative caucus then sub
mitted new proposition, which was
to submit the returns rs to the con-
tested seats in the Legislature to all
the members of the committee, or to
Wheeler, of Now York, alone. The
committee was unwilling to assume
the responsibility They did not wish
to set up Il Legislature. The Con-
sentative caucus invited a proposition
from Wheeler. The committee d.
rected Wheeler to proceed. He did
so. The members of the committee
in this matter acted as citizens, not
officially. The Conservative caucus
is composed Of the Conservative
members returned by the Returning
Board, and of the Conservative con-
testants of seats in the House. In
response to this action, Wheeler
made the proposition which has been
published. The proposition, in effect,
was that the contestants should ac-
cept the Congressional Committee
there as arbitrator; that the Kellogg
Legislature should accept the award
if ratified by the House Committee
on Election; that the Assembly, with
out approving the Kellogg election i'll
1872, should agree not to disturb the
existing order of things until new
election. This proposition was sub
mitted to the Conservatives on We'd
nesday, and on Friday night after
eight hours session, the Conserya-
tives agreed to accede to these pro-
visions by vote Of 3S to IL. The
resolution which the caucus decided
should be adopted differed from the
resolution as drawn by Mr.. Wheeler
in the initial sentences, which, in the
caucus proposition, were as follows:
"Without approving of the results of
the election of 1872, we hereby agree
to acquiesce and abide by the results
of the same" Mr.. Wheeler accepted
this change, and it seemed that, with
this acceptance, the resolution of the
terrible Louisiana question seemed
near at hand. Both the Kclloggites
and the Conservatives then well UNI
dcrstood that the award Of the com
mittee would place Conservative
majority in the House. In this Kel-
logg asquicsced. He believed, i'll
deed, that that would strengthen
himself by having such a Legislature
as the award of the committee would
provide. Speaker Hahn Immediately
supported this compromise. The
members of the Committee on Privi-
lcges and Elections were ready to
report in favor Of seating the mem
bers who should be decided to be en-
titled to seats under this award
Members of the Republican Legisla-
ture were ready to vote for the report.
All that was necessary was that the
Conservative members who were re-
turned by the Returning Board,
should 60 into the Legislature and
vote with the Republicans to scat the
men who were adjudgcd by Wheeler
and h is colleagues to be entitled to
seats to make the organization of the
Legislature complete and legal
Thirty-eight of the Conservatives
were pledged to vote for the joint
resolution recognizing Kellogg as de
facto Governor. These votes, with
the votes of the Republicans, would
have adopted the resolution. This
plan was acceptable to large por-
ton of the business men of New
Orleans, many of whom called upon
Wheeler, Endorsed the arrangement,
and entreated him not to leave Louis
lana till the difficulties had in some
manner been adjusted. The Picoy-
me and Times, in very earnest cdi-
torials, urged the acceptance of the
proposition, and, on Wednesday, at
the latest, the award would have been
made and the report Of the Legisla-
ture would have been adopted, and
the agreement contaminated without
delay or debate.
At this junction the mischievous
influence of the New Orleans Bulle-
tin, the White League organ, came
into play. A call for public meet
ing, accompanied by an inflammatory
appeal, was published in its columns.
In violent editorials it denounced the
as shameful, and called
upon the people to repudiate it. The
meeting was held, and 1000 turbu
lent spirits were in attendance. The
speeches were most violent, and re-
solutions were passed denouncing the
action of the caucus. Influenced by
the meeting and the articles in tho
Bulletin the Conservative caucus re-
assembled to reconsider its agree
ment, thus showing that they, as we'll
as the Kellogg officials and negroes,
are afraid Of the mob. After a SEES
sion of one day the demands of the
mob were acceded to.
This proposition left out the recog-
milton of the Kellogg government
and the adjustment Of the difficulties
arising out Of the election of 1872.
Its proposition was that that election
should be included in the adjustment.
1t also substituted for the joint reso-
luton an agreement of the Conserva-