The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-05-18
rsssntstives returned By the legal RETURN
Board Of the State.

, resentatives returned By the legal Returnln
Board Of the State.
aWn z. Kz11ooa,
II ssGOvernor Of Statfs
"The Speaker refused to. allow Mr.. viger
!; to read these documents, he mot being Clerl
of the House, and at the request Of Gen. ~
Trobriand they were read BY his Adjunut
Speaker Wil:z then asked Gen. De TEo
BRAND
'sHave you submitted these documents 4
"Gen. De Trobriand-I have not but
presume that duplicate copies have been sent
to him.
"Speaker Witt wish to say to you thai
since our organization we have admitted,
sworn in, and seated five members from the
referred parishes Are these members TO be
elected?
"Gen. De Trobriand-I am but . soldier.
There are NV orders. can not enter into Z
consideration of that question. The General
further stated that he was under instructions
to obey the orders of Gov. Kellogg.
"Speaker Witt respect You, General, -
| a gentleman and Q soldier, and dislike to give
you trouble; but !, like you, have duty to
perform, which / owe to my State-to main
tain the dignity and authority OF my position
as Speaker of the House Of Representatives.
Force will have to be used before can per-
NIT you to execute your orders.
"Upon the refusal OF Speaker Wiltz ana
Mr.. Irrelevant, Clerk, to point out the per-
sons, and the refusal of Speaker Witt to al
low VIM. Vgers to call the roll for the pur-
pose of identifying the members, Hugh ].
Campbell and T. D. Anderson assisted Gen.
De Trobriand in identifying the members to
be elected.
"s Gen. De Trobriand then ordered his
soldiers, fully armed with fixed bayonets, into
the hall from the lobby, and approached tho
members successfully, while ID their seats
namely, Oquinn, Vaughan. Stafford, LeAfys,
Luckett, Dunn, Kelly, Koran ana Land
and, one by one, he caused them to be taken
from the hall by his soldiers, each gentleman
solemn protest, in the name of his constitu-
.nts, against the unlawful expulsion. Thus
were gentlemen ignominiously arrested, and,
despite their public protestations and their
appeals to the Speaker and the House for
protection, which neither could afford, were
taken from their seats and forcibly elected
from the Hall of the House of Representatives
of the State of Louisiana, at the point of the
bayonet, by officers and soldiers of the United
States army.
Gen. De Trobriand then proceeded to
the Assembly, and for that purpose brought :
file of soldiers to the Speakers stand, when
The Speaker arose and addressed the House
IS follows:
"'As the legal Speaker of the House OF
of the State of Louisiana, I
protest against this invasion of our hall By the
soldiers of the United States, with loaded
nuskets and fixed bayonets. We have seem
our brother members violently seized by force
If arms, and torn from rs in spite Of their
'olemn protests. We have seen Q file Of
olders marched up the aisle Of the hall Of
he House of Representatives Of Louisiana.
md have protested against this in the name
II q once free people. In the name Of the
lown-trodden State of Louisiana, I again
inter my solemn protest. The chair of the
speaker of the House of Representatives Of
he State of Louisiana is surrounded by
United States troops. The hall of the House
+ Representatives is in the possession Of
rmed forces, and call upon the Represent
tlves OF the State OF Louisiana to retire with
ne from their presence
Speaker Witt then left the hall, followed
y all the conservative members, the hall
cling left in possession of the military"
These proceedings left the hall in the pos
ession of Gov. Kelloge's friends, and Il Il
eedless to say that the judicial-militarv gov
rnment was restored to unquestioned power.
What is the justification for these proceed
lgs! We ask the question in the name Of
publican institutions which we have bean
ught to revere, and which have been trans,
lifted to us as precious legacy, ACQUIRED bv
reat and almost continuous expenditure nf
God and treasure through several centuries.
ne justification has been attempted ON the
'ound that the Wiltz House was unlavfni
~ -; ois0foefiy. but this justification wholly
lis. The assemblage was entirely lavfni
'cause IT was composed of men whose duty
was under the law to appear on Chat dsv
at place, and proceed to business. Uniav-
Iness could not, therefore, be predicatad
their absence, for even the military onard
d admitted the legality Of that sbv
lowing their entrance. Once in. the f.ct.
sarly SHOW that the House became orcan-
%: Ii there was error or illegality in ~.
ttlng the i've members. it was one vhich
uIo not De corrected either by executive a.
n or by force OF arms. II was an erro,
lic9 the House alone could correct, by viz
OF lts pienary and exclusive power. But
re as plainly entitled to seats :.
OF the rest, and it would have
On an act of manifest injustice for Az
'use to deny them the privilege Of taL;rSs
"a seats No person or COMMITTEES thes -
sr examined the subject has ventnrs3 - :.
~ their right. The whole Congressional
mm,ttee sent there to inquire'in into the facts.
,, amrmed 1t IN the most emphatic terme
! condemned the Returning Board as arh;,
ry' unfair and unjust in raising any one i, -
concerning it. When, therefore Cen
1robriand's soldiers, with muskets. ana
,onets; forced those members from TIA
use, they were guilty of as high-handad -
rage upon free institutions, and n cis-;s..
invasion Of representative PRIVILEGES q
Cnaries l, when with like force h. -
lPted the arrest of the FIVE member. -
ia sps Who's. whose course displeased him !.
pared to join in reversing the condsr.. 70
which long since the public Opinion ~
az Df''ain and America passed upon the
the the a.. House Is was not legally oraan-
rement that a Legislative hod1 40
anlze the first hour, day or week. o. v v;.l
disorder. Some Of us have vivid VIZ. w.sl-