The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1876-01-08

RonEnT G. WIoKLIrFr.
G. II. MooRE,
y. T. LEWIS.
j. ALLEN THOMAS,
Il. VINCENT REEVES,
/ JAMES II. MUSE,
LEWIS TExADA,
j. Ii. WILKINSON.
J. Ap. RozIER,
MCKINLEY GIBSON,
ED. q. MouToN,
j. i. JONAS,
ID. CAFrERy,
A. y. GEoRGE,
H. Il. KIDD,
+. T. PoouE.
Mr.. A. II. Leonard, Of Caddo a inem.
Der OF the Committee, submitted ths
following protest;
I protest against tho Resolution.
adopted, and also protest against their
acceptance by the Convention
First Because they attempt to de.
stroy the union Of the white people 81
Louisiana, crystalized ut the baton
Rouge Convention, into u party ON.
bracing oil parties and persons opposed
to Radicalism.
Second-Bocause the Convention VIVA
assembled under call from the Can.
trail Committee OF the Democratic and
Conservative parties, and has no rirbtt
to destroy these parties or merge ono
| In the other.
Third Because 1t Is unwise and I'm.
polite at this early date to define the
policy to be- persuod In the next cam.
paign.
| Fourth Because 1t Is impolitic ut thu
present time to do anything more than
elect delegates to the National Conyen.
ton. A. Ii. LEONARD, OF Caddo.
Mr.. Cross, of East Feliciana, moved
to strike out the seventh resolution.
On motion OF II. j. Deloney, OF Gar.
roll, Mr. Cross motion was ordered u
lie on tho table.
Mr.. Leonard, OF Caddo, offered the
following as an additional resolution to
the memorial and address reported BY
the committee:
RESOLVED, That the Wheeler Adiust.
mont was intended to settle, and did
settle, only the status OF members n
the General Assembly, and TO that OF.
tent has been accepted and approved
by. the people of Louisiana, but that
adjustment was not intended to give.
and did not give, any legality to ina
usurpation fastened on Louisiana by
the bayonet.
On motion Of Mr.. Dupre, Of Orleans.
Mr.. Loonard's resolution was ordered
TO lie on tho table.
The question recurring on the adop.
ton Of the memorial and address "a re.
ported by the committee, on motion ii
Mr.. J. Alcee Gauthrcaux, OF Orleans.
they were unanimously adopted.
Mr.. II. ii. Mari, of Orleans, on behalf
OF tho Committee on Address, submitted
tho following memorial and address:
To tho President and to the Senate and HOUSE
Of Representatives of tho United States oi
America.
We, the people Of the State of Louis
lana. assembled In convention through
their regularly chosen delegates, re-
spectfully petition this, our memorial
and petition, and ask for il respectful
consideration.
We assume that il has been establish.
cd before both Houses Of Congress that
the acting government In the State Of
Louisiana Is II usurpation !; that tho In
dividuals personating IL were never
elected by the people Of tho State, but.
on the contrary. were unquestionably
defeated at the elections held for tho
offices which they fill In 1872 and 1874;
that this Is true as to the Governor,
Lieutenant Governor, all the State off,
GERS, fifteen Senators, several Reprcsen-
tatives, one OF the Supreme judges, sew.
eral OF the district Judges, and many Of
the inferior local officers.
We further assume as a fact equally
established, that the lawfully elected
Governor, State officers, Senators, Rep
resentativcs, judges and inferior officers,
whose places are usurpod and held by
their defeated opponents, were, and are,
excluded from said official positions BY
the unlawful Interference Of the federal
authority, through it's courts, and
through It's military power.
The midnight order and double writ
OF mandamus and injunction issued by
Judge Durell, United States District
Judge, by which he organized the
Legislature, and for which no
arrested impeachment only by resigna-
ton; the seizure OF the State House by
Federal troops in December, 1872; the
by force of the State Legis-
lature and the arrest of Speaker Mon
cure In March, 1873 the expulsion Of
Speaker Witt and certain Represents
tives in the State Legislature, in Janu-
ary, 1875; the proclamations OF tho
President In April, 1873, and September,
1874, and the blood thirsty orders and
uAoUttJCutS III beiefdI DucJltiitH III Jun
1ary, 1876, are facts, the sickening re-
cital OF which has engaged the atten-
ton or the people of the Union, and are
too well known to justify repetition.
We also assume that it has been estab-
|ished that the right OF the people TO
elect their officers and representatives
has been taken from them and vested
in n partisan State Returning Board OF
I've members, chosen by the usurping
state Senate, and having the power
within itself to fill vacancies that may
occur In its membership; that 1t has
been established that this board may
gnore the official returns Of elections,
md substitute therefore ear parte ALI
tavits, their own opinions and calcula-
ions; that they may add Supposititi0us
,otes or reject legal votes, and so modl-
y the official returns as to defeat the
will OF the people and substitute there
or their own personal or partisan
,hoice Of candidates, and that the state
supreme Court has repeatedly decided
hat the declarations OF the Returning
Board are final and cannot be reviewed
~ any tribunal.
In view Of these facts, the people OF
he State see with alarm that the usurp-
ng Kellogg government which they
lever elected, and which, therefore,
Tot republican in form or in substance
s armed with the fearful power. o.
Ibsolute self-perpetuation and In view
Il the atrociously wicked, tyrannlcaI
md iawless conduct OF the usurpers, az