Los Angeles daily herald., 1876-02-20
LETTER FROM WASHINGTON.
THE LOUISIANA QUESTION.
r~ -

Next TO the late SchleSWlg- H0lSteln
and Herzegovina troubles the Louis
lana question is perhaps the most ir-
repressible and complicated. In 1878,
Pinchbeck was elected to the United
| States Senate. He-was not admitted
on the grounds that there existed at
that time no legal State government
in Louisiana. For three years the seat
| has remained vacant, and about $780,
600 in salary and mileage has accumu-
| lated. A few weeks ago Mr.. Gustis,
Democrat, was elected by new Leg
islature and under a different execu-
tive government than, that in exist
ence when Pinchbeck was elected,
his election was legal or not is what
the Senate is about Ito decide, and
whether an adverse decision will es-
tablish Pinchbeck's claims to the seat
is quite another question. Under the
Wheeler compromise" the present
Kellogg government is legal. But the
manner of the recent election of Gus
tbs, the second claimant, is legal
question. In the Legislature the Dem
ocrats have majority of one on joint
ballot. The House is democratic !;
the Senate, Republican. The Senate
refused to go in joint convention,
whereupon the nine Democratic and
three Republican Senators-just one
third of that body" secededn and
joined the House in joint convention.
In the meantime, the Republican
members of the House bolted. but
leaving majority of all the men,
bers elect in session. O. The 1877 men,
bers of the two Houses, - members
participated in this cleo, from
the House; II from the Senate. There
was majority from one House : a
minority from the other; but n clear
majority from both combined. Mr..
Gustis, the Democratic claimant, re-
ceived this majority of 72. 1t is ques-
tion whether the II Senatorial'vo
are legal? Can Il Senators adjourn that
body regardless of the opposition of
the other "a? 1t seems clearly un-
reasonable. And if so, these twen-
ty-four Senators have, by refusing
to go in joint session, defeated the
wishes of large majority of the Leg
islature, and can prevent the election
of a Senator as long as they choose.
In such case the minority would rule.
The law regulating the election of
United States Senators requires a
"majority of all the members elected
to both Houses to participate in Joint
convention. Many construe this to
mean a majority of the two Houses
combined, and not a majority of each
House. AS it requires majority of
either House to resolve itself into joint
convention with the other, this argu-
ment does not hold good. These are
the questions that the Senate will con-
slider Thursday, when the Pinchbeck-
GUSTS case comes up.
THE CENTENNIAL VOTE.
Eighty-six Republicans voted for
the Centennial grab, and Is against it.
There are 107 in the House. OF the
ia Democrats, So voted for it, and 106
against it.
1t has been discovered that there is
grave error In the wording of one of
the many buncombe "whereases,"
which will necessitate its amendment
in the Senate, and its being sent back
to the House, to again run the narrow
gauntlet of only 16 majority in vote
of 294. ..,.
CLAIM AGENT ATTORNEYS.
A bill has been introduced in the
House prohibiting Department Off
cials from acting as attorneys for
claims or applications for patents be-
fore any of the Bureausin in which they
are employed, or were employed when
such claim or application was pend
ing. When such law is passed, there
will not be so many Department Off
, cials resigning paying sinecures to be-
come "claim agents." 1t is what
might be called "shystering" dodge.
They remain on the Bureaus long
enough to learn the general business,
the method of collecting claims, their
nature, the mode of practice, and the
general secrets of the office, when they
resign to appear before the office they
have just vacated as prosecutors of
claims of which they have just made
themselves familiar-and that, too, at
Government expense.
PACIFIC COAST MATTERS.
The Hon. w. A. Piper has intro
duced joint resolution in the House
providing for the modification of our
treaty with China and Japan. So as
to prevent the immigration of our
Southern fellow-citizens, the Chinese.
The resolution was referred to the
Committee on Foreign Relations, and
will undoubtedly be reported back fa-
vorably.
Senator Sargent has introduced a
resolution requiring the Committee on
Public Lands to find out when the Pa
cific Railroads We're finished. So that
all lands in the grant, which were not
sold within three years after its COM
pletion, may be placed upon the
market, open to settlement at Sl25 per
acre, in accordance with the Act OF
1862. 1t is generally believed the
I roads were finished in 1869. when that
last spike was driven with such blow
out. SCANLAN.
| For clans, quails, ducks, chickens