The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1876-01-04
THE STATE CONVENTION.

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This body will assemble at u o'clocl,
M. tomorrow ut st. Patrick's Hall II
this city. We understand that It will
be Duinerously attended by delegates
elected from all Of the parishes, and |,
will be composed Of our ablest, most
patriotic and trustworthy citizens.
We believe that a Convention. charged
with more sacred trust, has rarely be-
fore met in this State. Denied the
right OF self government, crushed be
meath usurpation forced upon bcl
people by the unlawful use of the Fed
eral military power, Louisiana halls
this assemblage OF her devoted sons 1T
the council board and eagerly looks TO
them for her disenthralment
As the Convention Is composed Of the
representatives OF all the people OPP
posed to the Kellogg usurpation, the
manifest duty Of that body will be to
protest against IL, and appeal TO the
General Government to remove IL. II
has recently been urged that the adop-
ton of the Wheeler adjustment has
SttLltd tut IuCDuhV0s oDt
this has been urged as an estoppel
against all efforts to claim from Con
gress the decision OF that question. TO
this position has been superadded the
further objection that the people Of
Louisiana have acquicseed In the KEEL
logg Government. On these points we
hope that the Convention will plainly
and distinctly express itself. That the
House Of Representatives has the power
TO judge OF the election. qualification
and return of its own members. none
will deny. To fix tho statutes Of the
House, rs TO the composition and cleo
ton Of it's members, was the object Of
the Wheeler adjustment. and the
patriotic and able gentlemen who adj
vocated the adjustment intended
that tho award of the Wheeler com
mittec should have this extent and no
more. Not one Of them intend
ed to retire the claims of the
lawfully elected McEnery government,
and the claims Of this government were
never thus submitted for decision. The
in their report expressly
state that their Investigations were linn
United to the Legislative difficulties
which arose in 1874 and 1876, and that
they did not investigate those that orig
mated in 1872 Even II the contrary had
been intended or attempted, the effort
must have fallen stillborn, for the
power OF tho House OF Representa-
lives was limited solely to Judging as to
It's own membership, and could not de-
eide as to the validity or invalidity of
The claims of the State officers, or of the
membership of the Senate.
AS the House chose, in judging It's
membership, to adopt the award of the
Committee, that adopted
award should be scrupulously respected
IN the most perfect good faith, as to
Ill claims for membership which were
submitted to the arbitrament OF said
We seek not to disturb the
adjustment, rs far as 1t extend
ID, to wit: to the membership of the
but we deny that it extended to
the settlement of the issues between
he McEnery and Kellogg governments,
" that by any possibility, or under
my circumstances, it could extend
o them. Respect for the opinions of
I'll, the concession OF equally patriotic
motives to all, should be the rule, and
his kept firmly in view, the Convention
hould announce the limits of the ad-
ustment, and can do so with satisfac-
ion and with honor to all concerned.
The objection that the people have
.cquiesced in the Kellogg usurpation,
hould be unsparingly denounced. A |
more palpably untruthful assertion was
lever made. The people are as bitter
n their opposition to it as they were
n 1872. The resolutions of the people |
1 every parish in the State, the protest
1 Gov. McEnery and his associates,
he protest Of the Democratic Senators
pread upon the Senate journals, the
rotest Of the Conservative caucus, the
rotest OF the Peoples Committee
nd the resolution of the Democratic
nd Conservative State Central Com
littee, at its session which called the
tate Convention, are proofs that there
us been no acquiesence. If the Con-
ention, speaking for all the people Of
ne State, will convince the National
ongress that the people have not ac-
in the Kellogg usurpation, that
ody will hear our cause and give us
,lief.
This is the Conventions most impor- {
mt duty, for unless the usurpation be
there is no hope for the !
'ople by peaceful measures, or through {
e election of 1876 The Return. {
G Board, the Supreme Court,
ellog9's Election law, and
fraudulent census report. J
ready made, as the groundwork Of {