The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1877-04-21
LOUISIANA.

LOUISIANA
The Louisiana middle, thank heaven has
finally cleared itself by the collapse OF the
Packard legislature and the full and unqueS'
t,onablv LEGAL organization of the Nichols
legislature For the last two weeks the whole
effort of Hayes commissioners was directed
to the single point of securing such fusion
of the two legislatures as both parties should
agree to. The Packard party strove TO have
the legislature fused on the basis of the count
of the Wells returning board, by which the
Packard party would have seven or eight ma
jority IN the house and the Nichols party a
majority of three in the senate. On the other
hand the Nichols party proposed to fuse on
the basis OF the returns made by the election
commissioners. the returning board clearly
having no jurisdiction over the election OF
members of the senate and house; and on this
basis the Nichols party would not only have
majority Of five in the senate, but also OF
seven in the house. The commissioners IA
vored the latter plan as more conformabie 10
law, but the Packard party of course rejected
it with disgust. And thus the negotiating,
anu debating and secret caucusing among
the commissioners and the rival legislatures
and leaders went on until Thursday, when all
at once five more members Of the Packard
body-all negroes, but all clearly elected both
by the return Of the commissioners and the
returning board, deserted the Packard and
went over to the Nichols legislature, thus
leaving the Packard body without quorum
on either basis, and giving the Nichols body
an ndisputable quorum in both houses on
both bases
This was exactly what Nichols had been
for from the beginning-ihis was the
sole condition On which not only Hayes, but
even Grant had agreed that his government
should be recognized without further ques'
ton. 1t was in fact, the solution OF the
whole trouble-the end of the strife. War.
moth ar Gen. Mcmillan, white men and the
most iniIu, ~'ral men left in the Packard body,
and who hai stuck to him through thick and
thin, now candldly conceded that the Gig
was no" and advised Packard to surrender
10 inc lDeYlthDle dChpIu luuIc d
OF believing that there was still chance for
him, and showed logged purpose to hold
on; but day more will show him that he IS
utterly played out. Even his police around
the ST. Louis hotel, when they found out what
had occurred, turned upon him, ana for a.
while refused to let him out of the building
unless he made some arrangement 10 secure
their pay. The Nichols police had to come
10 his aid and relieve him from his unplcas.
ant predicament.
The Hayes commission, thus happily re-
ievcd of all further responsibility, will spend
, day or two more in New Orleans preparing
heir report, and will then jisperse; and be-
ore they are fairly out of The city, they have
10 doubt the order will come from Hayes to
New Orleans tor the T. S. troops that haye
Dten guarding Packard's state house to retire
o their barracks. And thus happily, by TAX
ng the democratic specific, President Hayes
,ets rid of another sore trouble, and another
tate of the Union is restored to her consttu.
ional right of se!fgsvernment.