Middletown transcript., 1877-01-13

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mittees Of both the Senate and House 0
Representatives have inquired into tn
matter, and their reports to tho abov
effect were spread before the two Houses
but no proper or effective action wa
taken in either House, although ther,
was some approach to action by th'
House of Representatives in February
1875, in an irregular way, through
what was known as the "Wheeler plan
or compromise" This, however, was
poor patch upon an edi6ce that was
defective to its very foundation Con.
gress is bound by the constitution to see
that every State has republican form
of government, and, in order that the
readers Of the LEDGER may understand
how entirely Congress has neglected
and refused the performance of this
duty in the case of Louisiana, we shall
refer to few facts from authority that
cannot be successfully disputed
Just after the State election Of 1874
Judge Henry Dibble. who was then, as
be is now, an adherent of Governor
Kellogg, and who was then the counsel
for Kellogg's party, and an officehOlder
under Kellogg's government, wrote to
Judge Foster, then Of the National
House of Representatives, and mem
ber of the House investigating commit
tee, that the Kellogg Government and
Legislature had no title but that derived
from a counter-revolution designed to
check and defeat revolutionary move
ment of the Democrats that, in point
of fact, the State of Louisiana had no
republican form of government, and
that there was no way out of the situa-
tion but through the interposition Of
Congress. Later on February, 1879
Committee of the House of Repre-
sentatives, after an official visit to
Louisiana, reported what we shall pro-
ceed to state in a condensed form, so
far as the report relates to this phase Of
the subject That Committee was COM
posed as follows: Messrs. Foster, Of
Ohio; Hoar, Of Massachusetts,; Frye,
of Maine; Wheeler, of New York, and
Phelps, Of New Jersey, Republicans;
and Potter, Of New York, and Mar
shall, of Illinois, Democrats.
When they came to make up their
report TO be submitted to the House,
the Committee divided, two Republicans
and two Democrats making the ma
jority report, and three Republicans,
Messrs. Hoar, Wheeler and Frye max
ing the minority report. As the mi
nority report was full and well reason
ed document, we shall use that, as ex-
pressing, in the matter now under con
sideration, the conclusions which were
more emphatically stated by the ma
jority They said, among many other
things, in accounting for the excited
state Of feeling among a large portion
Of the population, that there had been
much dishonesty and corruption in the
State and local administrations, and
great NAL administration by Republican
officials; that the action of the officials
relating to the election for Governor in
1872 were $50 tainted with fraud and
on both sides that the action
Of neither Of the pretended Returning
Boards" can be relied on; that the
order of Judge Durell (Which led to
the installation Of the Kellogg Govern
ment) and 1.-The So called canvass made
in the interest Of Kellogg seemed to
them (the committee) to have no va
lidity and to be entitled to no more re-
spect whatever )" that With reference to
the election of 1874 the result brought
about BY the proceedings of the Return
ing Board, which proceedings they
marked by their emphatic disapproba-
ton was to defeat persons elected to
the Legislature, and to elect those who
were defeated at the polls; and that
the further result of this was to change
the political majority ofthose authorized |
to organize the Legislature In view
Of all this, and of the Intervention of |
the National Government, tie Com
mittee said, Congress is brought TO face
he fact int III he State of # Louisiana
there is a Governor in Office who owes
his seat to the interference of the ma
tional power, which has recognized his
title to his Office. not by means Of any
ascertaiument of the facts. but has based
its action wholly on the illegal order Of
a Judge and ia the same State Legis
lature. one branch of which derives its
authority partly from the same illegal