The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-01-30
A SENATORIAL FRAUD.
In closing his recent message to the Legls-
1nilrre The Governor Of Louisiana said:

In closing his recent message to the Legis-
lature the Governor OF Louisiana said
eannot close without entering nv solemn
p tie sesa STATES SENATE ecu under the forms
the constitution. In refusing to Louisiana tue
representation in that body to which sne WIS
entitled by rejecting the claim to a seat therein
of the Hon Henry NJ. spofford. who was elected
by you In accordance with the constitution anu
laws Of this State and Of the United States WIN
exceptional unanimi'y.
Inst week the House of Representatives., by
a large majority, and Monday the Senate, al
most unanimously. passed q preamble and res
olutions. declaring that the Senate OF the
United States in seating w. p. Kellogg had
recognized as representative OF this State "a
preie,der who misrcpresents her people,
with one voice tho press of Louisiana, from
tho borders OF Arkansas to the shores of the
Gulf have repudfated the action Of the Senate
in this matter, and the people have proclaimed
and denounced Kellogg as fraud and impos-
tor, without any authority to represent their
interests or to speak in their behalf
No man, we venture to say, has ever occu-
pied scat in any representative body In any
free country under such extraordinary cir
cumstances. We venture to say that no hon
est man, nay, no dishonest man with even
tho sense of decency which sometimes char
acteriae genteel rascals, would be willing to
occupy such a seat under such circumstances.
The Governor OF the State, the Legislature
Of the commonwealth. the people and press OF
Louisiana, repudiate the preteHsions OF KEEL
logg to represent them In the Senate; and yet
there without the faintest blush upon his
brazen cheek which whole people have
slapped and spat upon, he sits in the Ameri-
can Senate, the stencil of the dead and rotten
ing carcass of carpet baggery; the filthy re-
fuse of the Ubiquitous era of DEMONSTRATION; the
detested "reminiscences of military violence; the
foul creation of fraud, partisan villainy and
desperate and INSCRIPTIONS political trickery'
The freedom OF elections has never before
been so ruthlessly violated as 1t was In the
seating of this pretender; no body Of public
men ever more conspicuously disgraced them
selves than did tho Republican Senators when
they voted to admit into their body this out
cast from the society of the State he pretends
to represent: never have the American peo-
pie looked upon more painful and humili-
ating spectacle than that of this ostracised
| oarpet-bagger and fugitive from his pretended
| constituency, seated In the Senate.
The Governor and Legislature, In denounc-
| ing the invasion Of the rights Of this people
| by the Senate in admitting this repudiated
pretender, with his hands fresh from the
| pockets of our people, and his claim based on
fraud, performed one Of their highest func'
| tions. A people who suffer an invasion OF
| their constitutional rights, however minute
| tho instance may be- to pass by without q de-
| termned resistance, take their first step to-
| ward the overthrow of civil liberty and order,
| and the destruction Of all interests which de
pend upon the stability Of the laws and the
force of public virtue. We think there is moth
ing finer in the English language than what
Junius has said on this subject: " Real honor
and real interest are the same; l am not con-
tending for vain punctilio. A clear, un
blemished character comprehends not only
the integrity that will not offer, but the spirit
that will not submit to an injury; and wheth
| or it belongs to an individual or a community
1t Is the foundation Of peace, of independence
| and safety Private credit is wealth, pub
| lilo honor Is security; the feather that adorns
the royal bird supports its flight; strip hin
of his plumage, and you fix him to The
earth"
| 1t was the first and most solemn duty Of thu
Legislature to initiate the Governor and GIVE
official enunciation to the universal will of thu
people with respect to Kellogg. Both houses
Of that body have done 50 in emphatic terms
They have declared that W p. Kellogg Is {
fraud and pretender. and that Hon. II. M
Spotford, one of the ablest and most trustee
citizens of the State Is entitled to the seat thu
| ,l,r,,,
occupies.
VIII Kellogg give heed to the enunciation o
the Governor the declaration of the Legisla
ture and the imperative demand of the peopl
of Louisiana, and crawl out Of the chamber
he disgraces and the sight of the people whom
he disgusts?