The comet. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1877-1882, 1879-04-05
The Perennial FLoii"Eg Case.
Washington Capital.

The Hon William Pitt Kellogg, construc-
lively of Louisiana, IS in fair way to be-
come again, as he has been SO frequently
! in the past, the pivot Of a great national
| issue. From time ImmemOrlal the Senate
has been fighting over Kellogg In fact,
with the exception of brief interim,
there has been a ''Kellogg case pending,
in some form or other, in the Senate, ever
since l made the acquaintance of that
distinguished body As far back as the
administration of the lamented Andy john
son, the Senate, or the Republican ajOrity
thereof, was fighting to keep Kellogg firm
ly fixed in the meridian of the New Orleans
m-houso. Subsequently ''the Kellogg
case" took the shape of dispute about the
governship Of Louisiana, which the Senate
finally decided in Kellogg's favor, irrespec-
tive OF the views of the people of the State
to be governed Still later, Mr.. Kellogg
appeared at the bar of the Senate with
credentials" from government which,
with the assistance Of the regular army of
the United States, governed about
quarter of an acre Of the total superticles
of the State to be represented; and the
Senate took him in after some formal de-
bate The government from which hcI-
logg derived his credentials, lncOntinently
vanished from even its building lot very
soon after Mr.. Kellogg wa- seated. and
emigrate.i To Liverpool leaving lp trace OF
it, fOrlu.r exist nee eXeag. 50" arrears ot
pay due cnlyrrd policemen aud ALr. h-l-
logg's .'crldcntisl,' "a file il the Senate.
In a moral point OK view, then, Nh
Kellogg As a Senator represents the reulu-
iscgac2 Of Mr. Fac&aIds tenancy hy suffers
auc1 Of a qulrter uf all acre Of tie oil Of
Louisiana: or even less than Senator Bum
side, vino Is supposed 10 represent the fee
simple Of at least an acre and a half Of
territory. But from a legal standpoint, as
viewed by Senators Edmunds, Conkllng
aud ether distinguished lawyers OF the
minority, Mr.. Kellogg is said to repre>
sent a State of rJS dJHifJtG, or words
to that effect, whatever they may mean
do not understand it to be claimed that
Mr.. Kellogg represents the State of Louisi~
ana: because his credentials do not embOdy
the certificate Of the governor of that COM
monwealth to the effect that he has been
chosen by the Legislature thereof. The
The claim is that lie represents a State of
gts GjudicH'T. his credentials are embodN
led in a resolution declaring him enti-
tlei to tine seat. and p-edicatiug his right
thereto upUu the choice ut the Senate Com
mittee on Privileges and Elections, rather
than 1iro,l the vote of The Louisiana legis-
latura. This is undoubtedly the most
interesting phase that the perennial Kellogg
case has ever assumed; for it involves the
great constitutional question whether the
Senate itself has power to elect Senators.
and whether the State of RS GllVdicJtE
is actually a sovereignty within the Union,
susceptible Of seuat rial repre- entation
un ior the Cons.itutiau Of the Fathers. the
Higher Iav Of the late William II. Seward
OF the Decorum OF the Senate itself. 1t is
indeed a grcrt question, aud l fear that 1t
viii not be- easily disposed of.