Louisiana capitolian. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1879-1881, 1879-10-04
BATON ROUGE LOUISIANA OCTOBER 4, 1879

)TOBER 4, 1879.
A HISTORIC DAY.
THE FOURTH OF JANUARY, 1874
AND IT'S HERO.
New Orleans Democrat. !
After taking a survey Of the situa.
ton Mr.. Wilt went to the caucus
room and informed the members that
the situation was desperate, that un.
der the circumstances no plan could
be predetermined upon, and that
everything depended upon their i'm.
plicit confidence in their leader, and
that if he was to I've that leader, they
must signify their confidence by a
vote. The caucus at once passed IN
animOusly vote Of confidence in the
man who we are now told has not
fulfilled the expectations Of some
newspaper critics and patriots. In
this critical and dire emergency, at
this supreme moment when the very
lives and liberties Of the people were
in jeopardy, the eyes of every men,
Der of the caucus and the people Of
New Orleans turned to Mr.. Wilt az
the one man who could be relied upon
tn guard their rights. There YVES no
question Of his courage or fitness
then, and, when in response to the
vote Of confidence, he replied: "Gen-
tlemen, inasmuch as you have placed
your confidence in me, and as the Or
ganization of the House belongs
rightfully to us, pledge myself to
take possession of the chair and to Or
game the House or be carried out a
corpse Every man felt that it was
no idle boast, but a calm and DELHI
crate purpose to faithfully perform
the responsible and dangerous duties
that had devolved upon him.
It was a solemn and sad spectacle
when the Democratic and Conserva-
tive members, headed by Mr.. Wilt,
and attended only by ten persons to
act as officers and messengers, fled
into the narrow, bayonet-guarded
doorway Of the State House, or For
tress. 1t required no stretch of the
imagination to see,s over that en-
trance, the inscription which Dante
saw over the gates of hell. 1t was,
indeed, marching unarmed into the
very citadel of a perfdious and des-
perate foe, who were emboldened to
attempt any deed of violence by the
presence Of the troopers Of Sheridan
and Grant.
The scene that presented itself in
tho House was we'll calculated to
daunt the bravest heart. The Speak
er's room was filed with armed Me-
tropolitans, the lobby with the most
desperate hired negroes and white
bullies in the whole city, while armed
bodies of soldiers tramped through the
corridors, and the ominous sounds Of
marching troops without were plain
ly heard. ,.
After the roll was called by the old
clerk, a member nominated Hon. L.
A. Wilt as Speaker pro tenn. He
was declared elected, and at once
took his seat in spite of Vigers's re-
monstrance and amid much excite
ment in the lobby, which however, he
soon quelled. After much turmoil
the House went into permanent Or
ganlzation, and Mr.. Wilt was duly
declared elected Speaker. This en-
ranged the Radicals, and thereupon
many of them left amid such excite
ment and turmoil as has perhaps
never been witnessed in any other
legislative body. The screaming and
shouting of the foiled henchmen of
Kellogg were deafening, and threats
loud and deep were made, while wea-
pons everywhere cleaned in the
hands of men whose bloody records
made them dangerous. The awful
tension of that moment, the immi-
nence of almost absolute certainty of q
conflict, which would result in the
murder ofeveryD Democrat in that hall,
made men who had braved death on
a hundred battle-fields realize its
nearness. Those who were there still
speak of it as the most trying
emergency through which they have
ever passed, and recall the frightful
incident with a sludder.
How stood Louis Alfred Wilt in
those crucial moments that tried mems
souls I Calm and perfectly collected,
he maintained his position, and his
fearless and undaunted bearing did
much to prevent bloodshed and In
spire others with confidence. In the
midst of this stormy scene, knowing
that Gen. DE Trobriand was in the
corridor a motion was made and car
ried to ask him to preserve the peace
of the House.
When the General entered, accom-
panied by a staff officer, Speaker
Wilt addressed him as follows Gen.
eral, tho House of Representatives il
organized, with me as Speaker. ]
have been asked by members to in.
vite you here, and request of you iii
your order and duty will permit) to
say q few words to this unruly lobby
and to preserve the peace in the lobby
I feel that l can maintain the dignity
Of this House, but it might cause
bloodshed, and as it is not my de-
sire or the wish of my party and PEG.
pie to shed blood, you will mucf
oblige me by speaking to those un'
ruly people,
There are those who find fault will