Year: 1877

4


view. The commission stated that
they had been here now two weeks
as agents Of the President, trying to
see If some plan Of adjustment. could
not be adopted. As republicans, the
commission said, they deeply sympa-
thized with us in our struggles and
Sacrifices, but. after two weeks labor,


we have come to the conclusion Gone
of the commission here interlaced the


words "not as commission, but as
individually that the terms offered
in the proposition which has been
handed by one of us to the chairman
Of your committee are the best we
can get for you, and for the sake OF
the republican party and for the sake
of the peace of the state it was best
we should acceptfthem. This was
endorsed by all the members present,
except Mr.. McVeigh. Gov. Brown
was not present. / for one was SUR
prised and indignant at the PROPOSE
ton made to us to thus sacrifice
duty, principle, honor, and every
thing. 1 said to General Harlan "do
you speak as o commission Z" He
said, 'I don't" t'Then,"I said, ~ de-
ny your right as citizen of Ken
lucky to come here and dictate to me,
member Of the legislature of Louis
lana, what / shall do" I asked one
Of the members of the commission if
he were q member of the legislature
as was, and believed Governor
Packard honestly elected, whether he
would accept these terms, and after
some hesitation he replied no. This,
in my opinion, is not question of
compromise; it is question of law,
question of right, and I trust every
member of this caucus will agree
with me to stand by and not let Pres
ident Hayes slip through the loop
hole which this commission is trying
to prepare for him. I believe the
time has come when we can say to
President Hayes, "You were elected
by the votes Of the republicans of
Louisiana, sealed by the blood of
hundreds of faithful men, and now,
forgetfnl of that, and forgetful even
Of the obligations Of your high Office,
you are trying to carry out a bargain
made by your advisers who came here
with nothing but honied words on
their lips and nothing but praises of
our matchless fidelity, while the re-
turning board were canvassing the
votes. You are trying to carry out
that bargain by saying, whilst you
have the matter under consideration,
republicans of Louisiana, give up the
fight. You shall not whip the devil
round the stump in that manner"


An excited discussion followed, in
the course of which it was stated that
one member Of the commission had
asserted that if this proposition were
not adopted the troops would be re-
moved in less than a fortnight, and
another commissioner said within a
week.


Governor Warmoth made long
speech, urging in defense Of President
Hayes that when he came into Office
he found Governor Packard labelled
across the back with telegraph dis
patch from the outgoing president
that the troops were not to be used
for the support of his government
He eulogized the patience, the endu-
rance and the determination exhibit
tied by Governor Packard in defense
of his rights. He concluded as fol-
lows: "If the members of this body
have manhood and personal and party
integrity enough to stand together,
never to leave their places and 60
over to the enemy, not one of them,
the right thing, the high toned thing,
the honorable thing, to do, is to send
back this document to the commission
endorsed The within proposition
submitted by the commission is re-
spectfully declined : but il there are
q lot of scurvy men in this body who,
after the majority has made deter
mination 10 stand by Governor Pack
ard to the end of this contest, will for
a paltry sum take their hats and
sneak by back doors into Mr.. Mich
oils legislature, why, in Gods name,
let us know it before hand. If you
have determined that you will not
compromise at all, let US say so in
plain terms and stand together till
the issue comes. If each man will
sign his name and pledge his word Of
honor to stand by this government
until honorably discharged by the
governor of this state, we will have
no difficulty in waiting and putting
the integrity of the president of the
United States to the test, and that,
whatever happens, we shall have ut
least SO acted as to save our self-re-
spect even if we do not have seats in
anybody's legislature"


RESOLUTIONS.


The following resolutions, offered
by Governor Warmoth, were then
adopted and the caucus adjourned:


RESOLVED, That we have received
the proposition of adjustment for
warded to us by the honorable gen.
tlemen of the presidents commission,
and having considered it carefully,
feel obliged to refuse to accept its
terms. Ii our legislature, organized
with quorum in both houses, of
members returned as elected by the
returning board, as required by law,
be illegal, as assumed by this propo-
sitiOn, and if it be true that the legis-
laturc should be constituted of per-
sons prima fdcie elected by the re-
turns of the commissioners of cleo
tions, we still fail to see by what right
an exception is made in this proposal
in favor of three persons from the 7th
ward Of New Orleans, who, by these
py'ina fdcie statements, were return
ed defeated.


Rcsolred, That we disavow any
purpose to trade on the questions at
issue between the two state govern
ments, and will consent to no trade
whatever. If we are to have q legis-
lature organized on the principle that
persons elected at the ballOt-bOx
should constitute each house, prima
facie, we know of nothing which
gives our democratic brethren the
right to make an exception to that
principle, although it may change the
power Of the respective parties, and
give tho democratic party majority
which they would not otherwise have.
ResolUed. That these resolutions be
forwarded to the honorable members
Of the presidents commission.


LEGISLATIVE cHANGELINGs.


New ORLEANS, April IS.-Gla (col-
0red, holding over senator heretofore
acting with the Packard senate, and
Henry Roby, returning board men,
Der of the Packard house, were to-day
seated in the Nichols legislature.
Brooks (colored), who was seated in
the Nichols house . few days ago,
and who was reported present in the
caucus at the st, Louis hotel this
morning made personal explanation
in the Nichols house this afternoon,
saying he only went down there to
n T. "A A.