Year: 1872

.uo Sonate VI LOUISIANA was ioS"hJ .o"''


tuted. but there still was some question


to the legality of the constitution {


the House of Representatives. Still h
did not see how Congress or the govern
ment OF the United States was to determin


that question. So far as he had had IN


formation from there. things seemed to b
. going along rather better, or to be at leas


approximating more peaceable solution


His judgment was that things ha,


better be left alone by Congress


and that matters would settl,


themselves. He had not voted against th'


resolution, because several gentlemen il


the House and elsewhere were very decided


in their opinions on the subject, but as til,


question had now come up, he deemed i


his duty to say exactly what he thought OF
the subject. He did not think it necessary
for the committee to go to New Orleans, oil
to investigate the matter here. If it evel
had been necessary, he thought that neces
sity was less SO now than it had been be
fore.


Mr.. Garfield said he was glad to see that
| Louisiana was so nearly restored to her
| right mind.


1t seemed to him that there was little to
| be investigated concerning the State gov
ernment OF Louisiana, SO far as Congress
had power to investigate, but there was an
element down there which he thought Con-





the conduct of the officers Of the govern
ment of the United States in the city of
New Orleans. If public report was to
re trusted. a revenue cutter of the
United States had been used to car
ry away portion of the Legis-
lature. and to keep them out OF
the reach of the officers. He thought that
the conduct of the officers of the cutter
ought to be investigated, and the orders
which they had received for making that
movement. If the officers down there had
done a tithe of what had been alleged
against them. it was high time that their
conduct should be investigated: and if they
had not done it, it was high time that the
government should be freed from the
Odium which would so justly tall upon it if
those things had been done.


Mr.. Farnsworth inquired whether resOlu-
ton calling upon the Secretary OF the Treas
ury for information as to whether the rev.
enue cutter had been so used answered all
the purposes.


Mi Garfield replied that he was not now
speaking as to the best method Of getting
information, but he thought that if Congress
was for making any investigation at all, it
should see to it in the first place that the
agents of the government were not med
ding in the affairs of Louisiana.


Mr.. Sheldon remarked that the President
and Secretary of the Treasury were in pos
session of all the facts relating to the &C
tions of the United States officers at New
Orleans. and were competent to manage
the affairs themselves.


Mr.. Beck said that when the question first
came up as to the sending of select COM
mittee he had voted against it, because the
joint committee Of the House and Senate
upon alleged outrages in the South had been
looking into the condition of all these States
nd hot hot ho
committee to carry on the investigation,
but the House had thought otherwise. He
believed that if any investigation was had
it should be held upon the spot, and the
House ought, therefore, either to withdraw
the committee altogether, or to direct it to
90 to New Orleans. and furnish it with
means for doing so. 1t should do some
thing or do nothing. An investigation at
Washington would amount to nothing at
all, and the reports from Louisiana were
not to be relied upon. If gentlemen would
read what Governor WarmOth said Of
Mr.. Carter and his faction, they would
come to the conclusion that these
merely were a set of plunderers and thieves,
and if. on the other hand, they would read
what was said of Governor Warmoth and
his faction by others who were acting on
the other side, they would be equally salts
fed that he was wholly unit for public
trust. When that question had been up
before the Joint committee on Southern out
RACES, every Democrat on that committee
had voted to go to Louisiana and investi-
gate the condition of things there, while
every Republican member OF the committee
had voted against that proposition.


Mr.. Stevenson asked Mr.. Beck to state in
fairness to the committee that when that
motion was made the recent events III Lou
isiana had not occurred


Mr.. Beck replied that at the time that mo-
ton was made and voted down by the gen
tleman from Ohio and his friends, "a conven-
ton had been held in New Orleans, and the
Customhouse officers called in the military.
These recent events had not occurred, but
others equally as disgraceful had occurred.
1t had been known to the committee at the
time that Governor WarmOth and his fac
ton had not only DISTINGUISHED every man
opposed to them, and required every man Of
fering to register to take an oath that he was
in ia .or of everything done in the State since
1865, but that they had also robbed and
plundered the State to an enormous extent.
That was the condition OF affairs down
there. The way Louisiana was going on
was disgrace to American civilization, and
he therefore trusted that this committee
would 90 down there. The committee could
not touch anything down there it would not
find 10 be rotten to the core; boiling over
with corruption, and rising only to rot.


Mr.. Sypher stated that he had voted for
the committee, AMI had done so in view Of
the condition of things at New Orleans,
where there was no security for life or
property; where business houses were
closed, and where no business could be
quartered in the city, the militia called out,
and the Metropolitan Police stationed
around the State House. He referred to the
proclamation of Speaker Carter, winch ap-
peared in this mornings papers, and spoke
of that official placing himself to-day at the
head of two thousand armed men, with
two pieces Of artillery, and invest
ing the State Capitol OF LOUISIANA;
and vet. with that condition or things.
these gentlemen talked about there being
no reason to send a committee to New Or
leans. He concurred with Mr.. Garfield,
that the investigation should reach the gov
ernment official, there, and he concurred
with Mr.. Beck as to the prevailing corrup-
ton in the State; but he thought it pre-
vailed among the Democrats as much as
among the Republicans. When the Dem
ocrats wanted Ignorant members Of the
Legislature to become their tools and to
vote for their schemes, they corrupted them
to do so; but the schemes were concOcted
by the old citizens of the State. If ever an
occasion existed for the committee to go
there, that occasion existed now.


Mr.. Garfield wanted to know what the
committee was to do against 1000 men and
two pieces Of artillery. [Laughter.]


Mr.. Dawes said that he had introduced
the resolution raising the committee, and
had not done SO suddenly or until after de-
liberation and consultation. Since the
raising of the committee it had been stated
in newspapers that efforts had been made
by the executive and others to prevent its
going to New Orleans. He had only to say
tbot II u,oS mt trua II was not trua that