494 



LOUISIANA. 



Judge is a man of courage and coolness, and I can- 

 not tell whether he will attempt to take his office or 

 not. I have not seen him recently, and have no 

 definite information of his purpose. As long as any 

 or all of these officers choose to refuse to exercise 

 the functions of their office, I conceive I am not 

 called upon to do any thing in the matter. My in- 

 structions cover the following points, and will be 

 carried out : 



That I recognize as legal State officials only such 

 persons as are recognized as such by the recognized 

 executive or judicial officers of the State ; that in the 

 legal exercise of their duties such officers must not 

 be violently disturbed or interfered with, and if such 

 violence occurs it shall be my duty to suppress it ; 

 and that my advice to all persons is, that if any 

 question of right exists for any person to hold office, 

 that such person shall be taken before the proper 

 legal tribunals. 



The leading Kadicals have left. The usual wor- 

 rying and harassing of negroes go on without inter- 

 mission, but lately no acts of violence have come to 

 my notice. Such acts are now confined to plunder- 

 ing, with or without some show of legal forms, and 

 driving them from their homes to seek places to live 

 elsewhere. Very respectfully your obedient servant, 



LEWIS MERRILL, 

 Major Seventh Cavalry, commanding. 



The circumstances attending the organiza- 

 tion of the Legislature on the 4th of January 

 constitutes one of the most memorable events 

 in the history of the country. Different re- 

 ports have given somewhat varying details of 

 the important events of that day. Four re- 

 ports, however, have been made which may be 

 regarded as official in character, and which 

 fully represent both sides of the controversy. 

 One is the official report made to the Govern- 

 ment of the United States by General Sheri- 

 dan, who had arrived in New Orleans several 

 days before the meeting of the Legislature, and 

 assumed command at nine o'clock on the even- 

 ing of the 4th. Two were prepared for pre- 

 sentation to Congress by committees of oppo- 

 sing political parties in the Louisiana House of 

 Representatives ; and the fourth was made by 

 the members of the Congressional Committee 

 who had visited New Orleaus to investigate 

 the condition of affairs in Louisiana, and were 

 witnesses of the events of the 4th of January, 

 in the Legislative hall of that State. (The last- 

 named report will be found under the title 

 PtiBLift DOCUMENTS.) As the matter is of the 

 deepest current interest, and will be of impor- 

 tance in the future, it becomes imperative to 

 preserve in permanent form whatever may 

 throw light upon the proceedings of that day. 

 The other reports above referred to are there- 

 fore here given as follows : 



GENERAL SHERIDAN'S REPORT. 



HEADQUABTEBS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE 1 

 MISSOURI. > 



NEW ORLANS, LA., January 8, 1875. ) 

 To Hon. W. W. BELKNAP, Sec^y of War, Washington : 

 I have the honor to submit the following brief re- 

 port of affairs as they occurred here in the organiza- 

 tion of the State Legislature of January 4, 1875. I 

 was not .in command: of this military department 

 until nine o'clock at night on the 4th instant,but I fully 

 indorse, and am willing to be held responsible for, 

 acts of the military as conservators of the public 

 peace upon that day. During the few days in which 



I was in the city prior to the 4th of January, the 

 general topic of conversation was the scenes of blood- 

 shed that were liable to occur on that day, and I re- 

 peatedly heard threats of assassinating the Governor, 

 and regrets expressed that he was not killed on the 

 14th of September last; also threats of the assassina- 

 tion of Republican members of the House in order to 

 secure the election of a Democratic Speaker. I also 

 know of the kidnapping by the banditti of Mr. Cou- 

 sin, one of the members-elect of the Legislature. 



In order to preserve peace, and to make the State- 

 House safe for the peaceable assembling of the Legis- 

 lature, General Emory, upon the requisition of the 

 Governor, stationed troops in the vicinity of the 

 building. Owing to these precautions the Legislature 

 assembled in the State-House without any disturb- 

 ance of the peace. At twelve o'clock William Vigers, 

 the Clerk of the last House of Representatives, pro- 

 ceeded to call the roll, as according to law he was 

 empowered to do. One hundred and two legally- 

 returned members answered to their names. Of this 

 number, fifty-two were Republicans, and fifty Demo- 

 crats. Before entering the House, Mr. L. A. Wiltz 

 had been selected in caucus as the Democratic nomi- 

 nee for Speaker, and Michael Hahn as the Repub- 

 lican nominee. 



Mr. Vigers had not finished announcing the result, 

 when one of the members, Mr. Billieu, of Lafourche, 

 nominated Mr. L. A. Wiltz for temporary Speaker. 

 Mr. Vigers promptly declared the motion out of order 

 at that time, when some one put the question, and 

 amid cheers on the Democratic side of the House 

 Mr. W iltz dashed on to the rostrum, pushed aside Mr. 

 Vigers, seized the Speaker's chair and gavel, and 

 declared himself Speaker. A protest against this 

 arbitrary and unlawful proceeding was promply made 

 by members of the majority, but Mr. \Viltz paid no 

 attention to these protests, and on motion from some 

 one on the Democratic side of the House it was de- 

 clared that one Trezevant was nominated and elected 

 Clerk of the House. Mr. Trezevant at once sprang 

 forward and occupied the Clerk's chair amid the wild- 

 est confusion over the whole House. Mayor Wiltz 

 then again, on another nomination from the Demo- 

 cratic side of the House, declared one Flood elected 

 Sergeant-at-Arms, and ordered a certain number of 

 assistants to be appointed. Instantly a large num- 

 ber of men throughout the hall, who had been ad- 

 mitted on various pretexts, such as reporters and 

 members' friends and spectators, turned down the 

 lappels of their coats, upon which were pinned blue- 

 ribbon badges, on which were printed in gold letters 

 the words " Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms," and the 

 Assembly was in the possession of the minority, and 

 the White League of Louisiana had made good its 

 threat of seizing the House, many of the Assistant 

 Sergeants-at-Arms being well known as captains of 

 White-League companies in the city. Notwith- 

 standing the suddenness of this movement the lead- 

 ing Republican members had not failed to protest 

 again and again against this revolutionary action of 

 the minority, but all to 1 no purpose, and many of the 

 Republicans rose and left the House in a body, to- 



f ether with the clerk, Mr. Vigers, who carried with 

 im the original roll of the House as returned by the 

 Secretary or State. The excitement was now very 

 great, and the acting Speaker directed the Sergeant- 

 at-Arms to prevent the egress or ingress of members 

 or others, and several exciting scuffles in which 

 knives and pistols were drawn, took place, and for a 

 few moments it seemed as if bloodshed would ensue. 

 At this juncture Mr. Dupre, a Democratic member 

 from Orleans Parish, moved that the military power 

 of the General Government be invoked to preserve 

 the peace, and that a committee be appointed to wait 

 oh General de Trobriand, the commanding officer 

 of the United States troops stationed at the State- 

 House, and request his assistance in clearing the lob- 

 by. The motion was adopted. A committee of five, 

 of which Mr. Dupre was made chairman, was sent to 



