LOUISIANA. 





him through tho door, the Sergeant-at-Anns at tho 



rot' Mr. Wiltz, closed the door in their 



faces and forcihly prevented them from entering, 



allowed to enter until the atton- 



iiriand was called to thu fuel, 



- his order thu Republican members wore ad- 



1 and the five intruders were expelled. The 



members, with Mr. Wiltz at their head, 



then withdrew, and the House proceeded to organize 



ling to law. 



STATE or LOUISIANA, 



OrrioE or SECRETARY or STATV:, 



NEW ORLEANS, January 6, 1876. 



I hereby certify that the foregoing fifty-two signa- 



are the genuine names of tho members declared 



to be elected to tho House of Representatives of the 



State of Louisiana, us certified to by the Returning 



Board of said State, and as by mo certified to the 



Clerk of said House of Representatives as required 



l.y hiw. P. G. DESLONDE, Secretary of State. 



1 certify that the foregoing protest contained the 

 genuine signatures of nfty-two members of the 

 of Representatives whose names are upon the 

 list furnished me by the Secretary of State, in con- 

 formity with the law ; and I further certify that all 

 said members answered to their names at the roll- 

 call made by me at twelve o'clock noon on Monday, 

 the 4th day of January, 1875, being a majority of all 

 the members present. WILLIAM V1GERS, 

 Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives. 



Tho memorial addressed by the Conservative 

 members of tho llouse to Congress was as fol- 

 lows: 

 To the Honorable the Senate and House of Rtprestnta- 



tives of the United States of America, in Congress 



assembled: 



The House of Representatives of the State of Lou- 

 isiana, duly organized in accordance with the laws 

 of the State, would most respectfully state to your 

 honorable bodies that, having convened in the Cap- 

 itol of the State on the 4th day of January, 1875, 

 and having organized permanently according to law, 

 their Speaker and a majority of the members were 

 compelled to retire by the troops of the United 

 States ; the facts being as follows : 



On Monday, January 4, 1875, at twelve o'clock, M., 

 the Clerk of the former House called the roll of mem- 

 bers as returned by the Returning Board, to the 

 number of one hundred and six one hundred and 

 eleven constituting a full House and, after reading 

 tho certificate of the Secretary of State attached 

 thereto, announced a quorum present ; fifty-six being 

 tho number required. 



Thereupon, on motion of Mr. Billieu, of Lafourche, 

 which was carried, the Hon. L. A. Wiltz, of Orleans, 

 took the chair as temporary Speaker. Mr. Wiltz, as 

 Speaker, called the House to order. The oath of 

 office was duly administered to him by Justice Hous- 

 ton, and thereupon the Speaker administered the 

 oath to the returned members of the House. 



A motion was then made to declare Mr. P. J. Trc- 

 zevant Clerk of the House, pro tern., which was 

 curried. 



A motion was next made to appoint Mr. E. Flood 

 Sergeant-at-Arms. pro tern., which was carried. 



Motions and calls from both the Republican and 

 Conservative sides for a permanent organization fol- 

 l>i\ved, but, great confusion prevailing, the chair re- 

 fused to entertain any motion until order was some- 

 what restored. 



The following resolution, offered by Mr. Billieu, 

 of Lafourche, was then moved and passed : 



" Be it resolved, That James Brice, Jr., of the parish 

 of Bienvillo, Charles Schulcr and John L. Scales, of 

 the parish of De 8oto,C. C. Dunn, of the parish of 

 Grant, and George A. Kellev, of tho parish of Winn, 

 be ana they are hereby declared duly elected mem- 

 bers of this House, and as such are entitled to their 



VOL. xiv. 32 A 



eats, reserving to their opponents, if any, til rights 



-.-"" 



These five, being members from the four parishes 

 whose returns the Returning I;..: nl had neglected to 

 promulgate and had referred to the Legislature for 

 its decision, were then duly sworn in and took their 

 )Mtl< 



Thereafter, motions from both Republican! and 

 Conservatives were made for a permanent r. 

 tion, and the Speaker announced the motion < 

 Mr. L. A. Wiltz was nominated by the C'otiM-n 

 and Messrs. Hahn and C. W. Lowell by the Repub- 

 licans. Mr. Lowell declined. The Speaker then or- 

 dered the roll to be called, which roll was the tame 

 as called by the former Clerk, Mr. Vigors (thtu 

 functut offlcto), with the addition of the five names 

 above mentioned. 



The roll being called, the Clerk announced the vote 

 as follows : L. A. Wiltz, 65 votes : M. Hahn, t votes ; 

 blank, 1 vote Mr. Wiltz voting blank. 



No objection or dispute was made to the count, or 

 to the announcement of the vote. At tl.is juncture 

 several of the Republican members indicated a din- 

 position to leave the hall, and a number of them re- 

 tired. 



Mr. Wiltz was duly sworn, and, the roll being called, 

 the members came to the Speaker's stand and were 

 sworn in by him } four at a time, to the number of 

 fifty-nine, including Messrs. Baker, Drury, Hahn. 

 Murrill, and Thomas, Republicans, who remained 

 and participated in the proceedings after the perma- 

 nent organization. 



A motion was then made and carried to elect Mr. 

 Trezevant Chief Clerk of the House ; and another 

 motion was made and carried, electing Mr. E. Flood 

 Sergeant-at-Arms of the House. Thus was the per- 

 manent organization of the House of Representatives 

 effected, jn accordance with the constitution of 

 the State of Louisiana see Articles XVII., XX., 

 XXXIV., and XL., of Louisiana, and section 44 of 

 act 98, of 1872 and in accordance with law and par- 

 liamentary usage. The Speaker then announced that 

 the House waa ready for business, and notices of 

 contest of election were given. 



On motion of Mr. Dupre, of Orleans, a committee 

 of seven on elections and returns was appointed, 

 consisting of Messrs. Dupre, Pipes, Carloss, Young, 

 Hammond, Hahn, and Thomas. In the mean while. 

 during the proceedings in the House, an additional 

 number of police, with a crowd of disorderly per- 

 sons, entered tho lobby and engaged in menacing 

 altercation with the Sergeant-at-Arms and his ten as- 

 sistants. Finding that the Sergeants-at-Arms were 

 contending with the mob, the Speaker endeavored 

 to procure tho attendance of additional Sergeants-at- 

 Arms. and for this purpose addressed a note to the 

 officials who were in possession and control of the 

 barricaded doors of tne State-House, to allow fifty 

 citizens to be admitted for that purpose. This 

 request, made in writing, was refused. About one 

 o'clock, P. M., the disturbance in tho lobby grew se- 

 rious and a conflict was imminent. 



Then, in orderto avoid a collision, General do Tro- 

 briand, of the United States Army, who had some 

 time previously entered and occupied the State-House 

 with his soldiers, was sent for. After entering the 

 hall he was addressed by the Speaker as follows: 

 " General de Trobriand. at tho request of the mem- 

 bers of the House of Representatives, I have sent 

 for you to say that the House of Representatives of 

 the State of 'Louisiana is organized, with myself as 

 permanent Speaker, and to request you, if your or- 

 ders will permit, to please say a few words to the 

 unruly persons in the lobby, and thereby prevent 

 bloodshed. I feel and know that I can maintain the 

 dignity of the House, but it is not my wish, nor that 

 fit' tho members of the House, to bring on a conflict. 

 Hence you will oblige me if you will say a few words 

 to the lobby." 



The general then retired to the lobby and spoke 



