LOUISIANA. 



457 



LOUISIANA. The second Congressional 

 Committee to investigate affairs in Louisiana, 

 consisting of Representatives George F. Hoar, 

 of Massachusetts, William A. Wheeler, of New 

 York, William P. Frye, of Maine, and Samuel 

 S. Marshall, of Illinois, reached New Orleans 

 and organized for their work on the 22d of 

 January. They were in session at the St. 

 Charles Hotel fourteen days, examining wit- 

 nesses and receiving statements, and completed 

 their lahors and left for Washington on the 9th 

 of February. 'Before they left, negotiations 

 had been set on foot for an adjustment of the 

 difficulties on the basis of an acquiescence in 

 the government of Kellogg, and a submission 

 of the claims of those members of the Legisla- 

 ture who had been excluded from seats to the 

 Congressional Committee for their decision. 

 Mr. Wheeler acted on the part of the com- 

 mittee, and the agreement was known as 

 the " Wheeler adjustment." The negotiations 

 originated with a caucus of the Conservative 

 members of the Legislature, held on the 23d 

 of January, at which these resolutions were 

 adopted : 



Resolved, By this House caucus, composed of the 

 Conservative members returned by the Eeturning 

 Board and those claiming to have been undoubtedly 

 elected but defrauded by the board, That, desiring in 

 the interest of our afflicted State to have a solution of 

 our political troubles, and relying on the integrity and 

 fairness of the four gentlemen members of the Con- 

 gressional Committee now in New Orleans, and in 

 advance of any investigation on their part, we. as a 

 body, hereby ask them, if the task is not considered 

 too onerous, to take the returns of the election of 

 1874, together with all fair and relevant testimony, 

 and upon such returns and evidence declare what 

 members of the Legislature were fairly elected. 



Resolved, That Hon. Louis A. Wiltz, Speaker of 

 the House, be requested to wait upon said gentle- 

 men and present to them a copy of this resolution. 



There were various consultations between 

 the committee and prominent Conservatives ; 

 and finally, in response to the resolutions of 

 the caucus, the following plan of adjustment 

 was submitted by Mr. Wheeler : 



Wftereas, It is desirable to adjust the difficulties 

 growing out of the general election in this State in 

 1872 ; the action of the Returning Board in declaring 

 and promulgating the results of the general election 

 in the month of November last and the organization 

 of the House of Representatives on the 4th of Janu- 

 ary last; such adjustment being deemed necessary 

 to the reestablishmeut of peace and order in the 

 State : 



Now, therefore, the undersigned members of the 

 Conservative party, and claiming to have been elect- 

 ed members of the House of Representatives, and 

 that their certificates of election have been illegally 

 withheld by the Returning Board, hereby severally 

 agree to submit their claims to seats in the House 

 of Representatives to the award and arbitrament of 

 George F. Hoar, William A. Wheeler, William P. 

 Frye, and Samuel S. Marshall, members of the Con- 

 gressional Committee now in New Orleans, who are 

 hereby authorized to examine and determine the 

 same upon the equities of the several cases ; and 

 when such award shall be made we hereby severally 

 agree to abide by the same, and such of us as may 

 become members of the House of Representatives 

 under this arrangement hereby severally agree to 



sustain, by our influence and votes, the joint resolu- 

 tion hereinafter set forth. And the undersigned, 

 claiming to have been elected Senators from the 

 Eighth and Twenty-second Senatorial Districts, 

 hereby agree to submit their claims to the foregoing 

 award and arbitrament, and in all respects to abide 

 the results of the same ; and the undersigned hold- 

 ing certificates of election from the Returning Board 

 hereby severally agree that, upon the coming in of 

 the award of the foregoing arbitrators, they will, 

 when the same shall have been ratified by the re- 

 port of the Committee on Elections and Qualifica- 

 tions of the body in session at the State-House, 

 claiming to be the House of Representatives, attend 

 the sittings of said House for the purpose of adopt- 

 ing said report, and if said report shall be adopted 

 and the members embraced in the foregoing report 

 shall be seated, then the undersigned severally agree 

 that immediately upon the adoption of said report 

 they will vote for the following resolution : 



Whereas, Doubts have existed, and still exist, as 

 to the legal results of the election in this State in the 

 month of November, 1872; and 



Whereas, It is alleged, and by a large portion of 

 this State believed, that the result of the election for 

 members of the House of Representatives and for 

 Treasurer, in the month of November last, was ille- 

 gally determined and promulgated by the Returning 

 Board ; and 



Whereas, These doubts, allegations, and belief, 

 have tended greatly to disturb the public mind and 

 unsettle confidence and injuriously to affect the ma- 

 terial interests of the State; and 



Whereas, It is deemed necessary to the welfare of 

 the State that an adjustment of the foregoing diffi- 

 culties should be effected : therefore be it hereby 



Resolved by tlie General Assembly of the State of 

 Louisiana, That said Assembly, without approving 

 the same, will not disturb the present State govern- 

 ment, claiming to have been elected in 1872, known 

 as the Kellogg government, or seek to impeach the 

 Governor for any past official acts, and that hence- 

 forth it will accord to said Governor all necessary 

 and legitimate support in maintaining the laws and 

 in advancing the peace and prosperity of the people 

 of this State ; and that the House of Representatives 

 as to its members, as constituted under the award of 

 George F. Hoar, William A. Wheeler, William P. 

 Frye, and Samuel S. Marshall, shall remain without 

 change, except by resignation or death of members, 

 until a new general election ; and that the Senate as 

 herein recognized shall also remain unchanged, ex- 

 cept so far as that body may itself make changes on 

 contests. 



This was agreed to in a caucus of the Conser- 

 vative members by a vote of 39 to 27, and the 

 following conditions were appended by con- 

 sent of both sides : 



1. That the Conservatives were not to be bound 

 by their acceptance unless the propositions were also 

 accepted by the Republicans, and satisfactory guaran- 

 tees given. 



2. That the Congressional Committee, or Judge 

 Wheeler, should remain in New Orleans for the pur- 

 pose of having the adjustment practically effected. 



The proposition had been accepted by the 

 caucus on the 5th of February ; and on the 6th, 

 when the fact was known, but the exact terms 

 of the adjustment had not been published, 

 there was a public demonstration in New Or- 

 leans against its acceptance, and the act of the 

 caucus was formally denounced. The excite- 

 ment continued next day, when the adjustment 

 was published. On the 8th another caucus 

 was held for the purpose of reconsideration. 

 There was a long discussion, but the former 



