LOUGH, JOHN G. 



LOUISIANA. 



481 



LOUGH, JOHN GRAHAM, a British sculptor, 

 born about 1805 ; <lio<l April 9, 1876. In 

 early life ho was a ploughboy in Northumber- 

 land, where accidentally his artistic taste be- 

 came known to a neighboring gentleman, who 

 assisted hint to obtain a suitable education. He 

 came up to London, made the Elgin Marbles 

 in tho British Museum his study, and became 

 an exhibitor at the Royal Academy in 1826. 

 In the following year he produced a statue 

 of Milo, which, together with a companion- 

 statue, "Samson," was purchased by the Duke 

 of Wellington. He afterward spent four years 

 in Rome. In 1845 he executed the statue of 

 Prince Albert, for Lloyd's. He was also com- 

 missioned in the first instance to execute the 

 lions for the Nelson Monument iu Trafalgar 

 Square. 



LOUISIANA. The regular session of the 

 Louisiana Legislature began on the 3d of Janu- 

 ary, and came to a close on the 2d of March. 

 Lieutenant-Governor Antoine presided in the 

 Senate, and Mr. Estilette was Speaker of the 

 House. On the llth of January a motion was 

 made, in the House, to proceed to the election 

 of a United States Senator. A prdtest was 

 made by several Republican members, on the 

 ground that P. B. S. Pinchback had been duly 

 elected in 1873, and no vacancy existed. A 

 vote was, nevertheless, taken, most of the Re- 

 publicans refusing to take part in the election, 

 and J. B. Eustis received 61 votes out of the 

 68 cast. He was subsequently chosen Senator 

 in joint convention of the two Houses, and a 

 petition was sent to the Senate of the United 

 States by three Republican members of the 

 Legislature, praying that Mr. Eustis be ad- 

 mitted to a seat in that body, and setting forth 

 their reasons for participating in the election. 

 Chief among these was that the seat had been 

 virtually refused to Mr. Pinchback, and a va- 

 cancy existed, which it was for the interest of 

 the State to have filled. 



The legislation of the session was not so im- 

 portant for what was done as for what was 

 attempted by the House and defeated by the 

 Senate. Several important measures looking 

 to a reduction of expenses and a reform of 

 abuses originated in the lower branch and failed 

 to pass the upper. The most important sub- 

 ject discussed was the regulation of elections. 

 A strong effort was made in the House to re- 

 place the old election law with a new one. A 

 bill for the purpose was reported, with the fol- 

 lowing descriptive title : 



An act to provide for the time, manner, and place 

 of holding elections in this State; to provide for 

 the appointment of commissioners of election, and 

 directing the mode of counting and of compiling tho 

 votes, and making the returns of the election, and 

 directing the promulgating of the results of elec- 

 tions ; to provide penalties for intimidation and vio- 

 lence at the polls, and other attempts to prevent a 

 fair, free, and peaceable election ; to provide pro- 

 ceedings for contest for office, and to repeal all other 

 laws inconsistent with this act. 



It was very stringent in its provisions, but 

 you xvi. 81 A 



proposed to do away with the Returning Board 

 contrivance, and impose upon the Secretary of 

 State the duty of consolidating the returns re- 

 ceived from the clerks of the district court? 

 and make an official report of the vote to the 

 Governor, who should proclaim the result. 

 This act passed the House, and a counter-move- 

 ment was made in the Senate, through another 

 election bill, making some changes in the law, 

 but retaining the Returning Board feature, 

 three of the members of the Board to be 

 elected by the Senate and two by the House of 

 Representatives. Neither House would agree 

 to the bill passed by the other, and a confer- 

 ence committee failed to devise any measure 

 acceptable to both, so that no change was 

 made in the existing law. 



STATE SEAL OF LOUISIANA. 



Among the acts passed during the session 

 was one apportioning the representation in the 

 Legislature among the various districts of the 

 State, and one submitting several amendments 

 to the constitution. The first amendment limits 

 the expenses of the General Assembly to $175,- 

 000 per year, and fixes the salary of the mem- 

 bers of the Legislature at $5 a day, and their 

 mileage at twenty cents a mile; the second 

 provides that all bills must be signed by tho 

 Governor five days after their reception by 

 him during the session, or become laws ; and 

 that all bills not signed by him twenty days 

 after the session shall become laws ; the third 

 abolishes the parish judges, and confers their 

 jurisdiction on the district judges; the fourth 

 reduces the salary of the Governor from $8,000 

 to $6,000 a year ; the fifth prohibits the taking 

 of any fees by the Auditor of State, State 

 Treasurer, Attorney-General of the State, or 

 any district attorney. 



A joint resolution was adopted asking gov- 

 ernment aid for the Texas Pacific Railroad. 



Judge Jacob Hawkins, of the Superior Dis- 

 trict Court of the parish of Orleans, was re- 

 moved from office by an address of the two 

 Houses directing the Governor to make the re- 

 moval, for incompetency and arbitrary con- 

 duct. The committee reporting the address 



