LOUISIANA. 



497 



Whereas, One "William E. Chandler, a prominent, 

 influential, and well-informed member of the Nation- 

 al Republican Committee, has in a recent open letter 

 made some serious charges as to corruption in re- 

 ceiving the electoral vote of the State of Louisiana 

 at the last Presidential election ; and 



Whereas, Said William E. Chandler alleges that 

 several thousand votes cast in the last Presidential 

 election in this State were changed, in order that the 

 electoral vote of the State of Louisiana might be cast 

 for the present occupant of the White House ; and 



Whereas, It is asserted that on account of the charge 

 or allegation contained in said Chandler's letter a 

 resolution will be introduced in Congress, at an early 

 day, inquiring whether any "unjust or illegal mea- 

 sures have been resorted to for the purpose of fraud- 

 ulently presenting to it certificates upon which its 

 action was based in deciding the election of Presi- 

 dent of the United States" : therefore, be it 



Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives 

 of the General Assembly of the State of Louisiana, That 

 our Senators and Representatives in Congress be 

 and are hereby requested to cast their votes in favor of 

 any resolution that may bo presented in either branch 

 of Congress looking toward the investigation of any 

 charges or allegations of corruption and fraud in pro- 

 curing the electoral vote of this State for the Presi- 

 dent of the United States. Be it further 



Resolved, That a copy of this preamble and resolu- 

 tion be forwarded to each one of our Senators and 

 Representatives in Congress, properly certified. 



On January 15th the following resolution 

 was offered by Mr. Zacharie as a substitute for 

 the above : 



Whereas, Certain evil-disposed persons, with the 

 object of creating turmoil, in order that they may 

 profit thereby, are availing themselves of the differ- 

 ences existing at the time of the count of the electoral 

 votes to asperse the President of the United States, 

 and to arouse against his administration an opposi- 

 tion based solely upon the constitutional and wise 

 course pursued by him in restoring local self-govern- 

 ment in the Southern States, and endeavoring to raise 

 to a higher standard the civil service ; and 



Whereas, The people of the State of Louisiana look 

 with satisfaction and approval upon the policy of 

 peace, conciliation, and justice which has been in- 

 augurated, and which has already given such benefi- 

 cent fruits : 



Therefore be it resolved, etc., That the policy of the 

 President toward the Southern States meets their 

 hearty approval, and that in the continued execution 

 thereof, as well as in his efforts to allay sectional 

 discord, and to reform the civil service of the Gov- 

 ernment, the President should receive the hearty 

 support of every right-minded citizen without regard 

 to party or to faction. 



2. That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to 

 the Hon. J. B. Eustis, representing the State of Lou- 

 isiana in the Senate of the United States, and to our 

 Representatives in the lower branch of Congress. 



This substitute was adopted, yeas 23, nays 8. 



In the House of Representatives, on January 

 18th, the resolutions were considered. Mr. 

 Hahn moved as an amendment to insert, after 

 the words " certain evil-disposed persons," the 

 words "to wit, Hon. Montgomery Blair." (See 

 MARYLAND, also CONGRESS.) He believed that 

 Mr. Hayes was honestly elected, that S. B. Pack- 

 ard was elected Governor, and he did not under- 

 stand the reference in the resolutions to local 

 self-government. The only local self-govern- 

 ment was established by the overturning of the 

 Packard government by armed forces. He re- 

 ferred to Mr. Kellogg, who he said was the le- 

 "VoL. xviii. 32 A 



gaily elected Senator, and it was the part of 

 wisdom to acknowledge the fflct. 



Mr. Jonas, in reply to Mr. Hahn, said that, 

 while he did not admire the method by which 

 Mr. Hayes became President, he wished to give 

 him credit for performing what he (the speaker) 

 considered his simple duty in regard to Louisi- 

 ana, and for abstaining from those acts which 

 have tarnished the record of his predecessor for 

 ever. The policy which has permitted the peo- 

 ple of the State to assume control of the govern- 

 ment called into being at the ballot-box should 

 be endorsed, no matter by what title Mr. Hayes 

 held his seat. He found this policy opposed 

 "by the men who stole the vote of Louisiana, 

 who were the principal actors in the consum- 

 mation of the great fraud, who for months be- 

 fore and after the election disturbed the Gov- 

 ernment; by the men who sought to impose 

 upon Louisiana a similar fraudulent govern- 

 ment to the one they had imposed upon the 

 nation." Mr. Jonas denied that S. B. Packard 

 was ever elected Governor. There was only 

 one government then ; the men imprisoned in 

 the State House, waiting for the tramp of Fed- 

 eral troops coming to their assistance, did not 

 constitute a government. That Legislature as- 

 sembled in the State House, and, with barri- 

 caded doors, went through the farce of elect- 

 ing a United States Senator. If the Legisla- 

 ture had been a dejure Legislature, the mem- 

 bers should have died before surrendering their 

 rights. The speaker described the events at- 

 tending the election of Kellogg by the Packard 

 assembly, the capture of a Democratic Senator, 

 who refused to vote, and the swearing in of 

 other persons who were not elected, in order 

 to make the semblance of a quorum. No ac- 

 tion of the United States Senate could deprive 

 the people of the right of protesting against the 

 seating of William P. Kellogg. 



The amendment of Mr. Hahn was laid on the 

 table, and the resolution concurred in yeas 72, 

 nays 27. 



On January 17th the Committee on Federal 

 Relations in the House reported the following 

 substitute to a resolution relative to the admis- 

 sion of W. P. Kellogg to a seat in the United 

 States Senate : 



Be it resolved by the Senate and House of Representa- 

 tives of the State of Louisiana, in General Assembly 

 convened. That we do solemnly protest against the 

 injustice done to the State by the action of a majority 

 of the Senate of the United States on the 30th of No- 

 vember, 1877, in rejecting the Hon. Henry M. Spof- 

 ford, who haa been chosen a Senator from Louisiana 

 by this General Assembly in accordance with the Con- 

 stitution and laws of the State and of the United 

 States, and admitting in his stead William Pitt Kel- 

 logg; that said William Pitt Kellogg had no- other 

 semblance of a title to said high office than that re- 

 sulting from a pretended election by an unconstitu- 

 tional and irresponsible body, which never exercised 

 any legislative authority, was never regarded by the 

 people of the State as representing a branch of the 

 State government, and dissolved by its own volition 

 for ever. 



Be it further resolved, That when the United States 

 Senate so acted, this General Assembly, and the 



