LOUISIANA. 



273 



VII. State of things at the opening of the 

 year, growing out of the New Orleans riot of 

 1866, 451 ; representations to Congress of af- 

 fairs in the State, 452; petitions for change 

 of government, 452 ; the question in Congress, 

 452 ; meeting of the Legislature, 452 ; the Gov- 

 ernor on the political aspect, 452; rejection 

 of amendment to the Federal Constitution, 



452 ; convention to revise the constitution pro- 

 vided for, 453 ; Governor vetoes the measure, 

 453; subsequent action on the same matter, 



453 ; resolution proposing to test the recon- 

 struction act, 453 ; resolutions on Federal 

 relations, 553 ; protest against the recon- 

 struction act, 454 ; steps taken to test the 

 constitutionality of the act, 454 ; New Orleans 

 election under the reconstruction act, 454 ; 

 Governor Wells proclaims the act in force, 454 ; 

 General Sheridan interferes, 454 ; Legislature 

 continues officials in place until their successors 

 are chosen, 455 ; proposed impeachment of 

 Governor Wells, 455 ; General Sheridan as- 

 signed to the command, his order No. 1, 455 ; 

 public sentiment on the reconstruction laws, 

 455 ; Legislature recommends registration, 455 ; 

 address of the Legislature to the people, 456 ; 

 close of the Legislature, 456 ; other acts of 

 that body, 456; General Sheridan removes 

 civil officers, 456 ; protest of Judge Abell 

 against his removal, 456; General Sheridan's 

 reasons for making the removals, 457 ; Judge 

 Abell denies the charges of General Sheridan, 

 and asks to be reinstated, 457 ; General Sheri- 

 dan suspends all elections, 457; registration 

 inaugurated, 457; instructions as to persons 

 qualified to register, 457; press of New Or- 

 leans on registration, 458 ; registration of ne- 

 groes, 458 ; carrying fire-arms forbidden, 458 ; 

 General Sheridan favors the removal of the 

 Governors of Texas and Louisiana, 458 ; Gen- 

 eral Grant advises against the removals, 458 ; 

 Governor Wells and the Levee Commissioners, 

 458 ; General Sheridan appoints new commis- 

 sioners, 458 ; Governor Wells asks for a revo- 

 cation of the order, 459 ; General Sheridan's 

 explanation of the matter, 459 ; removal of 

 Governor Wells, 459 ; the Governor's protest, 

 459 ; Mr. Wells's refusal to yield the office, 

 459 ; General Sheridan's note thereon, 459 ; 

 General Flanders enters upon the office of 

 Governor, 459 ; General Sheridan on the situ- 

 ation, 459 ; action of the Eepublican Conven- 

 tion, 460 ; General Sheridan's order on an 



18 



appeal from a refusal to register an applicant, 

 460 ; extension of time of registration demand- 

 ed, 460 ; General Sheridan's reply animadvert- 

 ing on Attorney-General Stanbery's interpre- 

 tation of the reconstruction act, 460 ; General 

 Sheridan to Grant on the effect of the Attor- 

 ney-General's opinion, 461 ; General Sheridan 

 at a loss as to whether it is an order, 461 ; 

 directed by Grant to go on as before, 461 ; 

 order for closing the registration and preparing 

 for the election, 461 ; result of registration, 

 461 ; plan laid down for conducting elections, 

 461; General Sheridan on the opposition to 

 his labors, 461 ; removal of officials in New 

 Orleans, 461, 462; registered voters only to 

 vote or serve as jurors, 462 ; General Sheridan 

 relieved from the command, 462 ; General Han- 

 cock assigned to the command, 462 ; tempo- 

 rary command of General Griffin, 462 ; death 

 of General Griffin and accession of General 

 Mower to the temporary command, 462 ; Gen- 

 eral Mower dissolves the drill bands, 462 ; con- 

 vention ordered, 463 ; General Mower removes 

 "impediments," 463 ; arrival of General Han- 

 cock, 463 ; his order assuming command, 463 ; 

 important changes instituted by General Han- 

 cock, 463 ; reinstates officers removed by Gen- 

 eral Mower, 464 ; meeting of the Constitutional 

 Convention, 464 ; preliminary labors, 464 ; Bill 

 of Eights on distinction on account of color 

 and on slavery, 464 ; franchise provisions pro- 

 posed, 464 ; crevasses in the levees of the Mis- 

 sissippi, 464 ; agricultural interests of the State, 

 464. 



YIII. The Constitutional Convention, 428 ; 

 taxation, 428 ; applications to the military 

 commander, 428 ; social rights, 428 ; citizen- 

 ship, 429 ; qualifications of voters, 429 ; eligi- 

 bility to office, 429 ; contraction of debt, 429 ; 

 orders of General Hancock, 430 ; removal of 

 .city officers, 430 ; finances, 430 ; orders relat- 

 ing to registration, 431 ; do. relating to elec- 

 tions, 431 ; Democratic Convention, 432 ; reso- 

 lutions, 432 ; order relative to political organ- 

 izations, 433 ; order relative to the discharge 

 of freedmen, 433 ; result of the election, 433 ; 

 municipal election in New Orleans, 433 ; ad- 

 mission of Louisiana to the Federal Union, 

 434 ; oath of members of the Legislature, 434 ; 

 Grant's order, 434; Democrats admitted to 

 seats, 434; adoption of the fourteenth amend- 

 ment, 434 ; the government transferred to the 

 civil authorities, 434 ; charge of commanding 



