LOUISIANA. 



589 



time to time ; of calling to itself, wherever sit- 

 ting, litigants, whether plaintiffs or defendants ; 

 of expanding to cover whatever of the State 

 was held by our arms, and of' contracting its 

 operations territorially as the territory held by 

 our arms should be contracted; the compre- 

 hensiveness of its jurisdiction as to subject mat- 

 ters and parties, and the conclusiveness of its 

 decisions, in each case terminating the litiga- 

 tion, were features most of them peculiar to it, 

 and giving it immense powers ; it may well 

 be added, however, that powers so immense as 

 those possessed by this court could properly 

 be confided for exercise only to a man having 

 qualifications of the highest order. 



For further facts of interest, the reader is 

 referred to the article, PROVISIONAL COURT FOB 

 LOUISIANA. 



The movement for the reorganization of a 

 State Government in Louisiana, commenced 

 early in the year. In February, 1863, the 

 question was brought before the principal 

 Union associations of New Orleans, as the 

 only channel through which public opinion 

 could be reached. The plan finally adopted 

 was upon the theory that the Constitution of 

 Louisiana was destroyed by the rebellion, and 

 could not be again put into operation. Its 

 principal features were as follows : 



1st. Civil reorganization by loyal citizens of 

 Louisiana, without the control or interference 

 of the military authorities, except for protec- 

 tion. 



2d. The appointment in each parish (county) 

 of the State within the United States lines 

 of a civilian, as Commissioner of Registration, 

 empowered to open books of registration, in 

 which should be inscribed the names and resi- 

 dences of any citizens of the United States, 

 having resided six months in the State and one 

 month in the parish, and who should swear to 

 such qualification ; and in addition that he took 

 the oath freely and voluntarily for the purpose 

 of establishing a State Government loyal to 

 the United States. 



3d. That after a sufficient number of citizens 

 should be inscribed, and a sufficient area of the 

 State embraced, the Military Governor should 

 order an election of members of a convention 

 to frame a new constitution ; representation in 

 the convention to be based on the ratio of one 

 delegate to every 2,500 of the (white) popula- 

 tion, according to the last census of the United 

 States. 



4th. That on the adoption of this constitu- 

 tion by the people made voters under it, an 

 election of State officers should be ordered. 



Those who prepared this plan stated the 

 reason for the adoption of the white basis of 

 representation to be that the only part of 

 Louisiana in which they could operate was the 

 first and second congressional districts, which 

 had been excepted by the President from the 

 operation of his emancipation proclamation of 

 Jan. 1st, 1863; and it was only by adopting 

 the white population as the basis of represent- 



ation that they could bring the slaveholder to 

 an equality with themselves at the ballot-box. 



After discussion for three months, the ma- 

 chinery of the movement was completed by the 

 appointment of a committee known as the 

 " Free State General Committee." It was 

 composed of five delegates from each of the 

 Union Associations of New Orleans and the 

 adjoining parish of Jefferson, wherein alone 

 such associations had been formed. Of this 

 committee Thomas J. Durant was chosen pres- 

 ident and James Graham, secretary. The 

 committee, having matured their plans, laid 

 them before the Military Governor, G. F. 

 Shepley, who entirely approved of their pur- 

 pose, and consented to carry put the registra- 

 tion. For this object he appointed Mr. Durant 

 Attorney General and Commissioner of Regis- 

 tration, with power to appoint registers in the 

 parishes. 



Under the laws of Louisiana previous to se- 

 cession, a registration of voters was required 

 in the city of New Orleans only, and an office 

 for that purpose had existed. This office had 

 been held by Gov. Shepley, in 1862, previous 

 to the election of Messrs. Hahn and Flanders to 

 Congress at "Washington. The system adopted 

 was only to register those who took the oath 

 of allegiance required by Gen. Butler, but it 

 had no reference to, and afforded no proof of, 

 qualification to vote under the laws of Louisi- 

 ana. Neither did it come up to the regulations 

 adopted by the committee and approved by the 

 Military Governor. A new registration was 

 therefore ordered by the Governor, at which 

 the applicants were required to take an oath. 

 It was commenced also in the country parishes 

 as well as New Orleans, but these were soon 

 overrun by the enemy, and not a foot of Lou- 

 isiana beyond the city_ and outside of the range 

 of Union cannon was" left in possession of the 

 Federal forces. The military excitement which 

 now ensued, in July, suspended for a time all 

 efforts at registration. 



The regulations of the committee adopted 

 for the purpose of registration, prescribed the 

 place where the office should be opened in 

 New Orleans, the manner of registering the 

 names, and the following oath to be sworn and 

 subscribed by the citizens : 



I, , do solemnly swear (or affirm) that 



I am a citizen of the United States of America ; that I 

 have resided six months in the State of Louisiana, and 

 one month in this parish ; that I am of the age of 

 twenty-one years and upward ; that I will bear true 

 faith and allegiance to the United States of America, 

 and will support the Constitution thereof; and that I 

 now register myself as a voter, freely and voluntarily, 

 for the purpose of organizing a State Government in 

 Louisiana, loyal to the Government of the United 

 States. 



It was also declared, under the approval of 

 the Military Governor and attorney-general, 

 that any person swearing falsely to any mate- 

 rial part of the above oath would be deemed 

 guilty of perjury, and be liable to prosecution 

 and punishment accordingly. 



