476 



LOUISIANA. 



officers under the old constitution of the State 

 on Feb. 22d, and for the election of delegates to 

 a convention for the revision of the Constitution 

 in April. (See ANNUAL CYCLOPEDIA, 1863, 

 p. 592.) On Feb. 3d his general order relative 

 to compensated labor plantations were issued. 

 (See ANNUAL CYCLOPEDIA, 1863, pp. 594-'5.) 

 On Feb. 13th Gen. Banks issued the following 

 proclamation prescribing the qualifications of 

 voters : 



HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE Gtn,F, ) 

 NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 18, 1864. (" 

 General Orders No. 24 : 



1. Every free white male twenty-one years of age, 

 who has been a resident of the State twelve mouths' 

 and six mouths in the parish in which he offers to 

 vote, who is a citizen of the United States, and who 

 shall have taken the oath prescribed by the President 

 in his proclamation of the 8th December, 1S63, shall 

 have the right to vote in the election of State officers 

 on the 22d day of February, 1864. 



2. Citizens of the State who have been expelled 

 from their homes by the public enemy on account 

 of their devotion to the Union, and who would be 

 qualified voters in the parishes to which they belong, 

 will be allowed to vote for State officers only in the 

 election precincts in which, for the time bein"- they 

 may reside. 



_ 3. Citizens of the State who have volunteered for 

 the defence of the country in the army or navy, and 

 who are otherwise qualified voters, will be allowed 

 to vote in the election precincts in which they may 

 be found on the day of election. And if the exigen- 

 cies of the public service be such as to prevent their 

 attendance at any established precinct, then commis- 

 sioners fairly representing the interests involved in 

 the election will be appointed to receive their votes 

 wherever they may be stationed for that day, and to 

 make due returns thereof, as well as of their own 

 votes, to the Military Governor of the State as pro- 

 vided for other commissioners of election. 



4. The Commissioners of Election, at any election 

 precinct, are authorized to administer the oath of 

 allegiance, as prescribed by the President, to any 

 person otherwise qualified to vote, and to register 

 the name of sucn voter in New Orleans where a 

 register is required, or to receive it in other parishes 

 where no register is required, at any time before the 

 polls are closed on the day of election. 



5. The Commissioners of Election in the several 

 parishes will make prompt returns of the votes given 

 to the sheriff of the parish, as provided by law, or in 

 his absence to the provost marshal, who will imme- 

 diately return the same to the Military Governor of 

 the State. 



6. The sheriffs of the several parishes, and in their 

 absence, the provost marshals, will take especial 

 care that the polls are properly opened, and that 

 suitable Judges of Election ad other officers are 

 appointed. It is desirable that all persons properly 

 qualified shall vote, but it is more important that 

 illegal or fraudulent votes shall not vitiate the elec- 

 tion. 



7. The situation of Louisiana is not identical with 

 that of other States designated by the President, but 

 the test^f loyalty required by him as a basis for the 

 restoration of Government is unequivocal. Full op- 

 portunity has been given to the people for the sug- 

 gestion of any obligation more in accordance, if pos- 

 sible, with the condition of this State, but no general 

 unity of sentiment appears to exist as to the test of 

 "ealty which should be demanded. The inference is 

 irresistible that all parties prefer the form prescribed 

 by the President to any other than their own. 



8. The oath prescribed by him offers amnesty and 

 pardon only to those who have committed treason. 

 To all others it is a simple pledge of continued fealty 

 to the Government. The oath of allegiance cannot 



be materially strengthened or impaired by the lan- 

 guage in which it is clothed, but it may be accom- 

 pamed by such explanations as to make known to 

 the public the sense in which it is administered and 

 received. Allegiance cannot be more or less than 

 unreserved, unconditional loyalty. 



9. The repetition of an oath once taken, or when un- 

 necessarily clothed in unusual language, may well 

 cause hesitation, but if it be identified with the resto- 

 ration of a government, at a time when secret eva- 

 sions and reservations have sapped public integrity, 

 and endangered the safety of the nation, it is an uu- 

 sound patriotism that criticizes the form or hesitates 

 at its removal. 



10. In times of public danger the Government has 

 a right to demand an unreserved declaration of the 

 purposes of all its people, and to provide, if neces- 

 sary, an iron-clad defence against the weapons of its 

 enemies. Those who seek 'its favor and protection 

 must yield to its just demands. An exemption from 

 all duties and an enjoyment of all privileges at the 

 same time is a greater degree of happiness than is 

 accorded to any man in this life. Let the People of 

 Louisiana look at things as they are and base their 

 political action upon a declaration of loyalty that 

 cannot be misunderstood or misinterpreted. Upon 

 this depends the restoration of peace and of private 

 aud public prosperity. 



By command of Maj.-Gen. BANKS. 

 RICHARD B. IRWIX, A. A. Gen. 



Three candidates for Governor were nomi- 

 nated: B. F. Flanders, Michael Hahn, and J. Q. 

 A. Fellows. Mr. Hahn was the candidate of 

 those who approved the measures of General 

 Banks; the dissentients supported Mr. Flan- 

 ders. The former was hostile to the admission 

 of the men of African descent to the privileges 

 of citizenship; the latter were generally in 

 favor of it. Mr. Fellows was in favor of the 

 ; ' Constitution and the Union with the preser- 

 vation of the rights of all inviolate." The 

 election took place on Feb. 22d. The Federal 

 lines at that time embraced the parishes of 

 Plaquemines, St. Bernard, New Orleans, Jeffer- 

 son, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, St. James, 

 Ascension, Assumption, Lafourche, Terrebonne, 

 that portion of St. Mary's east of Bayou Teche, 

 the portions of Iberville, East Baton Eouge 

 and West Baton Rouge, immediately on the 

 river bank ; and the portion of Eas^Feliciana 

 and of St. Tammany, on which the troops were 

 encamped. In all the parishes above St. John 

 the Baptist, fronting on the river, there were 

 guerrilla bands, which rendered the life of 

 every man unsafe who was known to have 

 taken an oath of allegiance to the United States. 

 In the following parishes above named, the 

 control was strictly limited to the surface occu- 

 pied by the camps : St. Mary, Iberville, East 

 Baton Eouge, West Baton Eouge, East Feli- 

 ciana. The population of the State by the 

 census of I860 was 708,902; the population 

 within the Federal lines, 233,185 ; balance out- 

 side the lines, 575,617. The vote of New Or- 

 leans for Governor \vas : 



Michael Hahn .8,625 



B. F. Flanders LOOT 



J. Q. A. Fellows 1,139 



The total number of votes was 10,270, includ- 

 ing 107 cast by soldiers at Pensacola in Florida, 

 Mr. Hahn received a majority of the votes cast. 



