LOUISIANA. 



tint moiumrou for tli.- preservation of the pence 



bhould Ke t , i,y iis-miie tin- authority oon- 



, up"ii tin- tli-.tri.-t coiiimaiidi-r.-. provided for in 



the act of Congress above cited, -.. i'.u- -.., it is nocos- 



uch election shall take place. 



hen-lore, ordered that for tin- pn-.-ervsition of 



tin- piiMie pi-acc, no polls shall be opened on t hut 



day, niul th i -hull In- po-.tponed until 



.uiilt-r, under tin- law, is appoint. -d, 



or special instructions arc rcci-ived c..v. Tiller the case. 



1'. II. SliKIMP 

 Mujor-Genoral Command! n:/. 



In order to avoid any difficulty which might 

 arise by vacnncic-- in tin- !>oard of city offici.-iN, 

 the Legislature enacted on the 15th that the 

 oilicers whose term was about to expire should 

 remain iii place until their successors were 



chosen. 



Governor "Wells's interference in proclaiming 

 the act of Congress to be in force, and pro- 

 nouncing any election not conducted in accord- 

 ance with its provisions null and void, \\ as 

 looked upon by many as an unwarranted a 

 sumption of authority which belonged only to 

 officials appointed by the Federal Government 

 to carry the law into effect in Louisiana. A 

 memorial had been read some days before in 

 the Lower House of the Legislature, praying for 

 :!ie impeachment of Mr. Wells. The charges 

 brought against him were contained in two ar- 

 . the first of which accused him of being 

 a defaulter to the State of Louisiana in the 

 >f $88,000 as State Tax-Collector for the 

 parish of Rapides, in the year 1840 ; the sec- 

 ond declared him responsible for the New Or- 

 leans riot, because without authority he issued 

 the proclamation for holding the convention of 

 July 30, 18C6. The subject was postponed at 

 this time, but was brought up again by a sup- 

 plemental memorial which included in the 

 Governor's misdemeanors the unauthorized and 

 illegal proclamation in regard to the effect of 

 the reconstruction act of Congress. The mat- 

 ter was referred to a committee of nine, who 

 reported that in their opinion it would be un- 

 \vi<e and inexpedient at that time to comply 

 with the petition for impeachment, and the 

 committee was accordingly discharged. 



General Sheridan was assigned to the Fifth 

 Military District, and on the 19th of March is- 

 sued the following order assuming the com- 

 mand : 



General Orders, No. 1. 

 HBAIMJOABTERS FIFTH MTLITAKY DISTRICT, f 

 Nw ORLEANS, LA., March 19, 1867. ( 



1. The act of Congress entitled "An act to pro- 

 vide for the more efficient government of the rebel 

 States" having been officially transmitted to the un- 

 dersigned in an order from the Headquarters of the 

 Army, which assigns him to the command of tho 

 Fifth Military District created by that act, consisting 

 of the States of Louisiana and Texas, ho hereby aa- 

 Bumos command of the same. 



2. According to the provisions of the sixth section 

 of the act of Congress above cited, the present State 

 and municipal governments in the States of Louisi- 

 ana and Texas are hereby declared to be provisional 

 onlv, and subject to be abolished, modified, con- 

 trolled, or superseded. 



8. No general removals from office will be made, 

 unless the present incumbents fail to carry out tho 



provisions of tho law, or impede the reorganization, 



or, unless a delay in n-or-ain/in/ should oeeeMitat* 

 a change. Pending the reorganization, it U desirable 

 and intruded to create as little disturbance in the ma- 

 chinery of the various branches of tin: | . . . inional 

 governments as possible, consistent with tin: lair of 

 s and its successful execution, but this con- 

 dition i 8 dependent upon the disposition shown by 



pic, and upon the length of time requii 

 reorganization. 



4. .The States of Louisiana and Texas will retain 

 their present military designations, viz. : " District 

 of Louisiana," and "District of Texas." The offi- 

 cers in command of each will continue to exercise all 

 their military powers and duties as heretofore, and 

 will in addition carry out all the provisions of the 

 law within their respective commands, except those 

 which specifically require the action of the military 

 district commander, and except in cases of removals 

 from and appointments to office. 



I'. II. SIIKUIDAN, 



Official : Major-General Commanding. 



GEOBOE LEE, 1st Lieut. 21st U. 8. Inf., 



Acting Assistant Adjutant-General. 



The new policy of Congress was bitterly de- 

 nounced at first as unconstitutional and op- 

 pressive by a large portion of the citizens, but 

 no intention was expressed of exerting any 

 open resistance to its operation. Some who 

 had been identified with the Southern cause in 

 the late civil war, counselled submission as the 

 only course, and the prevalent feeling was in 

 favor of complying with the requirements of 

 the law. General Beauregard, in a letter to 

 tho editor of the New Orleans Times, said : "In 

 my humble opinion we have but one of two 

 things to do resist or submit ; the first is in- 

 admissible, in our painfully exhausted condi- 

 tion. Four years of a desperate war have 

 taught us that the ' argument of the sword ' 

 can no longer bo resorted to by us to redress 

 our grievances. We must, therefore, submit; 

 but with that calm dignity becoming our man- 

 hood and our lost independence." 



On the 20th of March a resolution was of- 

 fered in the Legislature by Mr. Kenner, calling 

 upon the people to register themselves and vote 

 at all elections provided for under the military 

 law. The resolution was in these words : 



Whereas, The Congress of the United States have 

 passed an act entitled " An act to provide for the 

 more efficient government of the rebel States," and- 

 a bill supplemental thereto, which bill defines the 

 qualifications of electors, and provides for the regis- 

 tration of voters and the calling of a State Conven- 

 tion to remodel tho constitution^ and to take such 

 other steps as are therein required to restore the 

 State to ner position as a member of the Federal 

 Union; and 



}\'li treat, Any proceedings to obtain redress by an 

 appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States 

 must necessarily be attended with great delay, and 

 even if successfully prosecuted, would probably be 

 unavailing, from the fact that a State government 

 will be organized before such decision could be had ; 



Therefore be it resolved, 



1. That the General Assembly of Louisiana do 

 earnestly recommend to all the citizens of the State 

 entitled to vote under the provisions of the above- 

 named bills, to go forward and register their names, 

 and to attend the polls and cast their votes at all 

 elections held under the above-named bills, and to 

 take an active part in tho reorganization of the State. 



2. The General Assembly deem that all citizens so 



