428 



LOKD, DANIEL. 



LORD, DANIEL, LL. D., an eminent lawyer 

 of New York City, born there in 1795, and 

 died there March 4, 1868. He was graduated 

 at Yale College, in the class of 1814; studied 

 law under the celebrated George Griffin, in 

 New York, and at the Litchfield Law School, 

 and was admitted to the bar in 1817. From 

 the beginning of his practice, he was unflinch- 

 ing in his moral integrity and high adherence 

 to principle ; was conscientiously faithful in 

 his duty to his clients, never coming before 

 the court, even in the most trifling case, with- 

 out thorough preparation, and undertaking no 

 cause which he did not believe to be just. He 

 was a diligent student of the law, especially in 

 its civil aspects, for criminal law was not to 

 his taste, and he rarely, if ever, undertook a 

 case in the criminal courts ; but in all the de- 

 partments of commercial law, inheritances, 

 wills, marine, admiralty, and international law, 

 he was more thoroughly versed than any other 

 man connected with the New York bar. He 

 never attempted oratorical display was not 

 imaginative or brilliant; but his arguments 

 were always so clear, logical, practical, and 

 convincing, that they had great weight both 

 with judges and juries. It resulted naturally 

 from this, that he had a very large practice for 

 many years, and that there were very few 

 great civil causes before either the State or 

 United States courts, within the last forty years, 

 in which he was not retained on one side or 

 the other. The Dutch Keformed and the 

 Methodist Church cases; the so-called "Fire 

 Cases," growing out of the great fire of De- 

 cember, 1835; the American Life and Trust 

 cases ; the Leake and Watts Charity case ; the 

 Mason and the Phelps Will cases ; the foreign 

 cases growing out of the financial disasters of 

 1837 ; a succession of cases involving the ques- 

 tions of commercial guarantee, and credit by 

 letters of commendation ; and the celebrated 

 insurance cases, which brought up the question 

 of contribution by general average ; bank tax 

 cases, prize cases, privateer cases, and other 

 cases of admiralty jurisdiction, together with 

 the vast civil business of Mr. Astor ; these, and 

 many others, constituted so wide a range of 

 great legal questions, as have seldom or never 

 fallen to the lot of one man to argue, even in a 

 professional career of fifty years. His religious 

 character was in the highest degree exemplary. 

 He united with the Brick Presbyterian Church 

 (Rev. Dr. Spring's) in 1833, and was chosen 

 elder in 1834 ; and, in all his relations as a 

 Christian and a church officer, he was emi- 

 nently useful. Mr. Lord, through life, steadily 

 and firmly declined all judicial, civil, or politi- 

 cal preferment. He had devoted himself from 

 his youth to the law, and he would accept no 

 office or position which would in any way in- 

 terfere with his duties as a lawyer. His death 

 was the result of a paralytic attack. In 1846, 

 Yale College conferred on him the degree of 

 LL. D. 



LOUISIANA. The Constitutional Conven- 



LOUISIANA. 



tion, which met at New Orleans on the 23d 

 of November, 1867, continued in session until 

 the 9th of March, 1868. On the 24th of De- 

 cember, it had passed an ordinance providing 

 for a tax on property of one mill per cent, to 

 defray the expenses of the convention. In 

 order to carry this provision into effect it was 

 found necessary to pass a supplemental ordi- 

 nance, directing the sheriffs and collectors to 

 give notice of the tax to the tax-payers of the 

 State, and imposing a penalty of 25 per cent, 

 additional in case full payment was not made 

 in thirty days after such notice. The collec- 

 tors and sheriffs were further ordered, in case of 

 such default, to seize and sell any movable or 

 immovable property to satisfy this special as- 

 sessment. A committee was afterward ap- 

 pointed to confer with General Hancock for the 

 purpose of ascertaining whether he would use 

 his authority to assist in collecting this tax. He 

 replied that the ordinance made sufficient pro- 

 vision for its collection, and, if any of the offi- 

 cers intrusted with the duties pertaining 

 thereto were forcibly resisted, the "major- 

 general commanding will promptly use the 

 military power to maintain the supremacy of 

 the law. To this extent he has authority to 

 act, but it is not his province to interfere in 

 the matter in any other way." Another ap- 

 plication was made to the military commander 

 through a special committee to know what 

 he would do in case the civil courts should 

 interfere with the collectors in the discharge 

 of their duties. He replied that " it would be 

 highly improper for him to anticipate any ille- 

 gal interference of the courts in the matter. 

 Whenever a case arises for the interposition of 

 the powers vested hi the commanding general 

 by the acts of Congress, he will promptly ex- 

 ercise them for the preservation of law and 

 order." The tax was collected slowly, and on 

 the 3d of March an ordinance was adopted 

 extending the time for exacting the penalty to 

 the 20th of that month, and making the fol- 

 lowing additional provision : " That the war- 

 rants issued by the authority of this conven- 

 tion for the payment of per diem and mileage 

 of delegates, and the pay of its officers, except 

 the official printer or printers, shall be re- 

 ceivable in payment of all taxes and licenses 

 due to the State of Louisiana, and, when paid 

 in the Treasury of the State on account of any 

 State tax or license, the same shall be placed 

 by the Treasurer of the State to the debit of 

 the convention fund on his books, and shall be 

 paid out of said fund for the benefit of the 

 general fund of the State." 



A variety of propositions were submitted in 

 the convention, intended to secure certain 

 social rights to citizens "without regard to 

 race or color," which excited considerable dis- 

 cussion, and finally resulted in the adoption of 

 the following as the 13th article of the consti- 

 tution : 



All persons shall enjoy equal rights and privileges 

 while travelling in this State upon any conveyance of 



