LOUISIANA. 



433 



Central Committee of the party. The freed- 

 men generally showed a disposition to exercise 

 the right of suffrage which had been conferred 

 upon them, and in many instances organized 

 political clubs, to secure concert of action. 

 These organizations were looked upon with 

 apprehension by some of the citizens, as evin- 

 cing a disposition to show hostility to those 

 who were opposed to their enfranchisement. 

 There were also rumors of bands of persons in 

 different parts of the State, formed for the 

 purpose of preventing the negroes from voting 

 at the election. To prevent the collision of these 

 different classes of persons, who imagined their 

 interests to be opposed, the commanding gen- 

 eral thought fit to publish the following docu- 

 ments : 



HEADQUARTERS FIFTH MILITARY DISTRICT, ) 

 NEW ORLEANS, LA., April 14, 1868. ) 

 To the People of Louisiana : 



Whereas, It has been reported to the commanding 

 general of this military district that evil-disposed per- 

 sons, in various parts of the State of Louisiana, are 

 preparing to cause disturbances and riots at the polls 

 during the coming election, to be held on the 17th and 

 18th instant, and, as the right to vote peaceably is an 

 inheritance belonging to the people, not to be inter- 

 fered with : therefore, all persons, of whatsoever con- 

 dition, are hereby cautioned and directed to keep the 

 peace on that occasion, and to avoid and discoun- 

 tenance all acts which may tend to prevent a full and 

 accurate expression of the will of the people in the 

 matters then to be decided by their votes. The laws 

 must and shall be enforced. All men entitled to 

 vote must be allowed to exercise this privilege, and 

 will be protected in so doing. 



The necessity for military interference for the pur- 

 pose of keeping order should not arise ; but, if it be- 

 comes necessary, all are notified that proper measures 

 have been taken for the protection of each in the 

 exercise of his legal rights. Under existing orders 

 the sheriffs of the several parishes are charged with the 

 preservation of good order at the polls, and they are 

 notified that this duty must be faithfully performed 

 by them, on penalty of such punishment as the laws 

 of the country ha" ve provided. They are armed with 

 ample authority for the purpose, and it is expected 

 that they will exercise it fully, but kindly, and thus 

 secure a quiet election. 



EOBEET C. BUCHANAN, Brevet Major-General, 

 United States Army, Commanding. 



Special Orders, No. 79. 

 HEADQUARTERS FIFTH MILITARY DISTRICT, ) 

 NEW ORLEANS, April ],4, 1868. ) 



[Extract.] 



2. The attention of all concerned is hereby called 

 to the orders heretofore issued from these headquar- 

 ters, forbidding the carrying of fire-arms, which orders 

 must be rigidly adhered to. Until after the coming 

 election no political processions at night will be per- 

 mitted in the streets of this city, and any political 

 meetings will be attended quietly, and without pa- 

 rades or unnecessary ceremonies. 



All persons arrested by civil authorities for dis- 

 turbances at the polls, or for riotous and disor- 

 derly conduct at other places in the city, on the days 

 of the election, will not be released until after the 

 election, or by orders from these headquarters. 

 By command of 



Brevet Major-General E. C. BUCHANAN. 

 GEORGE L. HARTSUFF, Asst. AdjUGeneral. 



The following order appeared soon after the 

 election : 



VOL. vin. 28 A 



Circular No. 11. 



HEADQUARTERS BUREAU OF REFUGEES, ) 

 FREEDMEN, AND ABANDONED LANDS, STATE OF > 

 LOUISIANA, NEW ORLEANS, LA., April 22, 1868. ) 

 It having been reported to the Assistant Commis- 

 sioner of the Bureau that freedmen, who are laboring 

 on plantations under regular contract, are being dis- 

 charged by their employers, on account of their par- 

 ticipation in the existing political contest in this 

 State, all such employers are hereby notified that no 

 action of this sort will be tolerated by this Bureau, 

 and any planter who shall discharge a freedman from 

 his employ for such cause will be neld bound by the 

 terms of his contract with such freedman. If the 

 contract is on shares the freedman will be held to be 

 entitled to his share of the proceeds of the crop 

 when sold. If for wages, the freedman will be en- 

 titled to' receive wages Irom the date of his discharge, 

 in addition to the amount due him at that date, as 

 provided for by existing State laws. By order of 

 Brevet Major-General E. C. BUCHANAN, 

 United States Army, Assistant Commissioner. 

 WM. H. STERLING, Captain First United States In- 

 fantry, Acting Assistant Adjutant-General. 



The election passed off without any serious 

 disturbance, and resulted in the ratification of 

 the constitution, by a vote of 51,737 in its favor 

 to 89,076 against it, giving a majority of 12,661 

 for the ratification, out of a total vote of 80,813. 

 Henry C. Warmouth received a majority of the 

 votes for Governor, the ballot standing 64,941 

 for Warmouth, and 38,046 for Taliaferro, also a 

 Eepublican, out of a full vote of 106,537. 



Some doubt existed as to whether the ordi- 

 nance of the Constitutional Convention author- 

 ized the election of the municipal officers of the 

 cities. Thi s question w as submitted by General 

 Buchanan to the authorities of the city of New 

 Orleans, and the judges, Whittaker . and Bu- 

 chanan, to whom it was referred, gave opin- 

 ions directly opposed to each other. The elec- 

 tion in that city was, however, held, and re- 

 sulted in the election of Mr. Conway, the 

 Democratic candidate as mayor ; but Mr. 

 Heath, the former mayor, refused to surrender 

 the office. General Buchanan found the means 

 of inducing Mr. Heath to transfer the books 

 and keys of his office to the new incumbent, 

 which was only done, however, by putting 

 him under arrest and placing him in the cus- 

 tody of the chief of police. A writ of quo 

 warranto was sued out by Mr. Heath against 

 Mr. Conway, but, before the case came to trial, 

 General Buchanan's course in the matter re- 

 ceived the sanction of General Grant, and the 

 district commander informed the court in 

 which the proceeding had been instituted, 

 that " under the authority vested in the brevet 

 major-general commanding, by the reconstruc- 

 tion laws, the result of such a writ, if favor- 

 able to the relator, would practically amount 

 to nothing ; for, as he was a military appointee 

 and not a candidate, he has no ground upon 

 which to base his claim." The proceedings 

 were, therefore, discontinued. 



The registrars of the State proposed, after 

 the result of the election was made known by 

 military order, to proceed to install the newly- 

 elected officers in accordance with the pro- 

 visions of the ordinance of the Constitutional 



