LOUISIANA. 



435 



which fully restores Louisiana to her former position 

 among the other States of the Union, and to all her 

 rights under the constitution. 



Peace and quiet marked the late election, showing 

 the softening influences of mutual forbearance. Should 

 such forbearance animate the councils of the State, the 

 era of kind feeling will return, and the highest pros- 

 perity of the people will be attained. 



That this may be the result under the guidance of 

 a merciful Providence, is his devout and earnest 



Erayer. May her restoration to the benefits of our 

 eloved Union mark the commencement of a new 

 era of prosperity and happiness for her people. * * 

 By command of Bvt. Maj.-Gen. B. C. BUCHANAN. 

 THOS. H. NEIIX. Major Twentieth Infantry, Brevet 

 Brig.-General U. S. A., A. A. A. &. 



Some days later the following appeared : 



General Orders, No. 1. 

 HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT LOUISIANA, ) 

 NEW ORLEANS, LA., August 4, 1868. \ 



1. In obedience to paragraph 3, of General Orders 

 No. 55, Headquarters of the Army, Adjutant Gen- 

 eral's Office, Washington, July 28, 1868, the com- 

 mand of the Fifth Military District to consist of the 

 State of Texas is transferred to Brevet Major-Gen- 

 eral J. J. Eeynolds, commanding the District of 

 Texas. 



The records pertaining to the District of Texas 

 will be transferred to the headquarters of the new 

 Fifth Military District. 



2. Pursuant to paragraph 4, of the above-mention- 

 ed order, the States of Louisiana and Arkansas are 

 organized into the Department of Louisiana, head- 

 quarters at New Orleans. 



The Sub-District of Arkansas, until further orders, 

 will be known as the District of Arkansas, and will 

 be commanded by the senior officer serving therein, 

 headquarters at Little Eock. 



The commanding officer of the District of Arkan- 

 sas will immediately make the necessary returns of 

 troops serving in his district to these headquarters. 

 The chiefs of the staff corps in his district will im- 

 mediately report to the chiefs of staff of the Depart- 

 ment of Louisiana the amount and condition 01 the 

 supplies on hand. 



All stated reports and returns of the Districts of 

 Louisiana' and Arkansas, called for by the Eevised 

 Army Begulations, will hereafter be made to head- 

 quarters Department of Louisiana. 



By command of Bvt. Maj.-Gen. .E. C. BUCHANAN. 

 THOS. H, NEILL, A. A. A. G. 



The sessions of the Legislature continued 

 from day to day until the 20th of October, 

 and a great variety of laws were enacted, many 

 of which had in view the restoration of the 

 regular working of civil government. An at- 

 tempt was made to establish a , constabulary 

 system throughout the State. This did not 

 succeed, but a bill was passed authorizing the 

 Governor to appoint a board of five police 

 commissioners for the city and parish of ISTew 

 Orleans, Jefferson City, and the parish of St. 

 Bernard, with full powers to appoint and re- 

 move the police force of the city. The meas- 

 ure was called the Metropolitan Police Bill, 

 and authorized the Board of Commissioners to 

 require aid from citizens and the militia, and 

 to appoint special policemen at pleasure. It 

 also has power to estimate the sums required- 

 for carrying out this law, and to assess them 

 upon the various municipal corporations with- 

 in the district ; to lease and purchase property 

 necessary for its purposes, and to pass enact- 



ments pertaining to its functions. No sub- 

 ordinate can be appointed who is disqualified 

 for holding office under the fourteenth amend- 

 ment. Of the five commissioners appointed 

 by Governor Warmouth, three are negroes. A 

 subject which occupied considerable attention 

 in the Assembly was embodied in what was 

 called, by its supporters, " an act to protect all 

 persons in their civil and public rights," and 

 by its opposers, "the social equality bill." It 

 provided that " all persons, without regard to 

 race, color, or previous condition, shall enjoy 

 equal rights and privileges in their travelling, 

 and being entertained upon any conveyance 

 of a public character, or place of public resort, 

 or any place of business where a license is re- 

 quired in this State." It also prohibited any 

 owner of a vessel to refuse accommodation, 

 or make any distinction, " on account of race 

 or color," and attached a penalty of not less 

 than $100 for every violation of the law. 

 This bill passed both Houses, and was vetoed 

 by the Governor in the early part of the ses- 

 sion, and, at a later period, was introduced 

 again with slight variation, and met with 

 precisely the same fate. An act was passed 

 allowing the organization of a militia, to be 

 paid the regular army wages and allowances 

 in case it is called into actual service, but a 

 bill to organize the militia of the State into 

 two contingents of ten regiments each, under 

 the command of the Governor, failed to bcome 

 a law. 



An elaborate measure for organizing a sys- 

 tem of schools for the State, which was pre- 

 pared by Mr. Thomas W. Conway, did not be- 

 come a law, but is interesting as showing the 

 disposition which existed to introduce certain 

 new features into enactments designed to pro- 

 vide for the public education. The first section 

 of the bill declared that the schools should be 

 open to all children between the ages of six 

 and twenty-one, u without distinction of race, 

 color, or previous condition;" and a subsequent 

 clause made the attendance of all children 

 from eight to fourteen years of age, without 

 fixed employment, compulsory for six months 

 in the year, at the expense of the parents, if 

 able to bear it, otherwise at the expense of the 

 school-fund. There was to be a Board of Edu- 

 cation, consisting of the Lieutenant-Governor 

 and six persons appointed by the Governor and 

 confirmed by the Senate. The State Superin- 

 tendent was to be elected by a popular vote. 

 Much opposition to this measure was expressed 

 in the public prints and elsewhere, chiefly on 

 account of the provision making the same 

 schools free to black and white alike, and that 

 compelling attendance. In a minority report 

 in the Senate on the subject of appointing 

 school directors for the city of New Orleans, 

 Mr. A. B. Bacon used the following lan- 

 guage : 



The undersigned would further say that, though 

 they [the schools of New Orleans] are organized with 

 separate schools for white and black, this does not 



