IM 



CONGRESS, I SITED 8TATKS. 



to adhere to that government heretofore recognised 

 by me. To judge of the election and qualifications 

 of iu member* U the exclusive province of the Sen- 

 ate ; aa it ia, also, the exclusive province of the 

 House to judge of the election and qualification i 

 ita members ; but, a* to State offices, filled and held 

 under Slate Uws, the decisions of the State judicial 

 tribunal*, it aeema to me, ought to fee repected. 



I am extremely anxiou* to avoid any appearance 

 of undue interference in State affairs, and, if Con- 

 grea* differs from me aa to what ought to be done, I 

 respectfully urge ita immediate decision to that 

 effect. Otherwise, I ahall feel obliged, as far aa I Can 

 by the exeroUe of legitimate authority, to put an end 

 to the unhappy controversy, which disturb* the 

 peace and prostrate* the bu*inea* of Louisiana, by 

 the recognition and aupport of that government 

 which i* recognixed and upheld bv the court* of the 

 gt*te. U. 8. GRANT. 



Exxomvx MANSION, FAnary 85, 1878. 



In the Senate the message was ordered to be 

 printed ami in the Him.- it was referred to the 

 Committee on the Judiciary. 



On February 27th, the Senate, as in Coin- 



-. of the Whole, proceeded to consider 



the bill to establish a government in the State 



of Louisiana, republican in form, which was 



as follows : 



St it i*aet*i y On Stnatt and llxut of Rtprtutt. 

 /> of tkt UtuUd StaUt of America in (bnffnu 

 anmhUJ, That the election held in the State of 

 Louisiana on the fourth day of November, 1*72, for 

 Oovemor, Lieutenant-Governor, Secretary of State. 

 Attorney-General, Auditor of Public Accounts, and 

 Superintendent of Education, and for Senator* and 

 BepreaenUtivea of the General Assembly of aaid 

 State, U hereby declarrd null and void ; and it is 

 further ordered and- declared that the persons who 

 wen entitled to hold the aaid State offices on the 

 aaid fourth day of November shall continue in office 

 and be recognlied aa the legal officer* of said State 

 by the Government of the United States until tin -ir 

 auooaaaora are choaen and qualified in accordance 

 with the provision* of tbia act. 



SBCTIOX 2. That an election shall be held in aaid 

 State on the second Tuesday in May, 1878, by the 

 legally -qualified voters thereof, for the State officers 

 enumerated in the foregoing section, and for such 

 Senators and member* of the Hou*e of Represent- 

 ative* of aaid State as ought to have been chosen on 

 the *aid 4th day of November, 1872. under the con- 

 stitution and law* of aaid State : and the officer* and 

 membera of the General Assembly for aaid State to 

 be chosen under the provisions or thia act shall en- 

 ter upon the discharge of their respective dutiea at 

 the timi- an<l in tli- manner hereinafter prescribed. 



Sao. 8. That William B. Wood*, Judge of the 

 United States Circuit Court for the circuit erabrae- 



he State of Louisiana, shall immediately pro- 

 ceed to said State and discharge the duties hereinafter 

 imposed upon him. He shall, without delay, appoint 

 two competent and suitable persons State registrars. 

 who shall be dllxenn and qualified voters of said 

 State, and member* of opposite political parties, and 

 who shall cause to be made a new and oompl< ' 

 Utralion of all the Irgally-pjaliflrd voter* of said 

 State, which registration shall be commenced on 

 the third Tuesday in March, 1S7H, and shall be com- 

 pleted ten davs prior to the day fixed by this set for 

 holding said ale- 

 Sac. . That it in hereby made the duty of aaid 



registrar* to appoint two supervisor* of registration 

 In ayh parish of said State, except for the parish<- 

 of Orleans and Jefferson, and in said pnrish of .teffcr- 



'icre shall be appointed two sup n ior of reg- 

 istration for the right hank and two for thi> left bank 

 of ssld pariah, and in the parish and city of Orleans 



there ahall be two supervisors of registration ap- 

 pointed for each ward of aaid parish and city, which 

 supervisors of registration shall be legal voters of 

 the parish or ward for which they may lie app<> 

 and *hall be members of different political ]:: 

 and the aaid supervisors of registration ahall jointly 

 appoint two clerks, subject to the approval ' : 

 State registrars, who shall be of opposite political 



SEO. 6. That the existing police-jury wards in the 

 parishes of said State shall each constitute a sepa- 

 rate election precinct ; and the supervisors of regis- 

 tration for the several wards in the city ot 

 Orleans shall, before commencing registration, di- 

 vide their respective wards into aa many el 

 precincts as may be necessary to accommodate all 

 the voters in said wards, and one day before said 

 registration shall commence there shall be pub- 

 lished in two daily newspapers of general circulation 

 in said city, and in one German and one French ne i 

 paper published in said city, a full ami .<: 

 statement of the election precincts thus > 

 in each ward, which statement shall set forth the 

 number and boundaries of the said eleeti"n pr< . 



SEC. 6. That the State registrars shall provide the 



ballot-boxes necessary to conduct said election ; and 

 the supervisors of registration in each pari.-h 1 -:.'.d 

 State, except the parish of Orleans, shall post. t'..r 

 three consecutive days prior to the commencement 

 of registration, in three public places in each wsinl, 

 printed notices of the place where the registration 

 office shall be opened in said ward, and the time 

 when it shall commence and close ; and in no case 

 shall said office be kept open for a less period than 

 three days in any one ward. In the city of New 

 Orleans the registration offices shall be opened in 

 one place only in each ward in a central and con- 

 venient location : Provided, That all supervisors of 

 registration shall afford every possible facility for the 

 registration of all legally-qualified voters ; nnd for in- 

 oompetency or delinquency in the discharge of tlieir 

 duties the State registrars may remove any super- 

 visor of registration. 



SEC. 7. That said supervisors of registration shall 

 register every person qualified to vote by the laws 

 of said State, and who shall apply, and shall issue to 

 each person so registered a certificate of registration, 

 to be signed by both supervisors, whieh certificate 

 shall specify tiie name, nativity, age, parish, und 

 election precinct in which said registered voter re- 

 sides. And said certificates shall be numbered to 

 correspond with the entries made in the books of 

 registration, and the person to whom such certificate 

 is issued shall be entitled to vote thereon. In every 

 case where said supervisors shall disagree us to the 

 right of anv person applying to rcjrKter. < 

 the case shall be submitted in writing t tin 

 registrar* for their decision ; and in case of their 

 disagreement the case shall lie referred t the judge 

 aforesaid, whose decision thereon shall be final ; and 

 In case any person applying shall feel a^irrii vetl at a 

 refusal to admit him to registration, he may apply in 

 writing to the State registrars, and in case of their 

 disagreement the case shall be referred as above to 

 the judge aforesaid, and hia decision shall be final. 



8c. 8. That said supervisors of registration shall, 

 five days prior to the election, appoint two commis- 

 sioners of election for each election precinct, who 

 shall reside In and be qualified voters of the pre- 

 cinct, and from different political parties. The 

 commissioners shall appoint two clerks. Not leas 

 than three days before the day of election the MI] < r- 

 vlsors of registration shall post printed n"tic< 

 ing the place at which the election shall be held in 

 each election precinct and the names of the commis- 

 sioncr* of the election. The polling-places shall be 

 established so aa best to accommodate all the voters 

 of the precinct. 



