LOUISIANA. 



LUTHERANS. 



505 



oific Kailroad, on or near the thirty-second parallel, 

 and a system of levees to protect the alluvial lands 

 of the valluy of the Mississippi from overflows, and 

 of navigation adequate to the demands of commerce, 

 which measures are national in importance and be- 

 yond the control of the respective State governments. 

 Resolved, That we cordially endorse the memorial 

 of the Chamber of Commerce of New Orleans in 

 behalf of the South American and Brazilian steam- 

 ship line, and call upon our Representatives in Con- 

 Si-ess to urge for said line the mail contract via New 

 rleans, and a subsidy in such amount as has been 

 called for to enable them to open this trade of such 

 great and valuable importance to the West and 

 South, making a new highway for the exit and sale 

 of our surplus grain, flour, and other products, and 

 bringinjf in return the articles and products of South 

 America, of which one alone, coffee, is a trade of 

 much interest to this State. 



A Republican Convention was held in New 

 Orleans on September 18th. A series of reso- 

 lutions was adopted, declaring the adherence 

 of the Republican party of Louisiana to the 

 national Republican platform ; approving strict 

 hard-money principles and a protective tariff, 

 and advocating internal improvements; and 

 charging the Democracy with opposition to 

 public schools affording equal advantages to 

 the youth of the State regardless of color. A 

 call of a State Constitutional Convention was 

 condemned, a reduction of salaries demanded, 

 and other resolutions adopted relating to local 

 affairs. The Convention made no nomination, 

 but the National candidate was supported. 



The number of registered voters in the State, 

 according to the returns of the assessors of the 

 several parishes made in 1878, is 155,103. The 

 number of native-born is 133,543 ; number of 

 white voters who write their names, 62,883 ; 

 number of white voters who make their mark, 

 13,936 ; number of colored voters who write 

 their names, 10,390 ; number of colored voters 

 who make their mark, 68,300. 



The State election was held on November 

 5th. A vote was to be given on the constitu- 

 tional amendments, members of Congress were 

 to be chosen, and a State Treasurer and the 

 State Legislature. The following was the vote 

 on the constitutional amendments: For loca- 

 tion of capital at New Orleans, 21,628; at 

 Baton Rouge, 27,957". First amendment for, 

 11,650; against, 13,966. Second amendment 

 for, 26,034; against, 50,543. Third amend- 

 ment for, 29,705; against, 45,945. Fourth 

 amendment for, 27,200; against, 48,218. 

 Fifth amendment for, 25,686; against, 49,- 

 394. Sixth amendment for, 30,213 ; against, 

 45,016. Seventh amendment for, 81,161 ; 

 against, 43,815. Eighth amendment for, 33,- 

 120 ; against, 42,149. Ninth amendment for, 

 33,993; against, 40,663. Tenth amendment 

 for, 19,766 ; against, 55,794. Eleventh amend- 

 mentfor, 30,947; against, 44,576. Twelfth 

 amendment for, 19,452 ; against, 56,545. 

 Thirteenth amendment for, 20,571 ; against, 

 54,544. Fourteenth amendment for, 20,598 ; 

 against, 54,429. Fifteenth amendment for, 

 28,665; against, 47,213. Sixteenth amendment 

 for, 21,190; against, 53,681. Seventeenth 



amendment for, 23,362; against, 51,888. 

 Eighteenth amendment for, 27,969 ; against, 

 42,324. Nineteenth amendment for, 32,176 ; 

 against, 40,988. Twentieth amendment for, 

 32,718 ; against, 41,223. Twenty-first amend- 

 mentfor, 25,302; against, 46,725. 



The Democratic candidates for Congress were 

 all elected, as follows: First District, Randall 

 L. Gibson; Second District, E. John Ellis; 

 Third District, Joseph H. Acklen; Fourth 



District, Joseph B. Elam ; Fifth District, 



King ; Sixth District, Edward W. Robertson. 

 The only change in the list of Congressional 

 Representatives is King in the place of J. G. 

 Young. For State Treasurer, E. A. Burke was 

 elected by a large majority over John S. Gard- 

 ner, Republican. In the Senate of the State 

 Legislature, seventeen Senators held over, of 

 whom ten were Democrats and seven Repub- 

 licans. The result of the election was such as 

 to make a large Democratic majority in the 

 Senate and House. 



LUTHERANS. The statistical tables given 

 by the four principal Lutheran almanacs differ 

 widely as to the number of communicants in 

 the church, and even as to the number of syn- 

 ods, as appears from the following compara- 

 tive summary of their footings : 



The discrepancies regarding the number of 

 communicants are explained by the fact that 

 the compilers of the tables followed different 

 methods in obtaining their statistics. The dif- 

 ferences in the number of synods appear to 

 arise from the system of numbering them in 

 the order of their organization. Synods No. 

 19 and 46 have been dissolved, but the num- 

 bers of the later-organized synods are retained 

 in Brobst's Almanac as they would be if those 

 synods still existed. 



Brobst's Almanac gives to the General Syn- 

 od 23 synods, 801 ministers, 1,240 churches, 

 and 118,688 communicants; to the General 

 Council, 10 synods, with 2 synods (the Iowa 

 German and the Norwegian Augustana synods) 

 not yet officially attached to it, with a total 

 for the twelve of 741 ministers, 1,412 churches, 

 and 206,747 communicants; to the General 

 Synod South, 5 synods, 98 ministers, 168 

 churches, and 13,474 communicants ; to the 

 Sy nodical Conference, 7 synods, 1,140 minis- 

 ters, 1,859 churches, and 291,229 communi- 

 cants ; with 10 independent synods, having, 

 including 35 independent pastors, 231 minis- 

 ters, 603 churches, and 49,890 communicants ; 

 total, 57 synods, with 3,011 ministers, 5,282 ^ 

 churches, and 679,728 communicants. 



The "Lutheran Almanac " (Kurtz's) for 1879 

 gives the following table of synods : 



