New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1852-09-01
CONSTITUTION
or THE STATE OF LOUISIANA.
ssdopted N Conoessfioa .Iuly 81, 1852.

or THE STATE OF LOUISIANA
sideptea ~ Generation JAy 81, 1852
.-----------a,.s
PREAMBLE.
We. the people OF the State Of Louisiana, do or
dain and establish this Constitution
TITLE l.
DISTRIBUTION OF POWERS.
ANT. l. Tie powers Of tbs government Of the Stat
81 Louisiana shall be divided into three distinct de
partmsnts and each Of them be conhded to separ
ate body Of mag istracy, o-wit: those which ar
Legislative to one. those which Executive an
ether, and those which are Jadicialto another
ART 3 No one Of these Departments, nor an,
person holding ofIiceiu Que o. them shall exercis
power properly belongingto either Of the others,
sept in the instances hereinafter expressly directe
or permitted.
TITLE II.
LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENT.
AIRS. The Legislative power Of the State shal
BE- vested in two distinct branches, the to b
styled the House Of Representatives" the 9th.
the Senate, and both the General Assembly of tn
Stase af Louisiana
Art 4 The members Of the House Of Reprsasn
tatives shall continue in service for the term {
two yeurs from the day Of the closing OF the genera
Arr. s. Representatives shall be chosen on tn
first Monday in November every two years; and tn
election shall be completed in ons day. The Gene
raj Assembly shall meet annually, the thir
Monday in January, unless a different day be ap
pointed BY law, and their sessions shall be held a
the seat Of government.
ART.6. Every duly qualified elector, under thi.
Constitution, shall be eligible seat in the Gen
eral Assembly, provided that person shall be Q
Representative Senator anless he be, at the time
Of his election, duly qualified voter Of the Repre-
sentative Senatorial District from which he is elect
"a.
ART. 7. Elections for members Of the General AS
sembly shall be held ut the several election pre-
eincts established by law. The Legislature may
delegate the Of establishing election precincts
to the parochial or municipal authorities.
ART.S s. Representation in the House of Repre-
sentatiyes shall be equal and uniform, and shall be
Tegulated and ascertained by the total population
esch Of the several parishes of the State Each par
ish shall have at least one Representative No new
parish shall be created with territory less than 81,
hundred and twenty five square miles, nor with I
population lessban the full number emitting to
Representative, nor when the creation Of sucl
parish would leave any other parish wthou. til,
said extent Of territory and amount Of population.
The first enumeration by the State authorities un
the second in the year 1858, the third in the yea
1865; after which time the General Assembly shall
direct in what the census shall be taken,
that it be made at least every period Of ten
years, for the purpose OF ascertanng the total popu
lation in each parish and election district.
At the first regular session of the Legislature, after
the making Of each enumeration the Legislature shall
apporon the representation among the several par.
ishes and election districts the basis of the total
population. as aforesaid. A representative number
shall be fixed, and each parish and election district
shall have as many Representatives. as its aggre
gate population shall entite it to. and an additions
Representative for any fraction exceeding one-hal
the Representative number. The number of Re
representatives. shall not be more than one hundred
nor less than seventy. Until an apportonmeni
haI he ma dpIa hald he
in accordance with the first enumeration to be made
as directed in this article the Representation in
the Senate and House Of Representatives shall be
and remain as at present established by law.
The limits Of the Parish Of Orleans are hereby ex-
tended, 50 as to embrace the whole of the present
city Of New Orleans, including that part of the Pa
rish Of Jefferson, formerly known the city of La
fayette.
All that part fthe Parish Of Orleans which is sit
uated on the left bank Of the Mississippi river shall
be divided by the Legislature into not more than
ten Representative Districts, and until new appor
tonment shall be made according to the first CEN
sus TO be taken under this Constitution, that part
of the city of New Orleans which was comprised
within the former limits Of the city of Lafayette,
shall vote for Senators from the Parish of Orleans,
and form the Tenth Representative District, and
shall elect two out Of the three Representatives
now apportioned by law to the Parish of Jefferson
the other Representative Districts shall remain as
they are now established.
ART.0. The House Of Representatives shall choose
IT. Speaker and other officers. s
Arr. 10. Every free white male who has attained
the age Of tWsnty-one years, and who has been
resident OF the State twelve months next preceding
the election, and the last six months thereofn the
Parish in which he offers to vote, and who shall be
citizen Of the United States shall have the right Of
voting but no voter on removing from Parish
TO another within the State, shall lose the right OF
voting the former until he shall have acquired it in
hall in all
felony, or breach Of the peace, be privileged from
arrest during their attendance at going TO- return
ing from elections.
Arr. II. The Legislature shall provide by law,
that the and residence Of all qualified electors
Of the city Of New Orleans, shall be registered in
der to enttle them vote but the registry shall be
free Of cost to the elector.
ART. IL No soldier, seaman or marine in tho army
OF navy Of the United States, pauper, no person
under Introduction, under conviction of any crime
punishable with hard labor, shall be entitled to vote
ct any election in this State.
Art. 10 Noperson shall be entitled to vote at any
election held in this State except in the Parish OF his
fon precinets in the election precinct in which he
resides
AR. IA. The members Of the Senate shall be-
Sson for the term Of four years. The Senate when
Gnbled, shall have the power to choose its officers
orsse 70. The Legislature, in every year III which
dppUISoH representation IN Rouse oil
~ satatives, shall divide the State into Senate
riots. No Parish shall be divided in the
sisinvt5n Of Senatorial Dstrct-the Parish OF Or.
Clan excepted. And whenever new Parish shall
leeated it shall be attached to the Senatorial Dis
from which most ofits territory was taken, or TO
1EAer contiguous District, at the discretion of the
Nature, but shall not be attached to more than
Ntrict. The number Of Senators shall be thirty
n they shall be apportioned among the Senate
-~SistIicts according to the total population con
,a&ned in the several Districts-Pfovided, that no
~ ~ sh shall be entitled to than five Senators
Gsror 16. In all apport,onments of the Senate, the
owntion Of the city Of New Orleans shall be deduc-
= b the population OF the whole State, and the
reahder Of the population divided by the number
Senty-seven, (27) and the result produced by this
division shall be the Senatorial ratio emitting Sena
torial District to Senator. Single or contiguous
Parishes shall be formed into Districts, having a
population the nearest possible to the number en-. !
titing District to Senator; and il, in the appor
tonnent to be made, Parish District fall short Of
Or exceed the ratio one-ffth, then District may be
formed having not more than two Senators, but not
otherwise, No new apportionment shall have the |
effect Of abrdging the term of service OF any Sena-
tor already elected at the time of making the appor
tionment. After an enumeration has been made as |
directed in the eighth Article, the Legislature shall
not pass any law until an opportionment of Repre-
sen,aton in both Houses OF the General Assembly
b made.
ART. IL At the first session Of the General AS
ssmby after this Constitution takes effect the Sena
tors shall be equally divided by lot into two classes
The seats Of the Senators OF the first class shall be
vacated at the expiration of the second year of the
second class at the expiration of the fourth wear so