New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1852-10-15
CONSTITUTION
OF THE STATE or LOUISIANA.
ddopted IN Convention Juiy 81, 1862.
PREAMBLE.
NJ, the people Of the State OF Louisiana do or
sain and establish this Constitution:
PREAMBLE.


u.
sA DISTRIBUTION OF POWERS.
Arr. i. The powers Of the government Of the State
Of Louisiana shall be divided into three distinct de-
partments, and each Of them be confidef to sspar-
at0 body Of magistracy, to-wit: those which are
70 one, those which are Executive to an.
other, md these which are ndicial to another.
IL Art q No oae OF these Departments. nor any
person holding office in o. Them shall exercise
power properly belonging 10 either ofthe Others ex
sept IN the instances hereinafter expressly directed
Ky permitted.
Z TITLE II.
IA LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENT..
AIT. 3. The Legislativ power of the State shall
be vested in two distinct branches, the one to be
styled the House OF Representatives, the othe,
he Senate, and both the General Assembly Of the
State Of Louisiana.
ART. The members Of the House Of Represen
tatives shall continue in service for the term o
two years from the dayof the closing Of the genera
SELECTIONS
ART. s. Representatives shall be chosen on the
frst Monday il November every two years; and tn,
election shall be completed in one day. The Gene
raj Assembly shall meet annually, the thirc
Monday in January, unless different day be ap
pointed by law, and their sessions shall be held al
the seat OF government.
ART.6. Every duly qualified elector, under this
Consultation, shall be eligible to seat in the Gen
oral Assembly provided that person shall be q
Representatives, Senator snless he be- at the time
OF his election, duly qualified voter of the Repre-
sentative Senatorial District from which he is elect
4 ed.
ART. Elections for members Of the General As.
sembly shall be held at the several election pre-
cincts established by law. The Legislature may
delegate the power Of establishing election precincts
to the parochial or municipal authorities.
ART.e. Representation in the House of Repre-
sentatives shall be equal and uniform, and shall be
regulated and ascertained by the total population
sachcf the several parishes Of the State Each par
lsh ssalk have at least one Representative Nc new
paris shall be created with territory less than six
slAundted and twenty five square miles, with q
population lessthan the full number emitting it to
REPRESENTATIVE, nor when the creation Of such
new paNsh Wonldleave any other parish without the
said extent Of territory and amount Of population
The first enumeration by the State authorities un
der this Constitution shall be made in the year 1853
the second in the year 1885, the third in the year
1866 after which time the General Assembly shall
direct in what manner she shall be taken, SO
that be made at least once in every period of ten
years, for the purpose of ascerainng the total popu
lation in each parish and election district. 4
AT the first guar session Of the Legislature, after
the making ofaach enumeration, the Legisatureshail
apportion Misrepresentation 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 additional
Representative for any fraction exceeding one-ba!f
tho Representative number. The number of Re-
nor less than seventy Until an apportioninent
shall be made, and elections held under the same,
in accordance with the first enumeration to be made
directed in this article. the Representation in
the Senate and House Of Representatives shall bs
and remain as at present established by law.
The limits Of the Parish Of Orleans are hereby ex
tended, SOFAS 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.
rtDfk, ~ an
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 now established. Mi
4 ARB. The House Of Representatives shall choose
its Speaker and other officers.
y ART. 10. Every free white male who has attained
the age Of twenty-one years, and who has been a
resident Of the State twelve months next preceding
the election, and the last six months thereof in the
Parish in which he offers to vote, and who shall be
citizen Of the United States shall have the right At
voting but no voter on removing from one Pari
to another within the State, shall lose the right If
voting in the former until he shall have acquired it
the latter Electors shall in all cases, except treason
felony, breach of the peace, be privileged Eror,
arrest during their attendance at going to- return
ing from elections.
ART. IL, The Legislature shall provide by law,
that the and residence OF all qualified electors
Of the city Of New Orleans shall be registered IN
dor to entite them vote; but the registry shall be
free ofcost to the elector
ART. f2 No soldier, seaman or marine in the army
or navy Of the United States, no pauper no person
under introduction, under conviction OF any crime
punishable with hard Labor shall be entitled to vote
at any election in this State.
Fl Art 10. Noperson shall be entitled to vote at any
election held in this State except in the Parish of his
residence, and in cities and towns divided into elee-
ton precincts, in the election precinct in which he
resides
4 ART Ia. The members of the Senate shall he
chosen tor the term OF four years. The Senate when
assembled shall have the power to choose its officers
4 ART 10. The Legislature, in every year in which
they shall apportion representation in the House OF
shall divide the Stale into Senate
rial Districts, No Parish shall be divided in the
formation Of Senatorial Dstrct-the Parish of Or |
leans excepted And whenever new Parish shall
be created it shall be attached to the Senatorial Dis
trict from which most Gifts territory was taken or
another contiguous District the discretion of the
Legislature but shall not be attached to more than
one District. The number OF Senators shall be thirty
two, and they shall be apportoned among the Senate |
rial Districts according to the total population con
tanned in the several Districts-Prov,ded that M
Parish shailbe entitled to more than five Senators
Arr. 10. In all apportonments of the Senate, the
population OF the city of New Orleans shall be deduc
ted from the population OF the whole State and the
of the population divided by the number
t70 and the result produced by this
division shall be the Senatorial ratio emitting Sena
.orial District to a Senator. Single or contiguous
Parishes shall be formed into Districts having a |
population the nearest possible to the number en- !
itling District to SENATOR and if in the appor-
comment to be made, Parish or District fall short of
" exceed the ratio one fifth then District NAV be
ormed having not more than two Senator's but not
therwse. No new apportionment shall have the
fleet Of abridgng the term of service of any Sena-
or already elected at the time of making the appor-
ioRment. After an enumeration has been made as
ERECTED in the eighth Article, the Legislature shall
entaton in both Houses of the General Assembly
. made.
ART. II. At the first session of the General As
embiy after this Constitution takes effect the Sena.
,rs shall be equally divided by lot into two classes
he seats of the Senators of the first class shall be
acated at the pration of the second year OF the
scond class, Mt the expiration oil the fourth year SO
lat one half shall be chosen every two years and
station thereby kept up perpetually. In any
istricf shall have elected two more Senators,
i'd Senators shall vaeate their respectively at
end Of two and four years, and lots shall be drawn
tween them.
Art. lS. The first election for Senators shall be
neral throughout the State, and at the same time
1t the general election for Representatives is held
thereafter there shall be biennial elections to fill
. place Of those whose time OF service may have
PRED.