The Louisiana Democrat., 1867-04-24

!, OaJh OF 1907. LII soon transplred, how
ever, that the Conservative party ha
. been entirely ignored, and that all tt
> registers belong to the Radical Repul
lican party. The Times and othel
, We're naturally surprised at this, an
cannot exactly understand it. Surel
. out of the whole population of Ne,
: Orleans at least one Conservative ca
be found who can take the test oath.-
! Or are we to believe that there are n
Union men except Radicals, and tina
there is some necessary connection be
tween hard swearing and the ,princi
, Piles of the Radical party? The peopl
of New Orleans, of all political orgaDi
!, cations, are interested in a fair regis
try, and it is but just that each part,
should have representative present
so that all suspicious to the contrar,
may be avoided.
| But the most remarkable feature O
this restrictive policy of the command
ing General is result which we fore
told-the placing of this importan
duty in the hands of men who are in
competent to perform it. These regis
ters had not been at work week be,
fore they exhibited lamentable igno.
rance of the law under which they arc
acting, and an utter incapacity for the
duties assigned to them. Several mer
who had been police officers and who
afterwards took part in the war on the
side of the South, were excluded fol
those reasons alone. Now we have no
reason to believe that these men are
dishonest, and therefore refuse to reg
lister persons who they know are enti-
tied to registration. But it is difficult
to conceive such an amount of stupidi-
| ty and ignorance as would lead any
one with the law before him, to inter
pret it in favor of the exclusion of such
men from its benefits. The law is
plain enough to show that only Federal
officers, Governors Of States, State
Judges and members of State Legisla-
lures are excluded from the privilege
df voting and ofholding Office. 1t can
not be tortured into any other mean
ing, and the decision of the New Or
leans registers has, therefore, been
received by every one with surprise,
and has provoked no little ridicule
among people of all political parties
If General Sheridan has called for the
opinion of the Attorney General, it is
to be hoped that it will be received be-
fore these simpletons do some irrepar-
able injury.
There is another thing about the reg
istration which does not look SO well as
we might desire. We observe that, in
view OF the issuance of an order for
registry in the country Parishes, de-
taehments of troops are beginning to
be distributed in the different Parishes
of the State. This must be with the
expectation that distractions will be
thrown in the way of the execution of
the registry law. Now this is a very
unjust and un-called for insinuation
against our people. The people of
Louisiana are deeply interested in a
fair registry, and are exceedingly anx.
lous that the work should be speedily
completed. They are, therefore, pre-
pared to render every facility towards
the accomplishment Of the work, and
no man, white or black, Democrat, or
Conservative, need have the slightest
fear that he will be interfered with
when he shall offer Himself himself be-
fere the appointed officers. If there
are fears that outrages will be commit
ted on the Radicals, we can easily allay
them by the assurance that, if the
southern people were disposed to com
nit them (which they are not,) their
number is too small, and will exercise
;oo little influence on the result to ius-
'ify the slightest interference with
heir right of suffrage.
1t is understood that the order will
'e issued in a few days to commence
ne work of registration in the country
'arisles. We hopethat every one will
hen avail himself of the opportunity
o register as soon as possible, and be
repaired to exercise the right of suf-
rage on which so much depends while
be State is passing through the re-
ulred machinery Of reconstruction.