New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1868-03-15

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effect, viz social equality, and a So
cial equality which is abhorrent to all
our traditions, and repugnant to the
laws of nature.
That this violation of the rights of
private property, for the above Pur-
pose, was deliberately designed and
intended is evident from the proceed
ings of the convention. Article thir-
teen was hurriedly passed under the
operation of the previous question,
which prevented all amendments, so
that view of testing the sincerity of
delegates who disclaim the intention of
forcing social equality. offered the
following proviso to the article, No.
IA: provided, Nothing contained in
article thirteen shall be construed to
give greater rights to any persons Of
whatever race or color than are now
possessed by persons of the white
race"
This proviso was almost unani-
mously voted down. Thus, the colored
delegates declared positively and en-
phatically that they were not satisfied
for themselves with the rights new
possessed by white men.
This article so subversive of all the
rights of property, and designed to
| force such an unjust and unnatural
equality, bears the number thirteen;
it is hoped by the undersigned, the
usual misfortune which is said te at
tend that number, may not fail, when
this constitution is submitted to the
people of Louisiana for ratification.
2. The governor of the state, under
this constitution, is only required to
be tWenty-one years of age, and
resident Of the state for two years
preceding his election. / believe
the chief magistrate of great state
like Louisiana should be more than
mere youth; and possess better
knowledge of its laws, traditions, and
necessities than can be acquired in
the space of two years.
3. Contrary to the custom in every
state, and therein following the exam
pie of the constitution of 1864, the
present constitution allows the lieu
tenant governor salary Of three
thousand dollars per annum for the
performance of no other services than
those of presiding officer of the SEN
ate for sixty days This is an I'M
heard of and e1traVagant waste of
the moneys belonging to people al
ready ruined, and that, merely to
crafty set of vampires on the pub
lie treasury.
a. Article 70, in prescribing the
qualifications of the judges of the su-
preme court, only requires that the
lawyers appointed to that bench shall
have prActiced law for three years in
in the state. 1t is a notorious fact
that our system of laws can not be
mastered in three years; and that in
such a short space of time only
rudimentary knowledge of it can be
acquired. This article was adopted
with view of filing our supreme
bench with lawyers who have only re-
Gently been practicing in our state.
These latter will be less competent at
the end of three years practice with
us than one who began the study of
the law with our system, because dur
ing those three years they will have
two very difficult tasks to perform, to
learn a new system and forget an old
one. The last bulwark for the secu-
rity of titles in this state will be a
bench totally unfit by previous educa-
ton to understand, and consequently
expound our laws.
5. The qualification of practice for
two years in this state, required for
the district judges by article "a, is |
not sufficient, and when / reflect that |
these Judges are made elective by the |
people, who at the best are totally I'M
qualified to appreciate the merits of a
lawyer, | can not help the conviction |
that such a system, with such qualifi- |
cations required, will overthrow COM
pletely the objects of a judiciary. In
fact, the state will have judges, but |
not a Judiciary.
The constitution has adopted par |
TALLY the old probate Judge system,
simply adding to the jurisdiction of /
our ancient parish judges some mat
tiers properly belonging to the ordinary |
civil jurisdiction of courts. But all |
SUGGESTIONS are required to be opened,
and finally settled in the parish courts.
(See art. 81 And for q court hav-
ing to pass upon the most difficult |
questions under our laws. those relat-
ing to SUGGESTIONS, the judge is made
elective by the people; and he is re-
CURED to possess no qualification, ex-
cept that he shall be citizen Of the |
United States. Even the nominal |
qualification of ''learned in the law
was stricken out. And 1 heard dele
gates say that this was done to enable
freedmen to hold the place Of parish
judges.
z. independently of the above spe- |
cific and detailed objections, 1 have a |
general one to the whole Judicial sys-
tenn established by this constitution.
/ refer to the elective system adopted.
The evil effects of that system have |
been too severely felt by the people of |
this state to permit me ever to consent |
to its re-establishment.
s. Article ninety-nine, regulating the |
exercise Of the elective franchise, and the |
right of holding Office Is anti-republican, in |
direct conflict with the principles already |
established In the title Of the bin Of rights,
and will disfranchise large class Of the |
people Of this state and that class Is COM
posed Of the very material which past |
events have proven to US we must draw |
from, II we wish competent men to manage |