New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1868-09-11

country, tits one of the grosseA and most
ala1 ming innovations upon the institutions
anu laws OF the country that has ever been
0ipSsHs bssus Peiore bas1S any Legislature.
in some OF the Northwestern States nro.
VISION OF this kind was adopted, where
there was a general prejudice against the
profession OF the law felt by an Ignorant
| and unedHcated populace. ii ameunts to
merely this-putting in the hands Of twelve
men, who know Just as much about law
sometimes, as horse or q mule, not only
the disposal of the facts, but also the law
OF the case. II is truly absurd and ridicu.
ious-the idea OF taking from the Judiciary
the power to interpret the laws of the coun-
try; OF taking that power from them and
putting it in the hands of twelve men who
know no more about law than mule A
celebrated lawyer once said that God Al
mighty knew everything in this world ex.
cept one, and that was what was concealed
in the bowels of petty jury. AID l appeal
to the experience of every LAWYER here as to
the truth of the assertion. Even upon the
most patent facts you will find a Jury to
disagree, upon a mere question of facts
plain aud apparent. 1t is dragging down
the jurisprudence of the country to make it
q mere farce; and not only that go further
than the Senator from the First District in
this: | say this bill is clearly unconstitu-
tional. We have three grand departments
in this State under the constitution-the
legislative, the executive, and the judicial
The power of interpreting and constituting
tie laws of the State in all their applica
tions and bearings upon practical matters
OF business, Is firmly vested in the judiciary
by the constitution.
This bill, as | believe, strikes at the
fundamental provisions of the constitu-
ton. | am unwilling, sir, as q citize
OF this State, as person liable to go before
the courts at any time, to intrust my rights
to set of men who know nothing about
law-men who are no more qualified to in
terpret laws than they are to interpret the
course OF comets, or decide the laws of
chemistry, or any other scientific question
upon which they have never bestowed a
thought. This is grave question involy.
ing the rights of the people. | hope that
| Senators will seriously reflect upon this bill
| before acting upon it, 1t seems to me bill
that tends to break down every barrier set
up oy the Judiciary to protect men in their
| legal rights, and to make appeals to the
courts mere game of chance.
Mr. Ray; Mr.. President, | consider this a
bill of extraordinary Importance; much
may be said upon both sides. move that
the bill be printed and postponed until
next Monday, and made the special order Of
the day for that day.
The motion was adopted.
In the Senate, Wednesday, September 8,
the Registration bill, as reported from the
Conference Committee, being under consid.
Grafton, the first section was read.
Mr.. Bacon: If there are any additional
formalities to be gone through with before
these Commissioners go to work, it will
greatly delay the work. The preparation OF
this pamphlet will cause a weeks DELAY in
the registration, There is too little time
| now for complete registration. aud that
| latter clause, which seems to forbid the Su-
pervisors from going to work until this
| pamphlet is prepared and sent on, should
| be stricken out.
| Mr.. Packari Mr.. President, in reply to
the Senator, | think it will facilitate the
| work of the Board of Supervisors to have
| these rules. Books and stationery must be
procured, and while this is being done
these rules will assist the Supervisors in the
| parishes in preparing themselves for o
| proper discharge of their duties. When
| these books are sent out all the rules and
| regulations necessary will be sent with
| them.
Mr.. Bacon: think the pamphlet is a
| good idea, but what think is unwise is to
make of this prerequisite to their begin
| hing their work. If they don't happen to
| get the work they can't go on.
Mr.. Packard: There is very little work
| to get out the pamphlet.
Mr.. Bacon: We have got too much red
tape about the registration this year any
| how. Intelligent and sensible men meet
| me on the street every day and want to
know how many are disfranchised by the
| fourteenth amendmenth of the Constitution
| of the United Statesmen of excellent in
| telligenCe, superior minds, who insist upon
| it that their present registration papers
are all that is sufficient. Under
| all these circumstances l do not want
| e,-T~ "A +nT Ats
| work OF registration, and the remote part:
of the State will hardly get these document:
before the registration takes place. The
| mails are so slow that it takes nearly thirty
days to carry letter to the farthest off par
ishes of the State; and if with the addition t.
| the great quantity of blanks already REQUIRED
| we have something more added, The peoplt
of Union parish, and other remote parishes
may not hear of a registration at all unit
the day of election. Now, l am very anx
ious that the gentleman's pamphlet should
be prepared, but | don't want to have i
stuck in there that until they get the pam
phlet there shall be no registration.
Mr.. Packard: If the gentleman will Weld
moment will eXplainlthe object of it. 1t il
well known that the books can be prepared
here and sent to the parishes a great deal
cheaper and more surely, aad that We
shall facilitate registration by so doing
and so long as we have yet to prepare the
books, and the registration is to be made in
the books, it is just as well while preparing
the books that they should prepare the
pamphlets. These rules are to Instruct Su-
perylsors as to who are entitled to register,
and who are not; and it seems that We can
not progress until We have an understand.
ing in the parishes who are to register. and
who are not. The amendment which pro-
yides that copies shall be forwarded forth.
with is by unanimous consent OF the com.
mittee.
Mr.. Campbell Mr.. President, I wish To
make remark upon this registration bill.
| / was in favor, owing to the lateuess of the
! day at which this bill is to become law
| and IN order that perfect fairness and ms
| tice should be extended to all parties in the
State, and to the minority in the General
| Assemb VI was in favor of takirg the milf
tary registration under the military com.
| manders, as basis, in order that 1t might
| not be said that by any design on our part.
| this registration was postponed in order to
| prevent full registration of the people of
the State. But am informed this morning
| that the books of registration cannot be ob.
tanned Tor any portion of the State except
| the parish OF Orleans, and that such a pro
vision would therefore be inoperaiive. If
that is correct will not make such a mo
| tiol; but If these books can be Obtained
/ would be in favor of adopting that regis
tration as basis, if it can be done.
Nr. Bacon; | will say Mr.. President, that
ii, as the gentleman says. the books are ex-
tant TOR the parish of Orleans they can be
used for this parish, and hope he will in
troduce bill TO that effect. 1t will be i'm
possible for the registers of this parish to
register all the voters of the third ward
alone-the ward in which we sit-because
there is a great deal more to be gone through
with under this bill-under the act we have
passed-than under that under which Gene
raj Sheridan registered. We have three