The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1868-07-15
How to Prepare to Vote-the Ques-
ton Ethically Considered.

That the Democracy will need every
vote it can command in the coming
campaign, both at the North and Mt the
South, must be evident to the minds o.
even the least observing among u.s.
Though the prospects of success arc
very bright, success is not SO certain as
to warrant inactivity in any portion o.
the country. IF the Southern electoral
vote is fixed for Grant, then all must
admit that there is an amount of posi-.
tive strength to be overcome which
must make the race an uphill business
to the Democratic candidate. It
therefore, behooves the Southern Dem
ocracy to set to work in earnest to car.
ry some portion of the electoral vote
for Seymour, and thus aid in the
good work SO auspiciously commence
ed by our friends at the North. More
over, whether our electoral vote be
needed or not our own salvation de-
ponds on our obtaining the political
power in the State at as early day as
possible. We will show in subse.
duent article that, even though Sey-
mour should be triumphantly elected in
November, and the House of Represen.
tatives should be overwhelmingly Dem
ocratic, as the Senate is now constitu-
ted no relief against the reconstruction
acts can possibly come to the South
within at least two years from the 4Al
of next March, and probably not with
in the whole of the next administration.
The only relief possible to any South
ern State is to be found in obtaining
the political ascendancy in that State.
Every vote, therefore, black or white,
which can be obtained by any means
known to political strategy must be
obtained by the Democracy in the
present campaign. Our object at pres
ent is to show how the white vote is to
be secured.
When the Congress of the United
States passed the reconstruction acts
we were told that their restrictive fea-
lures were to be abandoned for more
liberal system under the State govern
ments to be formed by the respective
State Conventions. If such had been
the case, or even if the Conventions
had been satisfied with the disfran-
in these acts, every South
ern State could be made to cast its
vote for tie Democratic candidates in
November. But this the Radicals saw,
and as reconstruction with them means
only Radical and negro ascendency,
every Convention has adopted more
stringent suffrage qualifications than
the bill under which it was created
The new Constitution of Louisiana ex-
cepts from the right of voting and
holding Office the following:
ART. 90. The following persons shall
be prohibited from voting and holding any
office: All persons who shall have been
convicted of treason, perjury. forgery, bri-
berry, or other crime punishable in the pen
itentiary, and persons under Introduction.
All persons who are estopped from claim
ing the right of suffrage, by abjur-
ing their allegiance to the United States
Government, or by notoriously leveying
war against it, or adhering to its enemies,
giving them aid or comfort, but who have
not expa4riated themselves, nor have been
convicted Of any of the crimes mentioned
in the first paragraph of this article. are
hereby restored to the said right, except
the following: Those who held Office,
civil, or military, for one year or more, I'M
der the organization styled "the Confeder-
ate States of Americas" those who regis
tered themselves as enemies of the United
States; those who acted as leaders of guer-
rilla bands during the late rebellion; those
who. in the advocacy Of treason, wrote OF
published newspaper articles or preached
sermons during the late rebellion; and those
who voted for and signed an ordinance Of
secession in any State. No person incla-
ded in these exceptions shall either vote
or hold Office until he shall have relieved
himself by voluntarily writing and signing
a certificate setting forth that he acknowl'
edges the late rebellion TO have been NOR
ally and politically wrong, and that he re-
grets any aid and comfort he may have
given it; and he shall file the certificate in
the Office of the Secretary of State, and i,
shall be published in the official journal
Provided, That no person who, prior to
the first of January eighteen hundred and
sixty-eight, favored the execution of the
laws of the United States, popularity known
as the Reconstruction Acts of Congress
and openly and actively assisted the loya
men Of the State in their efforts to restor'
Louisiana to her position in the Union
shall be held to be included amoug thos,
herein excepted. Registrars ofvoters shall
take the oath Of any such person as pTint
facie evidence Of the fact that he is emit
tied to the benefit of this proviso.
1t is plain that if the classes embrac-
ed in this provision fail to qualif.
themselves in the manner required b.
the Constitution, the Radicals will for
ever maintain their ascendency in tn
State. We therefore call upon ever.
one to quality at once BY filing the re
CURED certificate, SO as to be prepare'
to register when the registry shall hav
been ordered by the Legislature. w
hope our people will not be too nice o.
the subject. This is no time for scru