The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1868-10-14
THE REGISTRATION.

that no man qualified to register vii
be SO lost to a sense of the importance
of the subject as to fail to come for
ward at once and qualify himself t,
vote at the approaching election. II
order that every one may know wheth
er he is entitled to register we publish
the article of the Constitution defining
the qualifications of voters and office
holders: - - ~ ~
ART. 80. The following persons shall
be prohibited from voting and holding
any Office: All persons who shall have
been convicted of treason, perjury, for.
gerry, bribery, or other crime punisha.
bic IN the penitentiary, and persona
under interdictiOn. All persons who
are estopped from claiming the right
of suffrage, by abjuring their allegiance
to the United States Government, Ol
by n0tOriously levying war against it.
or adhering to its enemies, giving them
aid or comfort, but who have not expa-
triated themselves, nor have been con-
victed 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, under the organization STYLED
"the Confederate States of America -
those who registered themselves as en-
emies of the United States those who
acted as leaders of guerrilla bands du-
ring the late rebellion; those who, in
the advocacy of treason, wrote or pub
lisled newspaper articles or preached
sermons during the late rebellion; and
those who voted for and signed an or
dinance of secession in any State. No
person included in these exceptions
shall either vote or hold Office until he
shall have relieved himself by :volunta-
rily writing and signing a certificate
setting forth that he acknowledges the
late rebellion to have been morally and
politically wrong, and that he regrets
any aid and comfort he may have Civ
en- it and he shall file the certificate
in the Office of the Secretary of State,
and it shall be published in the off,
cial journal. Provided, That no per-
son who. prior to the first of January
eighteen hundred and sixty-eight, ia
vOred the execution of the laws Of the
United States. popularity known as the
Reconstruction Acts Of Congress, and
openly and actively assisted the loyal
men Of the State in their efforts to re-
store Louisiana to her position in the
Union, shall be held to be included
among those herein excepted. Regis
trars of voters shall take the oath OF
any such as prima .facie evidence of the
he is entitled to the benefit Of
thissprovis0. ,,s -.
Now we call upon every one to scan
this article carefully and make up his
own mind as to his right to vote with
out running off after Baker and his RI
Iliculous instructions to the registers.--
It will be seen that very few white men
in the parish, are disqualified nnder
the Constitution. The clause that dis
qualities the great majority Of them Is
The one which denies the right Of suff-
rage to "those who held Office, civil or
military, for one year or more, under
the organization styled "the Confede-
rate States Of America" And vet
when properly. construed this clause
will embrace but few Of our people,
A State Office, for instance, from Gov
srnor down to constable, though held
lurng the existence of the Confedera-
y, is only a State Office, and not an
office " under the organization styled
she Confederate States of America. -
And as tor the military offices, as many
Confederate officers as we happen to
know, ace do not know a single one dis
franchisea under this article cfthe Con-
'titutiom. 1t has been decided by the
highest judicial tribunals in the coun-
ry that a Commission is the thing
which decides whether position is an |
.1fce or not. Now it is we'll known
hat very few Commissions were ever
ssued to. officers on this side of the |
liver. If, therefore, Confederate
'fficer held no Commission, or held one
or a less time than one year, he is en-
titled to vote and to register. It is
rue we are giving a strict interpreta-
Ion to the law, but laws, to a viola
ion of which penalties are attached.
re required to be construed strictly by |
;ourts of Justice. We do not believe
hat Editors and Preachers even are
for though they wrote
nd preached in favor of the war, they
lid not write and preach in the TAD
'ocacy of treason" It can never be
made out that the advocates of the late
7ar were guilty of treason. Chief JUS
ice Chase, Attorney General Evarts,
nd all the other able Radical LAWYERS
a the country know that not even Mr..
Davis himself can ever be found guilty
f treason. s#
It should be remembered also that
hose who are disqualified can register
y signing the recantation certificate
ct forth in Article 80 of the Constitu-
ion. Those who can, conscientiously
o SO should not fail to sign the certifi-
ate at once.
Let every one, then, who can regis
Or come forward at once. The time
short, very short indeed. We be-
eve that the disgracefal acts Of the