New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1868-09-30
PROCEEDING
OF THE
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
OF THE
STATE OF LOUISIANA.
PROCEEDINGS
JOURNAL OF THE SENATE.
seventy-Nlnth Days Session.
TUEsDAy. Spntemhpr % 1868

| JBhCllt 141DCH, OSutus "
Packard, Pinchback, PoindeXter, Pollard,
Randall Ray, Thompson, Todd, Wilcox,
Wittgenstein-25.
Prayer by Rev. Mr.. Jackson.
On motion of Mr.. Ray, the reading of the
minutes was dispensed with.
| STANDING COMMITTEES.
| Mr.. Ray, from the Judiciary Committee,
and Mr.. Lynch, from Finance Committee,
reported progress.
Mr.. Wittgenstein, from the Committee on
Enrolment, reported as duly enrolled
Senate bill No. 1877, and as duly engrossed
House bill No. l5l and Senate bill $50.
NJ. Braughn, from the special committee
to inquire into the instructions of the Boatd
of Registration to the Supervisors and other
actions of the Board, reported as fol-
lows: -
To the Honorable the Senate of louisiana a.ss.
The Special Committee, sppointsfi ii CON
formity to the annexed resolutN& begs
leave to report that it has .disof fged iIs
duty, and begs leave to submit He follow
ing report, viz: 2. ..ty.ru "a
sors, from the first, seGonf sifEh and the
the conclusion that the Board OF Registrars.
of which william Baker isRhairmau, has
given instruction to the various Boards f
Supervisors throughout the State, that are
unwarranted in theoly, and emit rely beyond
the law of registration. The Board of Reg
istration argues that the only persons who
can take the oath, known by the printed IT,
struct;ons as Form 10; 3, are tho je who ia.
vored and voted fopse convention to revise
the Constitution Of ifs State, at the cleo
tion held on sept9s| |er 9th and 2Sth, 1867,
and that those wA6.did not favor said Con
vention, and that hose who did favor said
Constitution cam bt avail themselves of said
affidavit. (See ge 4O
The Board ofggistration has further in.
structed the R4tfd Of Supervisors to reject
all citizens sK7b have been naturalized by
the Third. T5hrth, Fifth, Sixth, and Sew
enth District Courts, in the parish of Or
leans, sinee he 4tfi of July, 1867; contend
ing that-tdese eounrts, while in vacation,
had nosl9ggaf afefight to naturallze cstizens.
This isS clearly wrong. Tae certificates
issued by courts of competent jurisdiction,
acting Under and in obedience to a law of
Congress, have all the force and power of
iudglaeess, and must be so regarded and res
pu6a NJ dB' persons.
8arlot Registration has Furthermore
ind he'd the various Boards of SuperVi-
sd stall persons who held Office, civil
or IL tary, for one year or more, under the
Confederate States, all who registered them
selves as enemies of the United States, lead
ers Of guerrilla bands, those who wrote or
published treason in newspapers, and those
who voted for and signed an ordinance Of
secession in any State cannot be registered
except they produce the certificate of the
Secretary Of State, showing that they have
flied their recantation, and that ithas been
lspublished in the official journsl.n wide
Epage g.. These instructions deprive per
IAsons of the benefit of the provso in Article
4 so Of the Constitution, which deprivation is
not only unjust but clearly against the Con-
stitutiOn.
Your Committee is clearly of the opinion
that a person who is ready and willing to
take one of the three atiidavlts should be
registered the responsibility Of the act
being entirely with the applicant. If any
evidence is demanded by the Supervisors
the same should be taken contradictorily
with the applicant.
Your Committee Is further OF the opin-
ion that the supplemental act, per-
miuting the Board Of Registration to
form regulations is entirely superauous, and
calculated TO breed public dissatisfaction
and trouble. The law is plain, and sutfi-
GENTLY comprehensive, and II carried out
will accomplish everything required.
Your committee accompanies this its re-
port with q printed copy of the instructions
minute or the proceedings had, and the evi-
dence adduced, all of which is annexed for
| your reference. -.eI1 1-''=
With view of settling in definite form
the difference in the construction of the
law OF registration, your committee submits
an act to repeal section one OF an act enti-
tied an act to define more fully the powers
! and duties of the Board of Registration and
Supervisors thereof, for the registration of
| the qualified voters of the State.
| All Of which is respectfully submitted by
G. H. BRAUGHN,
Chairman.
a,9 JOHN RAY,
------- GEORGE Y. KELS0.
Mr.. Thompson: ask for suspension of
the rules to introduce bill.
Rules suspended. rst ft
An act to quiet the title to public lands
sold during the war.
Read twice under suspension of the rules
and referred to the Judiciary Committee.
Mr.. Braughn: ask for suspension of
the rules to take up the report of the Com.
mittee to investigate the action of the Board
of Registration.
Rules suspended and the report read.
Mr.. Braughn; move the adoption of the
report.
Adopted.
Mr.. Braughn: I ask for suspension of
the rules to take up an act to repeal sec
tion one of an act entitled an act to define
more fully the powers and duties of the
Board of Registration and Supervisors
thereof, for the registration of the qualified