New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1868-06-09
ELECTION ORDERs VERSUS PRoCLAlLA-
TIONs.

General makes grave error in the sentence
we have quoted. He states that the cleo
ton for civil officers in Louisiana was helC
''ia compliance toith special orders Nos. 81
and SO, current series, from these headquar
lers." The election was not held in "com
pliance" with any such authority, but i
was held under and by virtue of articl,
154 Of the new constitution and the sup
Elementary reconstruction law passed
March II, 1865, and "orders Nos. So ant
63, current series, from these headquarters
were issued in compliance" and accord
Gnce" 1rih said constitution, and the recon
styucIion lalSs Of Congress. This fact is
conceded in these very orders:
| HEADQUARTERS FIFTH military DIsTRIcT, !
New Orleans La, March 25 1865. :
Special Orders No. So.
| !. BY an act of Congress which became a
| law March u, 1868, it is enacted:
That the Constitutional Convention OF
| any of the States mentioned in the acts to
| which this is amendatory may provide that
| at the time of voting upon the ratification
Of the constitution the registered voters
may vote also for members Of the House OF
/ representatives Ol tllG Onlleu sbdlt5, uItu
| for all elee5iue officers provided for by the said
| constitution; and the same election Off
GERS who shah make the return of the votes
cast on the ratification or rejection of the
| constitution shall enumerate and certify the
| votes cast for members of Congress"
In accordance loith the terms Of this act,
an election will be held in the State of Lou
| isiana for members of the House of Repre-.
| sentatives of the United States, and for such
State iUdfaiol naTiah and panUfrinal offi-
GERS and members of the General Assembly
as are provided for in the constitution to be
submitted to the people for ratification.
This election will be in all respects part
of the election heretofore ordered IN special
orders No. So, dated March II, 1865, from
.hese headquarters, subject only to such
notifications as may be required by the
above mentioned act of Congress.
The General begins from a wrong founda-
tioR, and is led into very material errors
These headquarters are quite subordinate
to the laws of Congress and to those pro-
visions of our new constitution which are
made in obedience thereto. The law
quoted by the General says that the Con-
stitutional Convention may provide for the
election of all elective officers provided
for by the constitution, and the Constitu-
tional Convention of Louisiana did so pro-
vide as follows:
Art. 154. In order TO establish a civil gov.
eminent, as required by act of Congress
passed March twenty third, eighteen humid
red and siEty-seven, an election shall be
held at the same time and place at which
the constitution is submitted for ratiica-
ton, for all State, judicial parish, and attt-
HlctpGl officers, for members of the General
Assembly, and for Congressional Represent
atiTes, at which election the electors who
are qualified under the reconstruction acts
of Congress shall vote, and none others;
ProEtded, That any electOr shall be eligible
TO any Office under any municipal corpora
ton in this State.
On March the 18th General Buchanan
issued his Special Order No. GO in ODE
dienee to and in accordance aoiH the terms
Of the lalo quoted, and the article Of the con
stiiatjOn ,Oiich ,oeqlots. The election for civil
officers would have been held at the time
designated by the Convention il special
order No. G33 bad never been issued, and
the pretense now made by the General that
it was held in compliance" Herewith is
simply absurd. The establishment of
civil government for Louisiana was part
Of the duty of our Constitutional Conven-
lion, as well as the framing of constitu-
lion, and both are the legitimate results of
he reconstruction laws of Congress, and
bot directly of any military authority what |
aver.
The General makes another very palpa-
bic blunder. He states:
The civil government hereby provided |
or is provisional in its character until after |
he amendment to the Constitution of the |
United States known as article fourteenth |
han have become part of that constitution. |
But the General refuses to allow the
constitution and civil officers elect, or the
,ivil officers, to be dny government echateUe,
Until November. He states that the "gov-
eminent hereby provided is provisional
n its character and Immediately ignores
i even as a provisional government. His
bubble about article 1853 Of the constitu-
lion is almost beneath notice. He states
that article provides that the terms of
office Of all eivil officers elected under 1t
shall date from the first Monday in Novem-
Der following the election;p and SO it does
provide that their terms shall date from
that time, but it does not say that they
shall begin in November. On the contrary
the whole article reads as follows:
Art. 1853. All civil officers thus elected
shdn enter upon the discharge Of TIER
1iities on the second Monddg after ne ~.
urn Of their election shall hdue been Of /
Scidlly promulgated. or as soon as qualified /
according to lay, and shall continue in /
Mice for the terms of their respective /
1fiees herein prescribed, said terms to date /
rom the first Monday In November follow 1
ng the election.
The General recognizes and follows one
art Of the article, as he claims to misunder-
tand II. Is not the rest quite as obliga-
DRY, and can it possibly be misunderstood? |
Very evident, indeed, is the fact that this
Election order was promulgated to retard
and in the interests of the
Of reconstruction. The rebel
Democracy Of Louisiana are quite aware
y this fact and the rebel journals concede
! BY the tenor Of their comments. They
re even assailins aoms Of their own can
iidates on TIE ground that hey we're NOM
mated and elected az opponents Of recon
IructiOB, and are nov iavoriug rseonstruc-
ion BY advocating sheir,own early instalia-
iqn into Office.
eeciai order No, l25, prcmulgating he
rsaA pf municipal elections, and orderlng