The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1870-10-01
ST. JOINT RESOLUTION

No. S5.1 JOINT RESOLUllON
| Proposing to amend the Constitution of the
State.
SECTION /. Be 1t resoLued by che Senate
and House of Representatives OF the State Of
| Louisiana, in General assembly comoened,
That at the General election nexS ensuing the
passage o, this resolution, the following arti-
! Gle shall be proposed to the qualified electors
of the State as an amendment to the censtitu-
ton of the State, which, when approved and
ratified by a majority of the voters at said
election, shall become a part Of the e~onstita-
ton, in the place of the article numbered
ninety-nine.
SEC. 2. lie it further resolced, etc, That
/ said article shall be in words and terms as
follows, to-wit:
No person shall hold any Office, ~or shall be
permitted to vote at any election, or to act as
Juror, who, in due course of law, shall have
been convicted of treason. perjury, forgery,
bribery, or other crime punishable by impris-
enment in the penitentiary, OR who shall be
under Introduction,
SEC. 8 Be 1t further resotUed, etc., That
the tickets of all persons voting upon this
proposed amendment shall have written or
printed thereon the words, For the amend
I ment Of the ninety ninth article of the consti-
tuition - or, against the amendment of the
| ninety-ninth article of the constitution; :" and
| the returning officers shall make returns of
votes thereon in the same manner as is pres
cribed by law for returns of election, and the
| Secretary of State shall promulgate the result
by publication three several times in the Off
eial journal.
And if a majority of the votes cast at sail
| election shall be, "Fol the amendment of the
nlnety.nintha article of the constitution" then
the article numbered ninety nine, and reading
as follows:
"ARTICLE 80. The following persons shall
be prohibited from voting or holding any of.
fee: All persons who shall have been convic-
| ted Of treason. perjury, forgery, bribery, or
other criTse punishable in the penitentiary,
and persons under introduction. All persons
who are estopped from claiming the right of
suffrage. by abjuring their allegiance to the
United States Government, Or by VIGOROUSLY
levying war against it, or adhering to its enc
mics, giving them aid or comfort, but who
have not expatriated themselves, nor have
been conyicted of any of the crimes mention
ed 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
| enemies of the United States. those who act
ed as leaders of guerrilla bands during the
late rebellion those who, in the advocacy of
treason, wrote on published newspaper arti-
cles OF preached sermons during the late re-
| bellion , and those who voted for and signed
an ordinance of secession in any State. No
person included 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 &C.
-. -.s IL ia, rahol1;o~ % bo-o Ioa-
morally and politically wrong and that he
reer IS 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 official journal; Prouided,
| That no person who, prior to the first day of
! January, eighteen huadred and ~sixty-eight,
| favored the execution of the laws of the Uni
ted States, popularity known as the Recon-
struction Acts of Congress, and openly and
| actively assisted the loyal mea of the State in
/ their efforts TO restore Louisiana to her posi-
ton in the Union, shall be held to be included
among those herein excepted. Registrars of
voters shall take the oath of any such person
as prsrna facic evidence of the fact that he is
entitled to the benefit of this provise," shall
be stricken from the Constitution, and be null
and void, and the article herein above set
forth and proposed as an amendment, shall be
q part OF tne coHsGlLutpoh' anu SHALL Dt pup
lished in all official copies of the same, in
place of the article n~inety-nine, SO stricken
ont and declared null and void.
(Signed) MORTIMER CARR,
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
{Signed) OSCAR J.. DUNN,
Lieutenant Governor and President of
the Senate.
Approved February 10. 1870.
{Siened) III. C. WARMOTH,
Governor of the State of. Louisiana.
A true copy.
GEO. e. RovEE.
Secretary of State.