The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1870-09-17
No. 85.J JOINT RESOLUTION
Proposing to amend the Constitution of th4

State.
SECTION /. Be it resotoed BY the Senate
and House of Representatives of the State OF
Louisiana, in General assembly conpened.
That at the General election next ensuing the
passage OF this resolution, the following arti'
Gle shall be proposed to the qualified electors
of the State as an amendment to the ~constitu.
ton of the State, which, when approved and
ratified by a majority Of the voters at said
election, shall become a part of the c~onstitu.
ton, in the place of the article numbered
,n~inety-nine.
SEE: 9. Be ii further resoloed, etc, That
said article shall be in words and terms as
follows, to-wit:
No person shall hold any Office, or shall be
pernitted to vote at any election, OF 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 p~enitentiary, or who shall be
under Introduction.
SEC. 3. Be 1t further resoloed. etc., That
the tickets of all persons voting upon his
proposed amendment shall nave written or
printed thereon the words, "For the amend
ment of the ninety-ninth article Of the eonsti-
tuition - or, "sAgainst the amendment of the
n%inety-ninth article of the constitution - and
the returning officers shall make returns OF
votes thereon in the same manner as is pres
eribed by law for returns of election, and the
Secretary Of State shall promulgate the result
by publication three several times in the Off
cial journal. >
And il a majority of the votes cast at sail
election shall be, For the amendment of the
nlnety.ninth article of the constitution" then
the article numbered ninety. nine, and reading
as follows: s
"ARTIcLE SO: 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 crime punishable in the penitentiary,
and persons under Introduction. All persons
suffrage, by abiuring 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 CONVICTED of any of the crimes mention
ed in the first paragraph of this article, are
hereby restored to the said right, except tie
following Those who held Office, civil Or
military, for one year or mere, under the
organization styled the Confederate States of
America 5, 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 or published newspaper arti-
Giles 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
himself by voluntarily writing and
signing a certificate setting forth that he ac-
the late rebellion to have been
and politically wrong and, that he
regr. is any aid and comfort be may have Civ
en- it; and he shall file the certificate in the
Office Of the Secretary of State, and it shall
be published ia the official journal 5 Provided,
That no person who, prior to the first day of
January, eighteen hundred and sixty-eight,
favored the execution of the avs Of the Uni
ted States, popularity known as the Recon-
Acts of Congress, and openly and
assisted theloyal men 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
shall take the oath OF. anY such person
as prsaaa facie evidence of the fact that he is
to the benefit of this proviso." shall
be stricken from the Constitution, and be null
and void, and the article herein above set
forth and proposed asian amendment, shall be
a part Of the constitution. and shall be pub
lished in all official copies Of the same, in
place of the article n~inety-nine, so stricken
and declared null and void.
fSigned1 MORTIMER CARR,
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
{Signed) OSCAR u. DUNN,
Lieutenant Governor and President Of
the Senate.
Approved February 10. 1870.
(Sipnedl H. G. WARMOTH,
Governor of the State of Louisiana.