The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1872-12-25
GOV. NARMOTH'S MESSAGE.

/ Fellow-citizens of the Senate and House
of Representatives of the State OF
louisiana:
+ GENTLEMEN-By a special provision
of the constitution, the Governor is
authorized to convene the General AS
sembly in extraordinary session, when
ever, in his opinion, as Executive, the
occasion demands such n meeting.
In the exercise Of snch a power at
this time, l feel snretl'at I have not
exceeded the Limitations Of duty, and
trust that my act will receive the APP
prevail, at once, ofyonr honorable bod
les and Of my other fellow citizens.
The condition Of public affairs presents
a perilous issue, which will require the
attention, the mature reflection, and
the prompt and decided action of the
General Assembly. A combination of
persons, who, with singular perver-
sion of the ordinary meaning Of the
English tongue, call themselves ''Re-
publicans." have set on foot an at.
tempt t" rrvolutionize onrState Gov
eminent, which if successful, car only
result in anarchy, confusion and the
destruction Of both the form and spirit
of onr State organization. The first
act OF the conspiracy was their con-
temptuons defiance of one of the plain
est provisions of tie constitution of
Louisiana, where they nominated as
candidate for Governor a person then
and now a Senator of the United
States, and as candidate for Lienten-
ant Governors person then and now
the Collector of Customs at the city of
Shreveport.
Article 50 of our constitution, as you
are we'll aware, declares as follows:
''No member of Congress or any per-
SOD holding Office under the United
States Government, shall be eligible
to the office Of Governor or Lieuten-
ant Governor"
The intention oftllis article is appar-
ent. 1t is to prevent any Of :he per-
sons named therein from being candi-
dates for election to these two high
and important offices-to prevent sucI,
persons or officials from using the pow
er and patronage of their positions IN.
der the Federal Administration, to
purchase or coerce NOMINATIONS and
votes. To say that it was intended
merely to prevent a person from being,
for example, a member of Congress
aud il Governor of our State at the
same time, is simply absurd.
For one person to discharge at one
and the same time the duties of Gov
ernor in this State, and those of a mem
Der of Congress at Washington. is a
manifest physical impossibility, which
the trainers of the constitution, and,
mag add, of every constitution wl,icl,
Louisiana has ever had, we'll knew re-
quired no fundamental law to prevent.
AS well might it have been declared
that the President of the United States
should not, while holding his Office, be
Governor of Louisiana. AS we'll al
most might it have been enacted that
the American Minister at Berlin or the
Milkado of Japan should not be Gov
ernor of Louisiana. A constitution, as
well as any other law, sllonld be inter-
prcted with reasonable e'ercnce to the
circumstances of its adoption. and the
evil, if any, it was intended to pre-
vent. And to say that this article
means merely that no one shall con-
time to be, at one and the same time,
member ofCongress and the Govern
or Of our State is not to give it any
such reasonable construction.
can see but one object in the minds
of those who passed this article, and
that was to prevent a member of Con-
gress or incumbent Of Federal Office
from usiug the power and patronage of
the National Government to manipu-
late and setlnce party convention and
then to seduce or intimidate the voters
at the polls. In brief, it was intended
to prevent precisely such q scene as
was enacted in Baton Rouge in June
last, and such state IF things as now
puts in Jeopardy the peace and the
property of this great Commonwealth.
Consider q few Of the facis. A Sem
ator Of the United States, who claims
a technical residence in. this States, but
who is we'll nigh unknown to the peo-
pie, arrives here from Washington a
few days before the assembling Of the
party convention. He is heralled as
the cloice Of the National A,lministra-
ton for the Office Of Governor. The
Collector Of the Customs at New Or
leans, the United States Marshal, the
Postmaster, the Assessor and Collec-
tor of Internal Revenue and all the
rest of the army of Federal Office hold
ers, throughout the State. at once de-
clare that he must be nominated. The
convention is assembled in a country
town, under the guns Of a Federal s ar
rison, whose troops, the year before
had nnlor tho orco,so fr t1,a eoma Ed