New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-02-13

to consider this registration Dill WI, 10
carried this time, so that we may De aDie 10
make the desired change.
Mr.. Peter Harper, of St Charles under
stand this motion is to bring the reg1stTa-
ton bill before the House. approve OF the
motion, and hope my friends vii! lend q
listening ear to the bill, so that they may
make and amend as it may suit the people
of the State, and by the debating OF the Dill
considerable light will be thrown upon this
registration law; it will show the position
of the members in reference to this law.
am in favor of having the votes counted; let
them be cast one by one and then counted.
This bill is an important one; but not SO IN
portant to the Republicans as they think.
They need have no fear of the registration
law being changed; the Republican majority
is over 5000, and they need have no fear
whatever.
l 90 not think we need a new registration
law in my parish. When man wants to
register he does so and his vote is counted,
so do not think it is necessary in my par
ish, for no complaint has been made. The
gentlemen here are mistaken as to it's i'm
portance. The Republicans have nothing
to fear for. We have 5000 majority at least.
do not wish to deprive any one from
voting or registering No one wishes to
prevent person from registering in this
State, no matter whether he be Democrat
or Republican. do not see why objections
are made against this bill. We ought to
have sense enough to know whether
it intends to deprive Republican from
registering; it we can not we ought
to let it GO. If we have not sense enough
to know whether the bill is a safe one, we
hayenOr sense enough to vote; and / again
say there is not that Importance attached
to this bill that many members think there
is. The Democrats opposed this registra-
ton law because it gave the same priv
ileges to the black men as to the white.
In 1870 great change occurred. This was
all the Republicans could ask for. 1t gave
them all the privileges that the whites en-
ioyed, and now they have nothing to fear L
hope the members will not spend any more
time in tlibustering, but at once proceed to
take the bill up.
Mr.; Young, of Concordia-I want to know
by what rules the Speaker of this House is
governed. My friend (Mr. Demas) moved
that the yeas and nays be called OH this
question, and his call was seconded by some
fifteen or twenty members, and yet the
Speaker refused to put his question. Now,
| will here state that my friends here are
opposed to pushing this bill to-day. The
colored vote is all opposed to it at this time.
We are not opposed to retrenchment and
REFORM but we are opposed to this bill IN
less we have 1t printed and laid upon our
desks, and we will do all we can against it's
passage to-day. This is an advantage, and
we mean to take all the advantage we can.
The Speaker-If Mr.. Demas had made a
motion in the proper time and the Chair
had heard it, he would have put it b10pre
the House in parliamentary manner; but
the Speaker heard no such motion, and I
will here state that it is a wonder that the
Speaker hears any motion, as there is SO
much confusion and noise.
Mr.. Barrett rise to a question of IN
formation. Is this the Senate bill!
The Speaker-It is
air. Barrett-Then I call upon every
colored member upon this floor to vote
against it, until it is printed and laid upoR
our desks. l am in favor of reform, as
much as any member upon this floor; but
as a Republican l will not vote for anything
that will be detrimental to my people,
Mr.. DavidsOn-I desire to say but few
words on this subject. I had hoped that
after what Mr.. Harper had SAID that the
members would understand the situation
thoroughly; but it seems they do not; and l
had hoped that they might go along with
out any trouble; but it seems they can not
will say here that there is nothing wrong
in this bill, and l hope the members will
allow the bill to come up. so that we can
settle the question. We have but few
days yet; let us go to work and accomplish
these reforms.
The bill was ordered to be printed. and
made the special order of the day for
Wednesday at one o'clock.