The Opelousas courier., 1874-08-01
=
The New Registratfon Lats.

The Usurper signed on the 24th al act VI
the last Kellogg Legislature, providingl for
new and complete registration OF 'oters
throughout the State. In our next lssse we
will publish an abstract of this law, which
our readers should examine carefully for
themselves. In our opinion, it is the last
straw on the camels back, and will certainly
rouse the white people Of the State to an ex-
tent not deemed possible by the Radical-negro
law makers.
1t may not be amiss to state here that this
is one of the many bills smuggled through the
Legislature Oh the last days Of the session,
and that it was not even read before it's final
passage, if passed at all.
Under it the elective franchise is placed ut
the absolute disposal of Kellogg. He appoints
the State Registrar, supervisors and assistant
supervisors, and can remove them at his pleas
ure. The supervisors and assistant super
visors can register voter, or refuse to do so,
at their will, and the courts of the country
are forbidden, under severe penalties, from
interfering in any manner with any action
they may take. He can erase voters name
from the list whenever he thinks proper to do
SO, and there is no appeal from his decision.
A foreigner is practically denied the privilege
of veting, for his right to register is hedgel in
! with almost impossible requirements. Every
person of foreign birth, before registering, Is
required to prove his naturalization by ccr-
, tficate under seal of the clerk Of the court
, naturalzing him, attested by said clerk in his
! o,en proper handtoritimg, and must besides
that he is the person named i'll the certificate.
and to whom it was issued and he must fur
ther answer, under oath, any questions pro-
pounded by the supervisor as to where and
when he was born; and unless his answers
correspond with the certificate, to the salts
faction of the supervisor, it ceases to be evi
dence and he cannot be allowed to register.
The certificate amounts to nothing, although
it is required in every case. In fact, avery
old naturalized citizen Of the State who may
have been voting for twenty or thirty years.
, and who may have been naturaliZed in other
States and in this State long before many Of
| us were born, must now produce certificate
of naturalization which is not evidence and
cannot be made evidence. Take any old for
eiguer aud ask him whether he Can find two
qualified electors in his precinct who can
swear that he is the person to whom his Ger
tificate of naturalization was issued, perhaps,
thirty years ago 1t would be impossible i'll a
great majority of cases. If such anaturaiized
! citizen, although known by whole colhnu-
! nifty to have been voter for years, should
! have lost his certificate, which is the case III
hundreds of Instances, how will it be possible
for him to vote 7 The Court naturalizing him
may have ceased to exist, or it may be in a
distant State, and even it he could get asiI-
plicate certificate, it would be of no value
whatever, in the face Of the requirement of
this law, that it must be proven by two quail
| fed electors of his precinct that he was the
| party to whom it was issued.
| This feature of this bill of denominations is a
blow struck at the whole foreign population
of our State and especially that of New Or
leans. These foreigners are, almost to a man,
true white men, and in the coming campaign
will side with the white mans party. This is
i we'll known to the Usnrper and his dirty white
and black cohorts. and in the vain hope of de-
priving US of their vote they will. by means
! of fhis law, try to prevent them from voting
at all.
We shall endeavor to keep cool on the suo
.ject, but will take occasion to say that, if we
have not misudged the spirit of our people,
/ the coveted fruit of this infamous conspiracy
against the rights and liberties of the people
will turn to ashes on the lips of the Usurper
He may fatter himself that there is no limit
to our patience and no extent to which his
master, President Grant, may not allow him
to go, in depressing our people, but day OF
reckoning must and will come. We believe it
is in the near future, and when it does come
the uttermost parts of the earth will scarcely
shield him from the wrath of an outraged and
long suffering people.
The citizens of this parish will be called to
gether on the 18th of August, to consult ovel
this new law. When assembled, they viii
doubtless speak so plainly that no supervisor
will dare to carry out the behests of Mr.. Kel
logg in this parish.
We shall have something more to say or
this subject in future. Before closing, how
ever, we invite special attention to the fol
lowing truthful summary Of some Of the mi
quities of this claw, taken from the N. 0
Bulletin of the 2sth:
This bill authorizes and directs Kellogg t.
appoint for two years q State registrar O
votes, with salary of $4,000 per annum, whit
shall appoint chief clerk at $500 and an as
sistant clerk at $1,000 per annum. He shall
rent an office in the city of New Orleans at 1
rate not to ercgel $3.50 q month. and as ns01ts
other Offices in the city of New Orleans as h
shall think proper, the rent wherefcr shall b
paid by the city of New Orleans upon tn
simple certificate of the registrar. He shal
| also cause to be furnished, at the erpenSe o
the State, ''all books, blanks, papers, station
. ery. etc. c."-mark this significant ct cetera--tht
! accounts for the same to be also paid when
ever approved BY the Governor. Two month
: previous to every general election, the Gov
? ernor shall also appoint in each parish OF tn
State one supervisor OF registration and on
assistant supervisor, all OF whose alleged ex
: nepses for rent, clerk hire, books, stationery
/ etc, lexpenses of transportion from one piae
: to another in every parish being also lnciu
dedl-are also to be paid without question o,
each parish treasurer, upon the unsupporte'
) production of the supervisors account. SKI
aays before the election, assistant superv
sors for each ward of New Orleans, shall ais
be appointed with tho same unlimited pow
ers as to rent. clerk hire, and expenses IL
cluded under the elastic terms OF transports
tion. aud ct ceterG. Every city and parls
> supervisor shall also receive daily compeI
j sation of five dollars from the day me sna
omen his Office until the time he shall con
Meta his statement of election" Each supel
visor and assistant supervisor shall have tW
clerks, who shall receive three dollars ana
! half Der diem, to be paid for the same nun
) ber of days as the supervisors ana their u y
i sistants. Publication is to be made OF tn
q doirTrs of all these parties in at least one p: