The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1874-08-07
Thc Registration Law.
LETTER FRO GOV. KELLOGG ON THE
SUBJECT.
STATE OF LOUISIANA,
Executive DEPARTMENT.
49, FN DUPtE UIIIVIIt'
New Orleans, july goth. 1874

To the Editor of the Picayune:
Sir-In an editorial in this mornings
Picayune, commenting upon the regis
tratiOn law recently promulgated, it is
asserted "The Governor pledged him
self not to sign the law. Like other
pledges this has been violated" pass
yer the latter sentence with the simple
remark that whenever you are able to
point to a specific pledge publicly made,
which have failed to keep, | will hold
myself i'll readiness to disprOve the
charge OF confess the fact. Ihavenever
in any manner, directly or Indirectly, in
public or in private, pledged myself not
to sign this registration law. On the
contrary, | have repeatedly and openly
declared my intention to sign the bill
when the proper time came, and more
than Il Of the New Orleans newspa-
pers have recently given publicity to
this intention. You probably have con-
fused the new registration law with the
election bill, which was i'll controversy
last winter. | gave public notice that !
would not sign that bill. | have not
done so, and do not intend to do so.
announced at that time that there
WAS IL bill in my possession providing for
an entirely new registration throughout
the State, which bill I said it was my
intention to sign. .-..... .
| believe you are equally mistaken as
to the character and object of this new
registration law. An entirely new reg
istration is an absolute necessity. The
thousands of fraudulent certificates cx-
taDt which were VIGOROUSLY used i'll
1872, and might be used in the coming
election, and the further fact that in the
city of New Orleans alone there are at
least One-fourth more names upon the
registry than there are legal voters,
would alone justify the ordering Of a
new registration. The law, / admit, is
open to some objections. You refer to
one, namely, the prohibition of interfGr-
Cnce by the Judiciary. This was in, the
old law, andghas been ~re-enacted in this
bill but as the courts have themselves
decided the clause to be imperative, its
retention a have no very injurious eff
feet. The ACCESSIBILITY, OIL otherwise, of
placing the appointment of Supervisor
of Registration in the hands of the Gov.
ernOr, or placing it in. q source where
there is less accountability to the public,
is aquestion | do not now care to dis
cuSs. tits true the Supervisor is res
ponsible to the Executive, and may be
removed by him but he cannot impTO-
perly strike a name from the roil"Or re-
fuse to register a legal voter without
~subiecting himself to heavy penalties. I
believe, any fair minded man who will
read this new law through carefully will
agree with me, that it is calculated upon
the whole to secure a fair and equitable
registration. tits an improvement upon
the old law, which must have remained
in force unless / had signed this BILL, in
many respects. Amongst other reforms,
itprOvides that no registrar OF his clerk
shall be eligible as a candidate for office,
which was one of the great evils of the
old law. 1t affords additional facilities
for registration, provided proper. men
are appointed, which will be my aim and
object. SO far as [ am concerned, | am
determined, by all means in my power,
to afford every facility possible to every
citizen to secure by registration the
right to vote. Very respectfully,
VIM. p. KELLOGG.