The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-03-18
A CITIZEN OF MISSISSIPPI.

| Gov. Nichols, relnguishing his own orig
inal opinion and adopting that of the major
| ity of the last Printing Board. to the effect
that the State Printer Is an officer OF the
State, has. in the exercise OF the authority in
| terentially based on this assumption, ap-
pointed George Nicholson, Of the Picayune to
that important office.
Accepting this theory as the correct one,
and that Gov. Nichols has acted In the mat
ter entirely within the bounds OF his legal
authority there yet remains the question
of Nchoson's eligibility to the Office
to which he has been appointed and commits
stoned. The whole proposition turns upon
the question whether George Nicholson Is. or
| Is not citizen of the State OF Louisiana. IL
he is not citizen Of this State, but OF Missis-
sippl, as he has avowed In a court at law, then
he Is certainly disqualified for any official
position in this State, especially one between
which and the State exist relations of such
vast Importance and responsibility as must
necessarily grow out of the public printing.
All of the essential facts bearing on the dis
puted question of George Nicholson's citizen
ship are presented In that remarkable moral
spectacle now pending in the United States
Circuit Court, entitled "The suit Of L. @.
Hancock vs.. f. J. Hobrook ct ais"
| This suit was originally brought in the
Superior District Court Of the State by petit
ton filed November Is, 1876. On December
10 following George Nicholson presented a
petition In which he solemnly averred that he
was citizen Of the State of Mississippi, and
by reason of that fact was entitled to have
the suit against him transferred to the United
States Circuit Court, for which transfer he
prayed, and his prayer was finally granted
end the case accordingly transferred On
the date OF this solemn averment. to wit: De-
cember 10, 1876, the following certificate.
which speaks for itself, was obtained:
/ STATE OF LOUISIANA ]
| Office State Registrar of Voters,
/ New Orleans.
Il. Peter Williams. chief clerk to the State
I Re..i4tf - Yet4rs. do hereby certify that II
Solsrs Of the First Ward Of New CLEANS on
'deposit and file in this off &C. that George
Nicholson, residing at No 173 Ierpoichore
g rec, proprietor Of the Picayuue' Sc years Oh
age, a resident of said ward. and resident OIL
this state and parish for thirty four years. =
native Of England who was naturaized In the
} United States District Court in New Orleans
and took oath to the for going statement or
the eighteenth day Of octobeer' m lg7S
Chief Clerk State Registrar OF Voters"
!, How George Nicholson, after qualifying
himself, on oath, on October IS, 1876, to exer
else the franchise of suffragan of Louisiana
on November 6, 1876, could have pleaded to the
Jurisdiction of our State courts on December
10, 1876, on the ground that he was either
of Mississippi, without having absented him
self in the meanwhile day from this State
Is proposition presenting certain mora
phenomena which we prefer not to character
lie but to submit to the public on the evi
dence. We have only to suggest that thu
jurisdiction of our criminal courts, for the
crime Of perjury, for example, is not affected
by the residence of the party accused.
Without refer ence to the moral question In
volved or the process by which Nicholson
shuffied off the coil of citizenship of Louisiana
and invested himself with the attributes per
!, tanning thereto in Mississippi, between No