Year: 1863

!, State, your country, and republican insti
tutions. These institutions are in danger
your country is engaged in a terrible ant


devastating war, and your State without q
regularly organized civil government. b


obligations resting upon you to perform
these duties are paramount, and require


from you, in some particulars, an energetic


immediate action.


The want of civil government in oul


State can, by proper efforts on your part
soon be supplied under laws and constitu


tion formed and adopted by yourselves, III
a time of profound peace. 1t is made your
duty, as well as your right, to meet at the
usual places and cast your votes for State
and parish officers, members of Congress
and of the State Legislature.


Hitherto in our history the direction Of
these elections has been had by your cho-
EN- agents, the executive oflicers Of tie
State Government. Now all these are
found absent from their posts, and there
are no others in their places who have is
sued the customary orders, or made the
usual preparation for the coming election.
The day, as fixed By our laws, is Monday
the I'd day of November next, 18G;; but
because ofthis there is and can be no rea-
son why you should be prevented from the
full exercise of your political rights and
duties Heretofore. in Il thousand instan-
ces, the people have met anc. exercised the
right ofsufirage at the appointed time with
out any other formal call than that pro
claimed by the law itself; and in hun
,lred cases Of contested elections the
votes thus cast have been decided to
have been legally cast, and thepersons
vsted for have been decreed to
have been legally elected. There is, then
nothing to prevent your meeting on the
day fixed by law, and selecting your agents
to carry on the affairs Of government in
our own States. The military viii not in
terfere with you in the quiet exercise of
your civil rights and duties, and we think
hat We can assure you that your action iii
this respect Will meet the approval of the
national government Even now, the day
of election in every rebellious State has
passed with the exception of Louis ana, and
should you suffer that TO pass, the whole
country will be in state of anarchy. with
out any civil government of the peoples
own choosing. and subject to the danger of
being thrown as vacated" territory, into
the hands of Congress, where the wish Of
many is that our State, with others, shall
be thrown We charge this design upon
4 certain faction here and at the North, the
result Of whose action, in our minds, threat
ems to destroy republican liberty and re-
publican institutions.


We urge upon you action in this import.
ant crisis 1t will convince the world of
our wish and determination to do what
in US lies to return to the management of
our civil affairs; it will encourage all who
are desrous to peace il other States; it will
have tendency to cause those in arms
against our common country to cease this
deadly strife; it will set an example to all
both north and south-which it would
be wholesome for them to follow; in short,
the tendency of your course on the ap.
preaching day Of election will be for the
veal or woe OF our common country, as you
act the part of true citizens by voting, or
by neglecting to vote fail in your duty.


On the I'd day of November, then, 60 to
the polls and cast your votes as usual
Your chosen Congressman will take their
seats on the first Monday of December;
your chosen Legislators will meet on the
third Monday of January and organize;
your State officers will on the same day be
inaugurated, and thus the wheels of civil
government sill once more set in motion
in our State, and, We trust, prosperousiy
and for the benefit of mankind Fail TO
make this little effort, and your last oppor-
tunity for renewing civil State government,
in accordance with legal provisions will
fruitlessly pass, with the probable destruc-
ton Of republican institutions.


Louisiana has always been at heart loya
TO the United States. She never seeded
by majority vote. The true interests of
her citizens comported only with her re
naming loyalty in the Union. She was
juggled and forced in the position of seer.
ing rebellion, but in our opinion she was
aud is still one of the United States. Now
that it is practical-thanks to the gallant
army and navy Of the United States-her
citizens desire to resume forthwith the r
old status, and to replace the star of their
State, with lustre bright as ever, on the
glor Gus flag of our common country.


We raise no minor n nt Our biccts :