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With a glorious past to be proud of, and splendid oppor- tunities before her, the Pelican State can not fail to win still greater fame for herself and greater happiness for her peo- ple.
QUESTIONS.
Tell about the constitution of 1879. What two governors served after Nicholls ? To what city was the capital removed ? Tell about the jetties. Tell about the levees. The quarantine system. What did the Exposition of 1884 celebrate ? Influence of the New Orleans Carnival. Nicholls' second term and the lottery contest. Who suc- ceeded Nicholls in 1892 ? Give some evidences of the prosperity of Louisiana. Tell about sugar. Cotton. Tell about the Western im- migrants and the cultivation of rice. Education and literature in Louisiana.
Later Events .- In IS96, after a most successful term of office, Governor Foster succeeded himself as Governor. During his second administration the question of calling a constitutional convention was submitted to the people, and the Constitution of 1879 having proved most unsatisfactory, a large majority voted in favor of framing a new instrument of government. Accordingly, in ISOS, the convention met in New Orleans, and after several months of deliberation it drew up and adopted, without submitting it to the people, the Constitution under which we are now living. It is given in full at the end of this volume.
This Constitution made important changes in regard to suffrage, the organization of the judiciary, and the support of the public schools. It is very generally regarded as a far better organic law than that of IS79.
In 1899, when Governor Foster's term was drawing to a
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close, a distinguished citizen of Union parish, Hon. W. W. Heard, who was then Auditor of the State, was nominated by the Democrats to succeed him. The Republicans nom- inated E. S. Reems, of Orleans, and the Fusion party nominated Donelson Caffery, Jr., of St. Mary.
In ISOS the United States declared war against Spain, and the whole State of Louisiana was aroused at the prospect of rescuing Cuba from the cruelty of the Spaniards. Volun- teers from the State flocked to the support of the Federal Government. The war resulted in a complete victory for the United States. For this country its most important result was that, when the sons of the two sections were fight- ing under the same flag, the North and the South were drawn together by a common sentiment of patriotism, and the dif- ferences engendered by the Civil War were almost entirely obliterated.
As this edition is going to the press the returns from the election of April 17, 1900, show that the Honorable W. W. Heard was chosen Governor by a majority of more than 45,000 votes over his two opponents. Governor Heard was born in IS53, in Union parish. He has been successively Representative and Senator in the General GOVERNOR HEARD. Assembly, and State Audi- tor for two terms. In all these offices he gave such evidence of ability and of sterling character that we may predict for him a most successful career as Governor.
PHYSICAL FEATURES, POPULATION, AND RESOURCES.
The area of Louisiana is 45,420 square miles. The population in 1810 was 75,556; it was in 1900 1,381,625. The State is divided into fifty-nine parishes, the names of which are as follows :
Acadia, Ascension, Assumption, Avoyelles, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Calcasieu, Caldwell, Cameron, Catahoula, Claiborne, Con- cordia, De Soto, East Baton Rouge, East Carroll, East Feliciana, Franklin, Grant, Iberia, Iberville, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lafourche, Lincoln, Livingston, Madison, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Orleans, Ouachita, Plaquemines, Pointe Coupée, Rapides, Red River, Richland, Sabine, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Tensas, Terrebonne, Union, Vermillion, Vernon, Wash- ington, Webster, West Baton Rouge, West Carroll, West Feliciana, Winn.
The chief cities, with their population in 1900, are:
New Orleans, 287, 104; Shreveport, 16,013; Baton Rouge, 11,269.
Rivers and Streams .- Besides the three great rivers, the Missis- sippi, the Red and the Ouachita, there are innumerable little lakes and over two hundred bayous; so that Louisiana doubtless has more water courses than any other State in the Union.
Soil and Products .- The geological features of Louisiana are very simple. The three formations found in the State are the cretaceous or chalky, the tertiary, and the post-tertiary .* It is said that the chalky formation underlies the whole State; it may be seen cropping out ir. the limestone hills of St. Landry and Winn. All the salt deposits are found in this formation. Above this comes the tertiary, which under- lies the bluff lands; and on top of this is the post-tertiary, of which the rich alluvial lands of the State are composed.
The following is the description which Prof. Lockett, formerly of the Louisiana State University, has given of the formation of these bluff and alluvial lands .
"It is likely," says he, "that a broad estuary or arm of the sea once
*This term in geology is applied to all the most recent formations,
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extended as far inland as the junction of the Ohio and the Mississippi. Fine mud and silt, however, were washed into this estuary from the higher lands, and floating gently towards the sea, were deposited in a deep stratum, whose upper surface was a broad submerged plain. This stratum of silt completely filled up what we now call the Missis- sippi bottom, and the broad plain extended out to the hill-side slopes on the east and west to a distance of twenty miles from the limits of the present alluvial lands. But a great continental upheaval took place, and this plain was raised several hundred feet above its old- time level. The old Mississippi had then to wash out for itself a new channel to the sea, and having the easily dissolved silt to work upon, the mighty river swept much of its former bed into the gult. In so doing it left those high bluffs on which Baton Rouge, Natchez, and Vicksburg now stand."
Products .- South of 31 deg. north latitude the State is well adapted to the production of sugar, cotton, and rice; but north of that line the great staple is cotton. Indian corn, also, is grown in consider- able quantities. In the parishes of St. James and Natchitoches the light, sandy soil produces the famous strong tobacco called "perique." This tobacco is named for Pierre Chenet (nicknamed Pericho or Perriche), who first manufactured it. It is much sought after in Europe and America. In the southern part of the State, tropical fruits reach great perfection, especially oranges, bananas, and figs. The Louisiana oranges are superior in sweetness to those of Florida. Animals .- Deer, wild-cats, panthers, and bears are found in Louis- iana. The birds of the State, which are very numerous, have been made known to the world by the illustrious John James Audubon. Audubon was born on a Louisiana plantation in 17So. When he was young he showed his fondness for birds by keeping a num- ber of them as pets. When he gre w up he published the " Birds of Amer- ica," a work that contained life-sized drawings made by himself. It was sold by subscription at one thousand dol- lars a copy, and made Audubon fa- JOHN JAMES AUDUBON. mous. He died in New York, and on the 26th of April, 1893, a beautiful monument to his memory was im- veiled in that city.
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Minerals .- One of the most important minerals in Louisiana is salt, which is found in various parts of the State, but chiefly, as we have seen, on Avery's Island. From this island the exports in one day frequently amount to 400 tons. Near Lake Charles there is a large deposit of sulphur and gypsum. The other mineral products of Louis- iana are not important.
The Lands of Louisiana .-- According to Prof. Lockett, there are eight kinds of land in the State: good uplands, pine hills, bluff lands, pine flats, prairies, alluvial lands, wooded swamps, and coast marsh.
Thus we see that Louisiana has a very diversified surface. Besides the rich plantations and the broad prairies for cattle raising, there are immense forests containing oak, cypress, pine, and many other valu- able kinds of trees. According to the report of the Hon. T. W. Poole, Commissioner of Immigration, from which we draw many of the following details, the good uplands embrace chiefly the parishes of Sabine, De Soto, Caddo, Bossier, Red River, Bienville, Webster, Lincoln, Jackson, Union, and portions of Morehouse and Ouachita.
These, which are the northwestern parishes of the State, were set- tled principally by worthy people from Georgia, Alabama, and other Atlantic States. They have adopted various professions; but most of them are industrious and successful farmers, who have raised this portion of the State to a high degree of prosperity. Instead of large plantations, such as exist in Southern Louisiana, we find here a num- ber of small farms, with numerous towns and villages.
The pine hills embrace chiefly the following parishes: Vernon, Grant, Winn, Catahoula, Rapides, St. Helena, Tangipahoa, Wash- ington, and St. Tammany. The timber in these parishes is extremely valuable.
In the bluff lands are included parts of the following parishes: West Carroll, Richland, Franklin, Livingston, East and West Feli. ciana, and East Baton Rouge. The pine flats are found in the west- ern portion of Calcasieu parish. They form an area of poor lands, generally covered with water.
The prairie lands are found in St. Landry, Lafayette, Acadia, St. Martin, Iberia, Vermillion, and St. Mary. "These seven parishes," says Col. Hillyard, "contain more than 3,000,000 acres of tillable land, most of it of inexhaustible fertility. Even most of the sea- marsh, and all of the swamp lands, may be reclaimed by local levees and draining machines, and may become the most productive rice and sugar lands of the State. On thousands of acres the grass grows on
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a smooth surface under the waving branches of noble trees. The fat herds grazing upon these green prairies help in giving the finishing touch to this magnificent landscape scenery." Five of these parishes, St. Mary, Iberia, Vermillion, St. Martin, and Lafayette, once formed the Attakapas region, and they are still called the "Attakapas par- ishes."
Through this beautiful region runs the lovely Teche, which has been described in the "Evangeline" of Longfellow. For it was the . Teche that the heroine of this poem ascended, seeking in vain for her husband Gabriel, from whom she had been separated in her native country. The following is Longfellow's description of the Attakapas region :
" Beautiful is the land with its prairies and forest and fruit trees; Under the feet a garden of flowers, and the bluest of heavens Bending above, and resting its dome on the walls of the forest. They who dwell there have named it the ' Eden of Louisiana.' "
In this "Eden of Louisiana " still reside the descendants of the Acadian exiles. Until they began the cultivation of rice their man- ner of life had changed very little since they settled the country about the middle of the eighteenth century. They are industrious, prosperous, and many of them rich. When the day's work is done they delight to assembie and spend the evening in dancing and merry- making. They still weave the wonderful Attakapas cloth, so well known in Louisiana. Some of the most distinguished men in the State are descended from Acadian ancestors.
In St. Mary parish it is said that there is not an acre of poor land. The chief product is sugar, and the quantity produced is so great that St. Mary has won for herself the title of the " banner parish " of the State.
Alluvial Lands .- These lands are so-called from alluvium, which means "earth, sand, and gravel, transported by rivers, floods, and other causes, and deposited upon land not permanently submerged beneath the waters of lakes or seas." The alluvial lands constitute the plantations along the banks of all the streams in Louisiana. They are exceedingly rich, and form an area of about 12,300 square miles.
Wooded Swamps and Coast Marsh .- The last divisions of which we have to speak are the wooded swamps and coast marsh. These swamps, which were formerly very extensive, are now being redeemed by drainage. Many of them, when they are properly drained, and the trees are felled, will be classed as alluvial lands. The coast marsh
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is valuable for game and for pasturage. A large quantity of it is owned by the State, and may be purchased for less than one dollar an acre.
The South-Eastern Parishes .- It has been impossible within our limits to give an account of all the parishes in the State; though the history of many of them is extremely interesting. A few words, how -- ever, may be added in regard to St. Bernard, Plaquemines, and Orleans. The first two produce large quantities of sugar, rice, and vegetables. They contain also the most important orange groves in the State. There is no more beautiful sight in Louisiana than the acres of orange trees along the banks of the Mississippi, from New Orleans to Ft. Jackson. These lands are extremely valuable. A one hundred acre grove, says Commissioner Poole, produced in 1890, a crop of oranges that sold for $12,000. Of late years Cameron, in Southwest ern Louisiana, has also become a great orange-raising parish.
The whole of the parish of Orleans is included within the limits of the city of New Orleans, so the city may be said to have an area of about 187 square miles, a larger area than that of any other city in the Union * New Orleans is now a magnificent city, and is in- creasing every year in manufactures, in population, and in wealth. It has taken its position as one of the great commercial centres of the world.
QUESTIONS.
What is the area of Louisiana? Increase of population from 1810 to 1890? How many parishes are there? Chief cities and their pop- ulation. Three great rivers. How many bayous? Give the main geological features of Louisiana. Tell about the formation of the " Mississippi bottom " and the origin of bluff lands. What are the chief products of Louisiana? Its minerals? What animals are found? Who was Audubon? Tell about Louisiana uplands. Pine hills. Bluff lands. Pine flats. Prairie lands. Tell about the Teche and the Attak- apas region. What are the alluvial lands? Wooded swamps? Coast marsh? Where are the orange groves of Louisiana? What is the area of New Orleans?
* The actual area of the city is estimated at 37 square miles.
LIST OF STATE OFFICERS, 1901.
Governor, WM. W. HEARD, of Union.
Lieutenant-Governor, ALBERT ESTOPINAL.
Secretary of State, JOHN T. MICHEL. Auditor, W. S. FRAZEE. Treasurer, LEDOUX E. SMITHI.
Attorney-General, WALTER GUION,
Superintendent of Education, J. V. CALIIOUN.
JUDICIARY.
Supreme Court-Chief Justice, FRANCIS T. NICHOLLS; Associate Justices, O. O. PROVOSTY, JOS. A. BREAUX, FRANK A. MONROE, N. C. BLANCHARD.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY.
The number of Senators is 39. The number of Representatives is 114. The list of names can not be given here.
STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION.
This Board consists of the Governor, the Attorney-General and the Superintendent of Education, who are all ex-officio members, and of the following citizens, appointed by the Governor, one from each Congressional district: A. E. HOTARD, of Algiers; MAURICE STERN, of New Orleans; F. W. NICHOLS, of Thibodaux; D. C. SCARBOROUGH, of Natchitoches; E. H. MCCLENDON, of Homer, and THOMAS H. LEWIS, of Opelousas.
CONSTITUTION OF LOUISIANA.
PREAMBLE.
We, the people of the State of Louisiana, grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political and religious liberties we enjoy, and de- siring to secure the continuance of these blessings, do ordain and establish this Constitution.
BILL OF RIGHTS.
Art. 1. All government, of right, originates with the people, is founded on their will alone, and is instituted solely for the good of the whole. Its only legitimate end is to secure justice to all, pre- serve peace and promote the interest and happiness of the people.
Art. 2. No person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property except by due process of law.
Art. 3. No law shall ever be passed to curtail or restrain the lib- erty of speech or of the press; any person may speak, write and publish his sentiments on all subjects, being responsible for the abuse of that liberty.
Art. 4. Every person has the natural right to worship God, ac- cording to the dictates of his conscience, and no law shall be passed respecting an establishment of religion.
Art. 5. The people have the right peaceably to assemble and ap- ply to those vested with the powers of government for a redress of grievances by petition or remonstrance.
Art. 6. All courts shall be open, and every person for injury done him in his rights, lands, goods, person or reputation shall have ade- quate remedy by due process of law and justice administered with- out denial, partiality or unreasonable delay.
Art. 7. The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects against unreasonable searches and seiz- nres shall not be violated, and no warrant shall issue except upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched and the persons or things to be seized.
Art. 8. A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be abridged. This shall not prevent the passage of laws to punish those who carry weapons concealed.
Art. 9. In all criminal prosecutions the accused shall have the right to a speedy public trial by an impartial jury ; provided, that cases in which the penalty is not necessarily imprisonment at hard
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labor, or death, shall be tried by the court without a jury or by a jury less than twelve in number, as provided elsewhere in the Con- stitution; provided further, that all trials shall take place in the parish in which the offence was committed, unless the venue be changed. The accused, in every instance, shall have the right to be confronted with the witnesses against him; he shall have the right to defend himself, to have the assistance of counsel, to have compul- sory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor. Prosecution shall be by indictment or information ; but the Legislature may provide for the prosecution of misdemeanors on affidavit; provided, that no per- son shall be held to answer for a capital crime unless on a present- ment or indictment by a grand jury, except in cases arising in the militia when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be twice put in jeopardy of life or liberty for the same offenee, except on his own application for a new trial, or where there is a mistrial, or a motion in arrest of judgment is sus- tained.
Art. 10. In all criminal prosecutions the accused shall be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation against him; and when tried by jury shall have the right to challenge jurors peremptorily, the number of challenges to be fixed by law.
Art. 11. No person shall be compelled to give evidence against himself in a criminal case, or in any proceeding that may subject him to criminal prosecution, except as otherwise provided in this Constitution.
Art. 12. Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishment inflicted. All persons shall be bailable by sufficient sureties, unless for capital ofliences where the proof is evident or presumption great, or unless after con- vietion for any crime or offence punishable with death or imiprison- ment at hard labor.
Art. 13. The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless when, in case of rebellion or invasion, the pubhe safety may require it.
Art. 14. The military shall be in subordination to the civil power. Art. 15. This enumeration of rights shall not be construed to deny or impair other rights of the people not herein expressed.
DISTRIBUTION OF POWERS.
Art. 16. The powers of the government of the State of Louisiana shall be divided into three distinct departments, each of them to be confided to a separate body of magistracy, to-wit: Those which are legislative to one, those which are executive to another, and those which are judicial to another.
Art. 17. No one of these departments, nor any person or collee- tion of persons holding office in one of them, shall exercise power properly belonging to either of the others, except in the instances hereinafter expressly directed or permitted.
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CONSTITUTION.
LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENT.
Apportionment.
Art. 18. Representation in the House of Representatives shall be equal and uniform and shall be based upon population. Each parish and each ward of the city of New Orleans shall have at least one rep- resentative. At its first regular session after the United States census of 1900, and after each census thereafter, the General Assem- bly shall, and it is hereby directed to apportion the representation among the several parishes and Representative Districts on the basis of the total population shown by such census. A representative number shall be fixed, and each parish and Representative District shall have as many Representatives as such representative number is contained in the total number of the inhabitants of such parish or Representative District and one additional Reprsentative for every fraction exceeding one-half the representative number. The num- ber of Representatives shall not be more than one hundred and six- teen nor less than ninety-eight.
Art. 19. The General Assembly, in every year in which it shall apportion representation in the House of Representatives, shall divide the State into Senatorial Districts. No parish shall be divided in the formation of a Senatorial District, the parish of Orleans excepted. Whenever a new parish is created it shall be attached to the Senatorial District from which most of its territory is taken, or to another contiguous district, at the discretion of the General Assembly, but shall not be attached to more than one dis- triet. The number of Senators shall not be more than forty-one nor less than thirty-six, and they shall be apportioned among the Sena- torial Districts according to the total population contained in the several districts.
Art. 20. Until an enumeration shall have been made in accord- ance with Articles 18 and 19, the State shall be divided into the fol- lowing Senatorial Districts, with the number of Senators hereinafter apportioned to each district :
The First Senatorial District shall be composed of the First and Second Wards of the parish of Orleans, and shall elect one Senator ;
The Second Senatorial District shall be composed of the Third Ward of the parish of Orleans, and shall elect one Senator;
The Third Senatorial District shall be composed of the Fourth. Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Wards of the parish of Orleans, and shall elect two Senators;
The Fourth Senatorial District shall be composed of the Eighth and Ninth Wards, of the parish of Orleans, and of the parishes of St. Bernard and Plaquemines, and shall elect two Senators;
The Fifth Senatorial District shall be composed of the Tenth Ward, and shall elect one Senator ;
The Sixth Senatorial District shall be composed of the Eleventh, Twelfth, Thirteenth and Fourteenth Wards, and shall elect two Senators;
The Seventh Senatorial District shall be composed of the Fifteenth, Sixteenth and Seventeenth Wards, and shall elect one Senator ;
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HISTORY OF LOUISIANA.
'The Eighth Senatorial District shall be composed of the parishes of Jefferson, St. Charles and St. John the Baptist, and shall elect one Senator;
The Ninth Senatorial District shall be composed of the parishes of St. James and Ascension, and shall elect one Senator;
The Tenth Senatorial District shall be composed of the parishes of Terrebonne, Lafourche and Assumption, and shall eleet two Senators;
The Eleventh Senatorial District shall be composed of the parishes of St. Mary and Vermilion, and shall elect one Senator;
The Twelfth Senatorial District shall be composed of the parishes of Cameron and Calcasieu, and shall (elect) one Senator;
The Thirteenth Senatorial District shall be composed of the par- ishes of St. Martin, Iberia and Lafayette, and shall elect two Senators;
The Fourteenth Senatorial District shall be composed of the par- ishes of St. Landry and Acadia, and shall elect two Senators;
The Fifteenth Senatorial District shall be composed of the par- ishes of Avoyelles and Pointe Coupee, and shall elect one Senator;
The Sixteenth Senatorial District shall be composed of the par- ishes of Ibervile and West Baton Rouge, and shall elect one Senator;
The Seventeenth Senatorial District shall be composed of the par- ishes of East and West Feliciana, and shall (elect) one Senator;
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