By a vote of seventy to sixteen the convention declared slavery to be forever abolished in the State.

The constitution was adopted by the people on the fifth day of the ensuing September by a vote of 6,836 in its favor to 1,566 against it.

As the total vote of Louisiana at the Presidential election of 1860 was 50,510, the new State government had obviously fulfilled the requirement of the President's proclamation in demonstrating that it was sustained by more than one-tenth of that number.

The President's scheme had therefore so far succeeded that Louisiana was at least in form under a loyal government.
It was, however, a government that could not sustain itself for a day if the military support of the Nation should be withdrawn, and therein lay the weakness of the President's plan.
The action of Louisiana was accompanied, indeed in some parts preceded, by a similar action in Arkansas.

A loyal governor (Isaac Murphy) was elected, an anti-slavery constitution adopted, a government duly installed over the State, and senators and representatives in Congress were elected in due form.