Page:Official Journal of the Louisiana Convention.djvu/26

18  and exercise of all those rights of sovereignty which appertain to a free and independent State.

We do further declare and ordain, That all rights acquired and vested under the Constitution of the United States, or any act of Congress, or treaty, or under any law of this State, and not incompatible with this ordinance, shall remain in force, and have the same effect as if this ordinance had not been passed.

Mr. Lewis, of Claiborne, asked that he, together with those who might desire it, elected on the co-operation ticket as Delegates to this Convention, be allowed to retire and consult together as to the action they would take on the ordinance of secession reported by the Committee of Fifteen. Mr. Perkins, of Madison, withdrew his call for the yeas and nays, and, on motion of Mr. Dupre, the leave asked for was granted until 1 o'clock, allowing an interval of twenty minutes. On the return of the delegates to their seats, and at 1 o'clock, the Conven'.ion was called to order, when Mr. Lewis of Claiborne, asked that the co-operation delegates, as their respective names are called, might be allowed to express their reasons for the vote they might give on the ordinance ot secession, which wa- granted. The call for the yeas and cays by Mr. Perkins of Madison, heretofore ordered, being now renewed, was had and resulted as fallows, viz: Messrs. Adams, Anderson, Avegno, Bar bin, Barrow. Bermudz, Bonford, Bonner, Briscoe, Burton, Bush, Butler, Caldwell, Cannon, Carr, Clark, Cook, Connelly, Conner of Concordia, Conner of St. Tammany, Davidson of Livingston, Davidson of Sabine, Declpuet, DeBlanc, Dorsey, Duffel, Dupre, Elam, TSlgoe, Estlin, Fuselier, Fuqua. Gladden, Graves, Gray, Gill, Girard, Griffin, Hernandez, Herron, Hodge, Hodges, Hollingsworth, Johnson, Kennedy, Kidd, Labatut, Lawrence, Lagroue, LeBlanc, Lewis of Bienville. Lewis of Claiborne, Manning, Ma.rsh.all, Marrero, Marks of Caddo, Marks of Orleans, Martin of Assumption. Martin of Carroll, Magee, Miles, Micnel, Miller, Moore, Mclloskcy, McCollom, McFarland, McKueely, Norton, Olivier, O'Bryan, Patterson, Perkins of Lafourche, Perkins of Madison, Perkins of Orleans, Peck. Pemberton, Pierson of Natchitoches, Pike, Polk, Pope, Provosly, Pugh, Richardson, Slawson, Smart, Swayze, Semmes, Stewart, Spjirrow, Sompayrac, Scott of Claiborne, Scott, of East Feliciana. Smith, Tappan, Talbot, Taylor of St. Charles, Taylor of St. Laudry, Texada, Thomasson. Todtl, Towles, Tucker, Valentine, Warren, Walker. Williams of East Baton Rouge, Williams of St. Helena, Williamson, Wilkinson, Wiltz and York 112 yeas. Messrs. Bienvenu, Cottman, Gardere, Garrett, GauJet, Hough. LoBourgeois, Lewis of Orleans, Melanyon. Meredith, Pierson of Wiun, Roman, Rosalius, Ruzier, Stocker, Taliaferro, Verrett 17 nays. Ou motion by Mr. Moore, Ihe rules were suspended, and the President of the Convention, Hon. A. Mouton. was permitted to give his vote on the adoption of the ordinance, which he accordingly did in the affirmative, making the result as follows, viz: 113 yeas to 17 nays. The whole number of votes cast being 130. Upon the result of the vote just taken being announced, the President then proclaimed the following < eclaration: "la virtue of the vote just announced, I now declare the connection between the State of Louisiana and' the Federal Union dissolved, and that she is a free, sovereign, and independent power." Upon the declaration of this proclamation, the bar of the house was removed, and His Excellency, Thomas O. Moore. Governor of the Independent State of Louisiana, entered upon the floor, preceded by the Flag of the State, and took position on the platform of the President, whereupon prayer was announced by Rev. W. E. N. Lingfield. and the Fag was blessed, according to the rites and forms of the Roman Catholic Church by Father Hubert. On motion by Mr. Perkins of Madison, the following resolution reported by him as chairman of the Committee of Fifteen, was then called up, and unanimously adopted. RESOLUTION. Resolved, That we, the people of the State of Louisiana, recognize the right of the free navigation of the Mississippi river and its tributaries by all friendly States bordering thereon. And we also recognize the right of egress and ingress of the mouths of the Mississippi by all friendly States and Powers; and we do hereby declare our willingness to enter into any stipulations to guarantee the exercise of said rights. Mr/ Perkins of Madison, thin moved that the Convention proceed to sign the Ordinance of Secession, the President of the Convention first, and the delegates in the Older of the occurrence of their respective names on the roll of the Convention, which was adopted. The President having then, first affixed his signature to the Ordinance of Secession, the roll was called, and the delegates in order to the number of 121, also signed their names, respectively, to the said ordinance. The President then appointed the following named persons as enrolling clerks; George P. Childress, Francis Boismare, M. 0. LeBlauc. The President then appointed on the Committee of Arrangements, comprehended in the heretofore adopted resolution of Mr. Provosty, Messrs. Provosty, Michel and Clark. Mr. Moore then offered the following resolution, which on motion was adopted. Resolved, That the President of this Convention be authorized to appoint a Commissioner in behalf of Louisiana to the State of Texas. yr. Peck offered th following resolution: Resolved, That a certified copy of Ihe Ordinance of Secession be transmitted by the President to our Senators and Members of Congress. And on motion of Mr. Declouet, the foregoing resolution was amended by including " the Governors of all the Southern States,"