The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1811-03-12
(BY AUTH0RI7 Y. }
LAW or THE UNITED STATES.
AN ACT

endoie fhe people Of ;he TcTFtory of DREAMS 10
FORM a Constitution and state government, and
/or fhe admission Of Sach state into ths Uni.
on, on an equal footing with the original states
and for other ouvoesrs
- E it enacted by the Senate and House Of Re
Il , presenfatiVss d the United States of iz,eri
ca IN Congress assembled, That the inn sbitants of
all tAai part OF e territory or country ceded
under the name OF Louisiana, by the tire ATTY made
IT Paris on the thirtieth day OF April, one thou.
sand eight hundred and IN; ee, between the u
States and France, contained within the follow
lug limits, that is 10 say. beginning at the mouth
OF thu river Sabine, thence by L line TO be drawn
along the middle of the said river, including all
islands to the thirty-second degree of latitude
thence due north, to the northernmost part of
the thlrty7th'rd degree of north latitude thence
along the said parallel of latitude to the river
M's"ss'Ppi; thence down the said river to the
river lberville and from thence along the mid
die OF the said river and lakes Maurepas and
Ponchartrain, to the gulpb of Mexico thence
bounded by the said gulph to the place of be-
ginning including all islands within 8 leagues
OF The coast, be, and they hereby authorised
tn form Tor themselves constitutions and state
government, and 10 assume such name as they
may deem proper, under the provisions and upon
the conditions hereinafter mentioned.
SEC 2. And be ii further enacted, That all free
white male citizens OF the u. States, who shall
have arrived at the age of twenty-one years, and
resided within the said territory, at least one
year previous to The day of election, and shall
have paid territorial, county, district or pa
rish AK and all persons having in other res
poets the legal qualifications TO vote for repre-
sentatives IN the general assembly of the said
rltory, be, they are hereby authorised to choose
representatives to form "A convention, who shall be
appointed amongst the several counties, districts
and parishes, within the said territory of Or
leans, IN such manner as the Legislature of the
SAID territory Gt all hy lou hirect
OF representatives shall not exceed sixty and
the elections Tor the representatives aforesaid
shall AXE place on the third Monday in Septem-
Der next, and shall be conducted IN the sans.
manner as Is now provided by the laws of the
SAID territory, for electiDg members for the House
Of Representa- ives
SEC 3. And be it further enacted, That the
members OF the convention, when duly elected,
be, and they are hereby authorised to meet at
the city OF New Orleans, on the first Monday of
November next, which convention when met,
shall first determine, by majority Of the whol.
number elected, whether it be expedient or not,
at that time, to form a constitution and state
government, for the people within the said ter
rltory, and if it be determined to be expedient,
then the convention shall in like manner declare,
IN behalf of the people of the said territory tina
ii adopts the constitution Of the United States (;
whereupon the said convention shall be, and
hereby Is authorised to- form a constitution and
state government, for the people of the said ter
ritory: Py0VideH, The constitution 10 be formed,
IN virtue OF the authority herein given, shall be
republican, and consistent with the constitution
OF the United States that il shall contain the
fundamental principles Of civil and religious liz
berty that 1t shall SECURE 10 the citizen the tri
al by Jury IN all criminal cases, and the privilege
OF the writ ut hdosGs CORPUS, cOnlormsby to the
provisions of the constitution of the u States ;
and that after the admission of the said terrific
ry OF Orleans as state into the Union the laws
which such state may pass shall be promulgs ted,
and It's records Of every description shall be
preserved, and its Judicial and legislative writ
ten proceedings conducted, in the language in
which the laws and the judicial and legisle tive
written proceedings of the United States are
now published and conducted Ind proviaed
also, That the SAID convention shall provide bv
an ordinance, irrevOcable without the consent OF
the u States, that the people inhsbdng the
said territory do agree and declare, tina. they
forever dlscaim all right or title G, the waste or
unspprnpuated lands, lying within the said ter
'gItory and that Tie same shall be and remain at
the sole and entire disposition of the u. States
and, moreover, that each and everp tract OF land
! sold by Congress, shall be and remain exempt
from any tax, laid by The order or under tie
authority Of the state, whether for state, county,
township or parish, or any other purpose w1atey.
er,ior tue term Of years from after the respec-
tive days OF the sales thereof; and that the lands
belonging TO cit,zeDs Of the ". States, residing
without the said state, stall never be taxed hi h.
CT tIIsn the lands belonging 10 persons residing
therein, and that no taxes shah be imposed on
lands, The property ofthe U. S.
SEC 4. Ind be IL further enacted, That n
case tie convention shall declare it's assem-, II,
behalf Of tine people Of the said territory, 10 the