Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1857-1865, 1860-12-21
" Independent Louisiana " and
The Mouth of the Mississippi
River

Speaking of Independent Louisiana" as the
New Orleans Delta does and the interest that the
people of the Mississippi valley have in the freedom
of the navigation of the Father of Floods, it may
be well to refer 10 Che compact entered into by the
people of Louisiana, with the government oe the
United States. correspondent of the New Or
leans True Delta does this with admirable neatness
and dispatch He quotes the Constitution of the
United States, article six, paragraph two:
GAN treaties made, or which shall be made under
the authority of the United States, shaif be TIE s
preme law of the land"
He adds:
What land? The land of the Union of United
States into which the territory of Louisiana was in
corporated. This treaty is now the supreme law OF
Louisiana, equally with and indeed more than our
local institutions and laws; and is irrepealabe
by any power whatever, even by the power which
made it; and the idea Of its being repealed by an
accidental and excited majority of convention of
the citizens OF Louisiana is not to be entertained for
a single moment.
On the goth of February 1911, the Congress OF
the United States passed act enabling the people
of the Territory of 0rleans-the present State O
Louisiana-to form a Constitution and State Gov
ernment. The act provided for convention "a
/
it to declare, in advance in behalf of the people Of
the Territory that they adopted the Constitution Of
the United States; and provided further that the
said convention should provide by rodnance, fr-
reUocaJte wihout the consent Of The United States
among other important matters touching the rght
and liberties of citizeHsthat the river Mississippi
and the naVigable rivers and waters leading int
the same or into the Gulf Of Mexico, shall be com
mon hghcoys, and FOREVER free, as well to the in
habitants of said States to other citizens of thu
United States, without any tax duty, impost or toll
therefor imposed by said State" See second stat
Futes at large, p. 642.
The Stipulation was deliberately adopted by til,
people Of Louisiana 1t is fundamental colnpac
between them and the Government of the United
States it essential To their being admitted into
the Union a State; and even without the expires
declaration contained in its language that it is IRE
vocabe Will out the consent Of the United States
that quality of rrevocability would be attached Il
it from the very flct that IL wasa compact and on'
which the people of Louisiana cannot throw off,
The advantages secured by this treaty and com
pact to the immense and rapidly increasing popula
ton of the valley of the Mississippi of vital i'm
portunce to their welfare and to their exist
ence. No one can reasonably suppose that the.
: would be given up without extreme reluctance o
that they will ever be given up at ALL
The people of Louisiana have clearly no right eli
ther to abrogate the treaty or destroy the compact
and any attempt TO do so, under pretense Of seces
sion OF anything else, must be attended with tn
gravest consequences and the Legislature mus
calmly look the consequences in the faee, befor
they hurry us into premature action.