New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1861-02-05


ed. There was mass of Geographic rubbish re
ceived yesterday, and more expected last evening
particularly of political nature, from Washington
City or the great Bear Garden.
, LOUISIANA STATE CONVENTION.
MONDAY, Feb. 4, 1S6l.-The Convention as
sembled OF quarter to IL O'Clock, A. NJ.
Prayer was offered by the Rev. G. c. Goodrich
of the Episcopal church.
The roll being called, 95 members answered to
their names
The journal was read and approved
A Flag for Louisiana.
Mr.. Elgee, of Rapides, offered a resolution that a
committee of three be appointed to report upon
the adoption of flag for the State of Louisiana.
In support of this resolution, Mr.. Elgee, made a
speech, in which he stated that the Pelican flag at
present in use to represent the State had legal
or legislative sanction, and that, in fact, Louisiana
never had flag of her cwn. The symbol of the
pelican feeding her young, he said, was simply the
seal Of the Governor of the State, and even this
had never had any sanction of legislation or law.
He had discovered, in looking over some old his
torical records, that the symbol of the pelican
feeding her young was adopted as the seal of the
State by the Governor in 1918, and that it was
used as such by the succeeding Governors without
ever having received any legislative sanction.
Il AS the symbol had been SO long used in the
State seal, he had no doubt it would be as good as
any other, if not the best, to in the flag of the
State. He had, however, read that the meaning of
the symbol, when adopted by the Governor who
designed it. was this that the mother pelican rep
resented the maternal care and fostering aid of the
United States Government, whilst the little pelicans
represented the States. 1t was true that Louisi
ana made the symbol good, by the ample manner
in which she had always fed her young; but if it
were true, as he had read, that the big pelican
represented the United States Government the
sooner we abolish the pelican the better.
| Furthermore, the star now seen in the Pelican
flag had no definite meaning or intent-it had
never been authorized by any State act. Still
! farther, Louisiana had no color to represent her
truly or correctly. He had seen around town
! Pelican flags of all colors-some white, some blue,
some of both colors, aud in one of them yellow
pelican The Pelican flag floating from the Capitol
| at Baton Rouge assumed to represent Louisiana,
yet it had never been adopted or authorized by any
State authority. IT was necessary that Louisiana
should have one flag, an authorized flag, waving
over her officers and forts, ETC., and her YES
sells at sea. He would therefore move the adoption
of his resolution. a.m
The resolution was adopted unanimously; and
the President appointed Messrs Elgee, Roman and
Briscoe, the committee to report upon flag for
Louisiana.
AS to Secret Proceedings.
Mr. Stocker of Orleans offered a resolution in
view of the public dissatisfaction regarding the
secret sessions of the Convention that hereafter
the Convention shall go into secret session only
upon a two thirds vote of the members The reso- |
luton was, on motion, laid over
The Convention Little Too Slow.
Mr. Elgee, of Rapides, presented the following |
resolution: -...
That all the powers heretofore given by the |
State of Louisiana to the Congress Of the United |
States be now delegated to the Legislature of this
State.
In support of this resolution Mr.. Elgee stated |
that he had noticed in the Convention disposition |
to assume legislative functions in violation of its
status as Convention of the people. As he re-
garded it, the duty of this Convention was simply
to lay out skeleton tr outline of enactments for
the Legislature to fill It hereafter 1t must be re-
membered that the acts. of this Convention bear |
not the impress Of laws, but of constitutional en-
actments. The Convention was proceeding too |
far in matters which ought to be left to the Lepis-
lature. As an instance of this hasty action in mat
tiers which required mature deliberation, he would
mention the report of the Committee on the Con
stitution, whose amendments to the Constitution a
few days ago were acted upon and most of them |
adopted, without the careful and critical examine
ton to which their Importance entitled them. This
Convention had not had time to deliberate as it
ought on these important matters and many mat
ters before the Convention would be better per-
fected if left to the Legislature, a body of two
houses whilst this body of only one house cannot
answer for the perfection of any of IFS measures
adopted as they without due deliberation and
with too much haste.
This Convention, he said, is an expense to the
State of about $4,000 per week. The Legislature
is doing nothing, being in waiting on the Conven
ton; and tile two bodies together cost the State
$4,000 weekly This, he thought, ought to be
remedied by the Convention getting through as
speedily as possible with what properly belongs
to it, and leaving the completion of matters to the
Legislature at Baton Rouge. Any error made by
this Convention in its enactments could be corrected
only by the troublesome and expensive method of
calling another Convention.
Mr.. Olivier, chairman of the Committee on
the Constitution, denied that he had sought to
oyerstep the narrow path of his duty in presenting
the Ordinance of Amendment; and Thought that
if Mr.. Elgee had failed to consider the amendments
he had no right to accuse other members of similar
neglect. He (the speaker) had made only such
changes as were imperatively necessary at the
present time.
Mr.. Egee explained that he had merely brought
up the action of the Convention on the Constitu.
tional amendments as an instance of hasty action
on important matters. -.
IN NJ