New Orleans daily crescent., 1861-02-12
sltm Orleans Qailp Crestert.
LOUISIANA STATE CONVENTION.
TUESDAY MORNING. TEBRuARY L, 1851.

the State Depostary and Treasurer Of the Mint |
& make certain payment to - Miller for work |
done in connection with the service of the late u
Z s. Government. Referred to the Committee on FL |
finance.
a resolution was offered to amend Article l07 of
the State Constitution. Laid over.
Mr. Manning, Of Rapides, offered resolution |
N calling upon the Committee on Public Lands to re-
port upon the expediency of establishing State
Land office, under certain rules and regulations,
I ETC. Laid over.
A resolution was offered that the Secretary and
other officers of the Convention be paid for their
services the same as officers Of similar grade in the
State Legislature. Laid over.
@ a Flag for Louisiana.
Mr. Elgee, Of Rapides OH behalf of the Special
Committee appointed to report upon a flag for
!, Louisiana, submitted the following ordinances:
The committee TO whom was referred the reso-
luton respecting the adoption of flag" beg
leave to submit the following ordinance:
y We 1e people OF Louisia',a in 0onpent1on as
ss5ed do ordala ard estaGAsh mat IN t5e nag oi
ii posed Of thirteen horizontal stripes, OF the coors
q hereinafter described, and to be disposed in the
& following order, commencing from the upper iihe
y ofedge Of the flag to-wit: the first stripe blue
& second white; third, red; fourth, white; fifth,
E blue sixth, white; seventh red eighth, white
II ninth, blue; tenth, white; eleventh, red twelfth,
u We do further Ordan and establish, That there
& sha be in the upper or chief corner of the flag
square field, the color whereof shall be red, and
tie sides thereof equal to the width of seven
Stripes; and that in the center Of the said field
M here shall be star Of due and proportlonate slze
Ill having five points or rays; and that the color OF
# tbe said star shall be pale yellow.
We dc further orddiN and establish That the
hsaid flag, and other, shall be the national flag
! not the State OF Louisiana.
sat Unfurlins of the Flag.
le The committee having had large flag made
coaaecording to the above description, and having it
4 h4ried and prepared with tackle to hoist and un
lhe srl, in the hail. at the proper time the flag was
Jas.bsted and displayed, Immediately after the read
ted 4g of the ordinance, before the Convention and
resose spectators. The Convention viewed it in 81
whilst the people in the lobby and galleries
~, Ereeted it with the most enthusiastic applause.
nrG As TIE description Of the flag is embodied in
49,, ordinance, il is unnecessary for to describe
"aA Mr.. EIsec Explains the Flag.
hF'Mr. Elgee then stated ne would give the reasons
fhe5 the Committee for deciding upon this flag, and
propn so in the following language:
The first impression Of the committee was that it
puld not meet the favor of the Convention the
hHH%ople, were the device of the Pelican to be re-
Hess f,ted.
~ ls On consultation, and especially with those de-
ended from the ancient coonists of the country,
committee found that what has been considered
MEie symbol of Louisiana commands neither their
~ 8yor their Affection The pelican is in form
" 35nsighty, in habits filthy, in nature cowardly.
Az Audubon says that the females, though quiet
70 9and gentle ordinary occasions, more cour
3 hageous than the males y"
TIL Again, he says: d" It's habits are so impure I
~ Should be sorry to have it near me for pet"
1FF tic lor
1e| sary to say, is mythical.
The attention of the committee was called to the
flags Of other countries as we'll as to our late
national ensign, and we found that with hardly
an exception, no device except what
might be called the royal or imperial standards
And perhaps there is good reason to be found il
this that device painted on flag soon becomes
effaced, whereas composed of bunting simply
will last az long as the material.
Discarding then, the idea of retaining any sym
boil or device of birds or beasts, attention was
directed to see if we could not weave into flag
symbols and coors familiar TO the people and en-
deared by q thousand recoeCtions. The gorgeous
ensign Of the once "great Republic lay at oul
feet; its stripes were defaced; its stars had faded
and the glorious constellation had disappeared
which had borne our name from the ice.rbbet
shores of the great Northern to the very verge
of the Southern pole. Let us, we said, with ont
accord, retain these stripes for however diacord
dissenson and frenzed hate may have torn tht
country asuuder, still the memory of the sold MU
,tee, still lreS" Their struggles, their trials, ant
the crowning achievement of their labors, shal
live while civilization lasts in the memory of th
philosopher the statesman, the philanthropist and
the Christian; and can only be forgotten when W,
cease to turn with afIectionate reverence to th
calm and wise counsels of him who still, woult
fan believe is ''irst in the hearts of his country
men,
We dedicate therefore, our thirteen stripes to til
,e,memory of those whose unconquerabe love G
freedom has taught us this day how peacefully t
vndicate our rights and protect our liberties.
We could not forget, too, that another race
bold, warlke and adventurous, had planted tn
first colony of white men on the shores of Louis
lana. The name of State, that of our city
nay even the roll call of the Convention eac
morning, as it summoned US to our duties, bade i
remember that some tribute was due to the chi!t
rem and descendants of the founders of the colony
the blue, acltae and red emblems of Hope, Virtu
and Valor--we dedicate to the memory of thos
who first on this soillaid the foundation of empire
And yet still another nation and another race II
MAN, who equally demanded place in a flag il
tended to be national.
If to France we are indebted for the foundatio
of the colony, let us not forget that Spain built
the structure. Its mild and paternal rules are eve
yet spoken of amongst the older Inhabitants, Will
the great body of our laws stand this day NOM
ment of its wisdom. To the children of Spain "
dedicate the colors of red and yellow, to be four
in the field, and in the star sprung from three n
tonalitics. The star of Louisiana has arisen to tai
her place in the political armament.
Whilst to all united we present flag which shov
that whether it be at the last hour of dissolutit
or the dawning of a new era, there is one wo
which no American can utter without feeling-th
word is Union.
What the future fortunes of this our flag mi
be is of course known alone to Him who hol
in his hands the destnies of nations. Should Il
violence of enemies force to the battle. fel
may it be found, of old, in the foremost ran
of the conflict--but our mission is that of pea
and brotherhood. So let me, as | consign IL
emblem of our nationality, speak aloud the Wi
dearest to my heart, that it aud forever ms
wave over q peaceful, happy, united and ind
pendent Louisiana.
Mr.. Elgee much applauded from the lobl