Daily national Democrat., 1861-01-31
Unrestricted Navigation of the Mississ
sippi River,

A correspondent of the New Orleans True
Delta, referring to the interest which the
people of the entire Mississippi Valley have
IN the free and unrestricted navigation of the
river, and also to the compact entered into
by the people of Louisiana with the Govern
ment OF the United States, quotes the Con-
sttutlon, Art. 6, paragraph 2, which says,
"All treaties made, or which shall be made
under the authority of the United States,
shall be the supreme law of the land" and
then adds:
What land? The land of the Union of
United States into which the Territory of
Louisiana was incorporated. This treaty is
now the supreme law of Louisiana, equally
with, and indeed, more than our own local
institution and laws; aud is irrepealable by
any power whatever even by the power
which made it; and the idea of its being re-
pealed by an accidental and excited maiori-
ty OF convention of the citizens of Lousi-
anan, Is not to be entertained for a single
moment
On the goth February, 1911, the Congress
OF the United States passed an act enabling
the people of the Territory of Oreans-the
the present State of Louisiana-to form a
Constitution and State Government. The act
provided for q convention to meet in New
Orleans in November, 1871, requiring it to
declare in advance, in behalf of the people of
the Territory, that they adopted the Consti-
tuition of the United States; and provided
further that the said convention should pro-
vide by an ordinance, irreyocdJLe, ecithoM the
consent of the United States-amopg other
important matters touching the rights and
liberties OF citizens-"that the river Missis-
sippi, and the navigable rivers and waters
leading into the same or into the Gulf of
Mexico, shall become highways, and FOREVER
free, as well as the inhabitants Of said State
as to other citizens of the United States,
without any tax, duty, imposts or toll there
for imposed by said State.
See second Statutes at large, D. 6421
This stipulation was deliberately adopted
by the people of Louisiana. 1t is a funda-
mental compact between them and the Cow
ernment of the United States; it was essen
tlal to their being admitted into the Union as
state; and even without the express dec
laration cantaned in its language that it is ir-
revocable without the consent of the United
states, that quality of irrevocability would
be attached to it from the very fact that it
was compact, and one which the people of
Louisiana cannot throw off
The advantages secured by this treaty and
compact to the immense and rapidly increas,
ing population of the valley of the Mississip-
pi, are OF vital Importance to their welfare.
and even TO their existence. No one can
reasonably suppose that they would be Civ
en- up without extreme reluctance, or that
they will ever be given up at all.
The people of louisiana have clearly no
right either TO abrogate the treaty or destroy
the compact; and any attempt to do so, un-
der pretence of secession or anything else,
must be attended with the gravest conse-
quences, and the Legislature must calmly
look these consequences in the face, before
they hurry us into premature action.