Louisiana capitolian., 1879-07-05
HON. LEON JAsTRENsKrs SPEECH

COntlOtng 10 the patrlOtlsln on0 inc
ldelity Of the members Of this Con-
,ention to the public welfare, regard
ess Of sectional or personal. cOnsid-
| applvach the subject now
before thh honorable body |
with tlie Arm belief that tho delibera-
ions upon tho proposition looking TO-
Inc restoration Of the capital To Baton
Rouge will result in the ratification
II the popular verdict given at three
different periods In our States hist0- |
~, recognized already by the minor
Ity Of your Committee on General
Provisions. 'lf l9
Mr.. President, II must be we'll
known that ~ early a. l645 distin,
guished men who composed the Con-
ycntion Of TINT year--viewing the
condition Of affairs as then existing
when II must bs conceded that tho
standard Of morality stood ~ high IA
Il is now, decided TINT It was emit
nently wise to follow tho almost
unanimous example, which might
well be termed q principle, that OK
ists throughout the States Of this
Union, that tho capital Of Lonisiana
should not be located nearer than
sixty miles from New Orleans, our
great commercial metropolis.
Despite tho plea urged by tho OPP
poncnts Of this measure, that the new
constitution would fail to obtain the
approval Of the people In tho event
that this clause was inserted therein,
the contrary was shown, and that
instrument was duly ratified.
After the Convention Of 1852 this
question was submitted separately to
the decision Of the people, and the re-
suit was that Baton Rouge was sel0c-
ted as the proper place wheroat to
maintain the capital by IN ovcrwhel-
ming majority vote.
In November last (1879) when pub
lie sentiment was against tho adOp-
ton Of the proposed amendments to
the constitution OF 1868, in order that
tho present Convention might bc
called to assemble; and when, in
fnrtherance Of that desire, twenty Of
these amendments were defeated by
immense majorities- --one,. only one,
Mr.. President, TINT decreeing the
restoration of the capital to Baton
Rouge, was adopted by majority Of
several thousand votes, as shown by
tho report Of the honorable Secretary
of State, which appears IN the records
of the Senate. Thus it is ,lnmiataka-
bly, shown that the people desired by
that method to make known their
will in this particular to the Conven-
ton.
Beside these oft-mpeatcd manifes-
tations Of the popular will given at
tho ballot-box, we have tho declara-
ton Of the two political parties existing
in our State, those Of the Republicans
assembled in nominating convention
in 1872, and those Of the united oppo-
sition parties, also assembled in con.
vention ut Baton Rouge, in 1874, each
Of whom gave their pledge that they
would restore the capital to that city
lnecd scarcely recall that 1t was n
1864, when the. bayonets Of Genera
Banks army were overshadowing thu
Constitutional Convention Of tha
year--a body organized in this city
among the "trooly loil' Of those day
whose patriotism, however, wa
not superior to their discretion, TO
they soon found TINT they absolutel.
needed both the army and the nav.
in order to maintain their govern
ment, of which the Hon. Michae
Hahn was the head, and in tho inter
est Of their enterprise thought 1t o
vital importance that the capita
should be removed to New Orleans.
| Aye, the bomb proofs might full t
afford safe shelter at Baton ROug
from the shells and the bullets sen
by Breckinridgc's stalwart Kentuck
ians and Aliens brave Louisianians
The volleycd thunder that swept th
suburbs Of the capital city on tho eve
memorial fifth Of August, 1862, as 1
drew nearer and nearer to the statey
edince whose embattled towers pse
high above tho first elevation tal
greets the eye of the traveller W NJ
ascends the mighty Father Of WI ters
accompanied by the characteristic
yells Of the advancing lines II thu
Southern soldiers; q soul-stirrig an
; them, whose echoes were 50 Upleas-
ant to the ears of these loyaljts, was
a warning that they knew 'ell no"
; to heed, for tho crown Of tate wal
then located here. 1t was fell from
their standpoint that this vas done
The devoted Southerners those life
blood tinged the plain o! that day
| that their "bonnie blue lag" might
wave over Louisiana's proud CAPT
tai, now slumber in dttl1s eterna
,, embrace-their deeds uhonored say.
f by the fair women Of the Highland
. City, who, as each yer rolls slowly
by, deck with irtloral Offering
: the graves of those vlose gray uni
: forms courted the daddy bullets %
, tho invading hosts-it seems to me
0 Mr.. President, appsl to tho heart o
8 every patriotic citien to restore tina
: edifico-once the pride Of all Louis
ianians!
, AS if to marlstle downfall of ou
f grandeur, the lemon Of destruction
t in a Christmas carol, consigned tn
$ beautiful str,p6ure to the merciles
n flames. The representatives Of ou
r. State would nevcrmore assemble
within thoseprecincts, ofttimes hon
ored by thf presence Of its mobiles
sons. Thel decree, however, has no
been scale, for the lowered wall
9 stand the,, Scared by Farragut'
# destructiy missiles--wounded only
v but not lead! Louisiana's capital
s like ting Of life, overlooking tn
4 broad l,Bom Of the great river tina
-, IA olou, =. ;ts hosn ;&o ros%1oo