The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1911-05-26
TO RETURN
SECESSION
ORDINANCE
Famous Historic DOCu-
ment TO be Sent Back
TO Louisiana.
- ii - -

WashsngtoEs Nay 9s - After rest
ing nearly fifty years il TIE archives
q tae waF department. il noF seems
probable TIA. the ordinance 81 eece=
sion passed by the state Of Louisiana.
uili 5e returned 20 that state. a rag-
olution introduced By Senator Foster
providing Tor irs refura has been fay-
orabiy re90rted to the senate. and its
passage j. p1pected
The suggestoa tor its return was
made by the war department officials.
They saw SO reason for It's retention
among the war department records.
though they lacked authority to return
4 Il 10 Louisiana Their suggestion was
warmly received in Louisiana. and
for several years efforts have been
made to enact legislation for its re-
turn. Thus tar Senator Heyburn. not
Cd for waving the bloody shirt In
the senate on similar questions, has
blocked no action upon the resolution
b raising point of order There is
reason to believe, however. that bis
Opposition wili be rendered ineffec-
tnal al tkis session
The document WAS enacted in con
vention 1T BATON Rouge on January
%. 1861 u remained at the state cap
itol until the capture Of the city By
federal troops. AT the war depart
ment there Is nov no one who Is "a
miliar With Ire history Of its receipt
in Washington During the federal oc-
cupation Of louisiana there were
many records shipped to Washington
and II Is presumed that the ordinance
OF secession was among them
The Louisiana ordinance IS unusu-
( al in hat il Is done in both
English and French, IN parallel col
umns Out ol the I2l names signed
10 it. nearly half are plainly French
lin their derivation The document has
been rolled ar IN a metal tube since
Its seizure. ana as q result the parch-
ment Is showing signs Of cracking.
The signatures include those Of A. A.
Mouton, president Of the convention.
The whole argument upon which the
southern statesmen based their claim
Of the right Of state to secede is
found in ono word in the Louisiana
ordinance. This word is compact" BY
which the document Of secession char
acterizes the federal constitution. The
northern view, coming down from the
old federal PARTY. was that the con.
stiiution MS a contract, from which
No party could withdraw, rather than
a temporary agreement to be terminal
ed upon the desire OF any party to Do
so. The text Of the ordinance was az
follows:
AN ordinance to dissolve the union
between the state Of Louisiana and
other states ia the United States Of
America w.fh her, under the com
pact entitled the constitution Of the
United states Of America.
1--WE, the PEOPLE OF the state Of
Louisiana. in convention assembled
do declare and ordain and it Is hereby
declared and ordained
"That the ordinance passed by as
in convention Of November II, 1871
whereby the CONSTITUTION Of the Unit
cd states an1 the amendments to the
constitution were adopted, and all laws
and ordinances by which the state Of
Louisiana became a member Of the
federal union, be and the same hereby
are repealed and abrogated and that
the union row subsisting between
Louisiana and the other states under
the name Of the United States Of Am
erica is hereby dissolved
1--WE do further declare and ordain
"That the state OF Louisiana hereby
resume ali rights and powers hereto
fore delegated to the government Of
the United States that her citizens
are absolved from all allegiance to
said government; and that she is in
fun possession Of all those rights Of
sovereignty which appertain to = free
and independent state.
@We do fcrther declare and ordain
"That an rights acquired and vested
under the constitution Of the United
States. or any act Of congress or
treaty, or under any laws Of this state
and not Incompatible with this ordi-
nanceshall remain IN force and have
the same eject as 70 this ordinance
had not been passed.