Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-07-29
RETURN QUAINT
PAPERS TO FILES
Louisiana Ordinance of Seces-
sion Goes to It's Ma
tive Archives.
FAMOUS OLD PARCHMENT
Other Similar Documents in Govern
meut's Hands-How They Came
There Is Mystery.

washington, IL. ~, July N9' " HS'
the pending bill passes congress pro
viding for the return of the ordinance
of secession of the state OF LOUISIANA
to its native archives, the files of the
war department will lose one OF thell
most curious possessions.
No one remembers exactly how the
old zinc tube containing the record OF
the convention which voted to leave
the union reached the department
The case bears the simple legend
painted on its cover:
state of Louisiana; Ordinance o.
Secession, Jan. &c, 1861"
This is the only one of the 10 other
similar documents that the govern
ment possesses. Deterrent stories ex
list as to the means by which the relic
reached the capitol. 1t is said that
General Butler when he took New Or
leans, seized all the official papers he
could find and sent them to Washing
ton. 1t is possible the old brown tube
containing its message came north
with other trophies of war.
AS far as the record shows, the ord
nance first came to light in a drawer
of Lieutenant Colonel Corbin's desk in
the adjutant generals department. II
was delivered to Major General Davis,
now retired, in 1895, and from him
it went to the secretary of war, who
ordered it placed on the files.
Parchment Shows Age.
The parchment is yellow with age,
but in excellent condition and perfect
ly legible, though some of the sigma
lures are bit faded; The text is d.
yided into two parts, In English on the
left and French on the right. Anti
quarians and students of history have
frequently sought permission to copy
the quaint old document, which reads
as follows:
IAN ordinance to dissolve the union
between the state of Louisiana and
other states united with her in the
compact entitled The Constitution of
the United States of America
1--WE. the people of the state of Lou
isiana, in convention assembled, do
declare and ordain, and is hereby de-
clared and ordained. that the ordin-
ance passed by us in convention on
the 22nd day of November, in the year
1911, whereby the constitution of the
United States of America and the
amendments of said constitution were
adopted, and all laws and ordinances
by which the state of Louisiana be-
came a member of the federal union,
be. and the same are hereby, repealed
and abrogated; and that the union
now subsisting between Louisiana I'M
der the name of The United States of
America is hereby dissolved.
I'VE do further declare and ordain,
that the state of Louisiana hereby re-
sumes all rights and powers heretofore
delegated to the government of the
United States of America; that her cit
liens are absolved from all allegiance
to said government, and that she is in
full possession and exercise of all
those rights of sovereignty which ap-
pertain to a free and independent
state
I'VE do further declare and ordain
that all rights acquired and vested I'M
der the constitution of the United
States, or any act of congress or
treaty, or under any law of the state,
and not incompatible with this ordiu-
ance, shall remain in force and have
the same effect as If this ordinance
had not been passed"