Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1824-01-06

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ngthe territory or other pTopert, be long
ing TO the United States and nothing IN
this constitution shall be SO construed as
to prejudice ATTY claim OF the Unued
States, or oil any particular state" Thls
ara, CONTAINS nouins 10 prevent the
new states tom possessing aid enl ying
all the privileges Of the thirteen original
states. The original states have always
claimed and enjoyed ali the waste ADD
unapproprlated land within their respcc-
tive limits. The new states are by the
respective laws OF Congress authorizing
their admission, received into the Unioa
&C on an equal footing with the Original
states, III all respects whatever" How
happens II inen, taa the new states are
not epilled to all lne public iauds within
Their respective hmrs?
The answer is obvious. Congress have,
and, fron the necessity Of the case, mus
have, The power Of imposing restrictions
and conditions, as prerequisite 10 the adj
MISSION OF new states into the Union.
Congress have repea edly, and under The
hi-hly republican, administrations 81 JEFF.
-icrson, Madison, and Monroe, imposed
Conditions and rosuitj9i - lht t,inis
Of admission. Are TIE people OF this
stale prenarsd To s"y,eh~s G--,Assse IS, Mud
al! those lius,rlous Fathers OF the reyn-
luton, have Tor So long . period mistaken
the constitution OF the United States, and
passed 50 many laws which that instrt
lent does not authorize | sincerely
trust thai no such arrogance will ever be ,
charged 10 the people Oh this state.
Having, as conceive, fully establish !
ed the constitutional righl OF Congress TO
impose conditions and restrictions on The /,
new states, let US now inqulr. in what
manner we came info the Union, and |
what were the grou d, on which we
claimed such admission.
BY tie fifth ar icl. 81 the ordinance or
law OF Congress, passed 18Th July, l7S7, |
for the government Of the territcry north |!
west OF the river ONO, ii is declared, |
4" that there shall be formed in said ter
ritory, not less than three, nor more than |
five states" - And WHENEVER any of the |
said states shall have $4,000 free inha- |
bitans therein, such state shat be adj
mitted. by lis delegates, INTO the Congress
oil the the United States, or an equal toS
in5 with the original states, and shan be
at liberty TO form a terma1ent c'f3fslnn-
ton and state gov rnment: PrapNea,
the cons tuition and government $3.50 bel
formed shalt be republican, and - N
formty to The principles contained ~
these articles and So lar, as II can be
con.lsren, with toe general interest Of The
con;edcracy, such admission snail be al.
loved a, an earlier period, and when
there shall he less number Of -frec H.
habit ant, in the state, than 600 o.
Although Congress by the constitution
OF the United States, had rI5h 10 ad'nl
Us on such terms a they might SEE ft q
require, or reject us altogether. vet bY
this article OF the ordinance, Congress
was bound to receive us INTO he Union
whenever tins state had 50 900 inhabi.
taDs, and had no right To refuse rs. But
we must always bear IN mind, that II is
on condition, that the constitution tina,
we na. right to form, " shall be in
conformity TO the principles contained"
in the SIX articles of the ordinance.
l. will be necessary to take tugth er
view OF this ordinance IN order to u der
stand the print ipies contained in H. 1t
is declared Z" That the iolo wing SIX ar
tieles shall be considered as artici.s Of
compact, between ths original sta'es and
the people and states in said territory, and
forcuer remain unalterable, unless BY
common consent" By the An of these
artit es,t legislatures OF ihos. districts,
or ne7p states, shall never Interfere with
the primary disposal of the soil by the
United States IN Congress assembled,
nor with any regu lations Congress may
find necessary, for securing the title in
such soil to the bona .fdc purchasers.
No tax shall be imposed on lands The
property Of the United States, and in 40
case sha hon-resident proprelors be
taxed higher than II sldents."
The 5lh article of this compact, which
is to last foreper, unless altered bv COM
mon consent, reads as follows: There
shall be neither Slapery nor insotuntafy f
servuude IN the sad territory, otherwise
than IN the punishment Of crimes" &c.
This ordinance, which we have been
considering, Is called compact, as con-
tradistinguished from law. 1t is there
fore necessary for US to understand, in
whs, this distinctIon consists. A COM
pact, when Is uio;aer word tor contract,
ana means the same thing, requires at
least, two differept parties to make it
and when ~ ade, can never be altered or
rescinded BY one OF the parties. A law