Constantine republican. [volume] (Constantine, Mich.) 1836-1838, 1836-11-02


that if congress shall hereafter find it ex.
pedient, they shall have authority to form
one or two states in that part of the said
territory which lies north of an east and
west line drawn through the southerly bend
or extreme of Lake Michigan. And when
ever any of the said states shall have sixty
thousand free inhabitants therein, such state
SHALL BE ADMITTED by its delegates, into
the Congress Of the United States, on an
equal footing with the original states, in all
respects whatever, and shall be at liberty
to form q permanent constitution and state
government, provided the constitution and
state government so to be formed, shall be
republican, and in conformity to the prin-
ciples contained in these articles"
So much, fellow citizens, was left to the
dissection of Congress--They might form
the whole territory into three states; but if
they found it expedient to form more thaa
three, then the northern boundary Of the
three southern states were unalterably fixed
and could not be changed or modified un-
lessby common consent of all the parties
inteiested-Congress have erected three
states within the said territory, and have ex-
tended none Of them to the Canada line
so that not only congress, but the states
SO formed, have tacitly consented that the
provisions Of the ordinance should be fully
carried out, and that there should be FORM
ed one or two additional states on the north;
and although two of the southern states,
INDIANA and Illinois,) in coming into the
Union, were suffered to encroach beyond
the line designated by the ordinance, and
nay, perhaps, never to be molested, still
their rights of sovereignty, in this particu-
lar, without the consent of the people north
of said line, may be deemed as resting up
OIL very slender foundation-And we do
most emphatically deny the power of con-
gress under the constitution to alter or
modify the said line without our consent,
much less to make it term Of our admis.
sion into the Union, after having pronoun-
cea our constitution TO be republican, and
consistent with the ordinance and constitu-
ton of the United States. But to prove
more ully that congress have long since
declared, that a fourth state should be FORM
ed in the northwest territory we will here
quote from the act of Ilth OF Jan. 1906, as
follows:-" That from and after the thirtieth
day Of juno next all that part OF the Indiana
Territory which lies north of line drawn east
iromlhc southerly bend or extreme of Lake
Michigan until it intcrsects Lake Erie, and
east Of line drawn from the said southerly
bend through the middle of said lake to its
northern extremity and thence due north
to tie northern boundary Of the United
States, shall for the purposes Of temporary
government, constitute separate territory
J and be called Michigan; and the inhabi
tantsthereof shall be entitled to, and enjoy
all ard singular, the rights, privileges anc
advantages, granted and secured to the peo
pie Of the territory of the United States
! northwest of the river Ohio by the ordi
. nance" (of 17s7.)
, twill be borne in mind that Ohio came
: into the Union, with her present boundary
, limo, three years prior to the passage of tho
act; and that the southern and south. eastern
boundary which we now claim is precisely
the same with that permanently fixed by
: the said aforesaid act of 1805--And in thi:
. act congress did not reserve any power t.
, annex the whole or any part of Michigan
, to Ohio; on the contrary, the faith of the
nation was pledged to our citizens, the ther
r inhabitants of the territory and those who
might afterwards settle therein, that as soor
as their number amounted to sixty Thousand
they should be received into the Union a.
one of the States, with no other condition,
imposed upon them than those prescribed
r in the compact of l7S7, and which they
have ever been ready and anxious to com
$ ply with. v
: But as if to mako surety more sure, con
, gress by the whole course of their legisla
r ton for more than twenty live years, witt
i the exception of the act providing for tn
admission of Indiana into the Union, when
; ever they have referred to Michigan, eithe
J directly or implicitly, have but confines
: us in the possession of our original boun
diaries; numerous instances in proof of thi
{ position might be adduced, which woul
Q swell this address to an unreasonable lengt
S I'VE will conGne ourselves to single quo
: tation. The act of congress of April 18th
0 1918, providing forthe admission Of llinoi
into the Union, declares" That all tina
: part of the territory of the United States
h lying north of the state of Indiana, an
r which was included in the former Indian
X territory, together with that part Of the II
( linois territory which is situated north o
J, and not included within the boundaries pre-
n scribed by this act, to the state thereby au
: thorizcd to be formed, shall be, and hereby
! is attached to, and made apart Of the Mich
e igan territory, from and after the formatio
g of the said state, subject, nevertheless,
d be hereafter disposed of by congress, &C
i cording to the right rerervcd in the fifth al
/ ticle of the ordinance aforesaid, and the ii
s habitants therein shall be entitled TO tn
d same privileges and immunities, and sui
I. ject to the same rules and regulations, in a
y respects, with the other citizens Of the MID
higan territory"
}. Here again we have an express rccogn