Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1837-01-04
NncHIGAN.

Urited States, in both Houses of Con-
gress, OH Tuesday, Dec. 9th;
To The Senate and
House Of Representatives.:
By the second section ofthe act "to
establish the northern boundary line of
the State of Ohio, and to provide for
the admission Of the State of Michigan
into the Union, upon the conditions
therein expressed" approved June 10,
1886, the Constitution and State Co.
vernm.ent which the People of Mlchi-
gan had formed for themselves was ra-
tilted and confirmed, and the State OF
Michigan declared to be onc OF the u.
States of America, and admitted into
the Union, upon an equal footing with
the original States /; but on the express
condition that said State should con-
sist of, and have jurisdiction over, all
the territory included within certain
boundaries described in the act, and
meme other II was further enacted,
by the third section Of the same law,
that, as a compliance with the funda-
mental condition oil admission, the boun-
daries of the State of Michigan, as
thus described, declared, and establish
ed, should receive the assent off con-
vention of delegates, elected by the
People of said State, for the sole pur-
pose of giving the assent therein re-
CURED hat as soon as such assent
should be given, the President of the
United States should the
same by proclamation; and that, there
upon, and without any further procee-
dings on the part of Congress, the ad-
mission of the State into the Union, as
one of the United States of America,
should be considered as complete, and
the Senators and Representatives in
the Congress Of the United States en-
titled to take their seats without further
delay.
In the month ofNovember last, | re-
ceived a communication enclosing the
official proceedings of a Convention,
assembled at Ann Arbor, in Michigan,
on the Goth of September, 1886 j; all
which (marked A. are herewith laid
before you. 1t will be seen by these
papers, that the Convention there re-
ferred to, was elected by the People of
Michigan, pursuant to an act of the
State Legislature, passed on the 25th
ofJuly last, in consequence of the above
mentioned act ofCongress, and that it
declined giving its assent to the funda-
mental condition prescribed by Con-
gress, and rejected the same.
On the oath instant, the accompany
ing paper marked b., with its enclo-
sure, containing the proceedings of a
Convention of delegates, subsequently
elected, and held in the State of Michi-
gan, was presented to me. By these
papers, which are also herewith sub
mitted for your consideration, 1t ap
! pears that elections were held in all the
counties of tho State except two, on
the 5th and 9th days Of December in
slant, for the purpose Of electing a con-
%vention of delegates to give the assent
required by Congress /; that the dele
gates then elected assembled in Con.
vention on the 14th day of December
instant and that on the following day
the assent of the body to the funda-
mental condition above stated was for
mally given.
This latter convention vas not held
or elected by any act ofthe Territori-
al or State Legislature it originated
from the People themselves, and was
chosen by them in pursuance o freso-
lutions adopted in primary assemblies,
held in the respective counties. The
act of Congress, however does not pre-
scribe by what authority the conven-
ton shall be ordered, or the time when,
or the manner in which, it shall be cho-
sen. Had these latter proceedings come
to me during the reces of Congress, |
should therefore have felt it my duty,
on being satisfied that they emanated
from a convention of delegates elected
in point OF fact from the people ofthc
State, for the purpose required, to have
issued my proclamation thereon, as
provided by law. But as the authori.
ty conferred on the President was evi.
IDENTIFY given him under the expectation
that the assent of the convention might
be laid before him during the recess of
Congress, and to avoid the delay of a
postponement until the meeting of that
body, and as the circumstances which
now attend the case are in other re-
spects peculiar, and such as could not
have been foreseen when the act of
June 10, 1886. was passed, | deem it
most agreeable to the intent of that
law, and proper for other reasons, that
the whole subject should be submitted
to the decision of Congress. The i'm.
portance Of your early action upon it
is too obvious to need remark.
ANDREW JACKSON.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 1886.
The message having been read, was
IN motion of Mr.. Craig<feferred to TIE
Committee on the Judiciary.]