Iowa news. [volume] (Dubuque, Upper Mississippi Lead Mines, Wisconsin Territory) 1837-1841, 1838-04-14
IOWA TEklsIToHY.

visin OF thu Territory and establishing the CIV
ethmsh' OF Iowa, made i'll the House, February 6.
MT. DRoNoN, from the Committee on the Ter
Titorles, made the following
REP ORT:
The Commites on the Territories, who, by reso.
iut'oh oil Ge l4;h December last, were instructed
10 iaehie INTO the expedency of establishing
separate Territorial Government for that sac
ton OF 'h present Territory of Wisconsin, which
les west q the Mississippi river and north of,he
State OF Nissouri," and to whom were referred
sundry Memorials and petitions on that subject.
respectfully report:
That ,ky have had the said subject under
consjderMdp; and that, from The memorials
of the Legislative Assembly and the Terrific
rial convention, and from the petitions of
sundry citizens as well as from the rupresen.
ta,ions of tie tlega,e from ,ha, Territory, and
others from Other sources. they have become
satisfied that thu present Territory of Wiscon-
sin is alogetheI,o large and unwieldy for the
perfect and protpt administration of Justice,
or for the convenient administration of the ci-
vii governmental thereof; that there are now a.
bout $4,000 inhabitants in ,ha, Territory, and
that somewhat more than half Of them reside
on the west side OF the Mississippi river; tina,
the popula,ionpf said Territory, and parlicu.
larly on the west side Of the river, is very ra-
pidly increasing. more rapidly perhaps than
any other part II the valley of the Mississip-
pI and that. fol the rapid Development Of the
resources Of TIP country, as we'll as to afford
all reasonable advantages Of a civil government
and prompt administration Of the laws to those
persons livingon the west of the Mississippi
river. it seems To your committee that sepa-
rate Territorial Government should be estab-
lished, TO comprise that part Of Wisconsin
now lying ives. Of the river. Your committee
are satisfied that the judges Of the Territory,
as it now is, AID also the Governor, district
attorney, and marshal, are entirely unable to
perform their respective duties in all parts of
the Territory; and that the administration of
justice, both civil and criminal, is seriously
retarded. and, inmany instances, rendered i'm.
practicable, from the causes above mentioned.
The country is settled in detached portions, or
squads, with large intervening tracts Of uncul.
,vatcd and unsettled lands; that, consequent
ly, the means of communication are not easy
or frequent; that many Of the settlements are
very far removed from the present seat Of GO
vernment.f and are entirely unable TO hold fire.
quent and direct communication with that place,
which, fur the present, is fixed at Burlington,
on the Mississippi, but by law Of last session,
is 10 he removed to the vicinity Of the Four
Lakes, near The centre Of eastern Wisconsin,
as soon as the public Buildings, now in course
Of cr~c;;,n 81 that place, are completed. And
whey ,ha, even, does take place. your commit
tee imatne Nat the necessity Of separate
'rrrriturial Government west Of the river will
he murhincrcascd, and that the just claims Of
the citizens Of that region Of country t. the
protection of The Government, the advantages
Of civil government, and The prompt admins
tra,ion f the laws, canno, he satisfied in any
other way than by the creation Of a separate
Territorial Government. Your committee have
not. in the consideration of this subject, been
nnmindul Of the fact that, by the ordinance of
July l3. 1887, SO much Of the present Terri
tory of Wisconsin as lies east Of the Missls.
sippi river must necessarily fern one State.
whenever the population Of that portion OF il
is sufficient to en,itle the inhabitants thereof
10 a separate State Government, (Which time
they believe is not far distant,) and that in a
dopting the Mississippi as a boundary between
the two Territories, they adopt no, only ma
tnral boundary, but one which must ncccssa-
riy exist By the ordinance aforesaid, between
any future State TO be formed out Of said Ter
ritory and the remainder thereof.
For these reasons. as well as others which
nigh, be given, your committee have come to
the conclusion that il is expedient TO establish
a separate Territorial Government over so
much Of the present Territory Of Wisconsin as
lies ives, Of the Mississippi river, and for that
purpose they beg leave to introduce bill.