Iowa territorial gazette and advertiser., 1842-09-24

1
and Iowa; never dreaming. for q moment
that they were to he subjected to a Cor
eign Jurisdiction. alike alien to their
views. feelings. and habits. And. sir.
beg those members who may be inclined
| to give into this crv about State soveign
" and f,ncicd digni,y. 10 reflect upon the
outrage which will have henn COMMITTEE
upon this portion Of nv constituents. by
! Welding them up to the tender merces o
State from which thew have received
nothing hut wrong and insult. and undel
whose institutions. as before remarked
they can never live.
1 con fess, sir. that there is some ambi
guilty. in the language ofthe act by which
Missouri, was admitted into the Union
the same language is embodied in her con
sti'ution; and its phraseology gives som'
lille countenance to her claim 1t is a.
j follows:
t.Beginnins in .he middle the Missis
sissippi river, on the parallel of36 de
grees north latitude; thence west, along
! that parallel Of latitude, to the ST. Fran
co.'s river; thence up and following the
course Of that river, in the middle OF the
main channel thereof, to the parallel o
latitude Of So deg. 80 min; thence wes
along the same. to point where the said
parallel is interseced by meridian line
passing through the middle Of the mouth
OF the Kansas river, where the same emp
ties into the Missouri river; thence from
the point aforesaid. north along The same
meridian line. to the intersection Of the
parallel OF latitude passing through the
rapids Of the river Des Moines. making
the said line to correspond with the lnui
an boundary line; thence east, from the
point Of intersection last aforcs id. along
the said parallel Of latitude. to the mid
die Of the channel Of the main ork of The
river Des Moines:thcnce, down and alo. g
the middle Of the main channel of'the said
river Des Moines. to the moutnotthe sa ne
where temples into the Mississippi river;
thence, down and following the course of
the Mississippi river. in the mi Idle ot,lhe
main channel thereof, to the beginning :
contend, sir, that the expression srap
ids Of the river Des Moines ;, as here used
is a name, aud not description; and tina,
that name, for more than hall a century,
has been conferred by voyagers and set
tiers, private citizens and public Junction
aries, upon the rapids in Tie Mississippi
rirer; to prove which, will here introduce
the following extract from an official or
der or permit Of Zenon Trudeau, then act
ing as lieutenant governor Of Upper Lou
isiana, bearing date the 3Olh March 1879,
TO wit:
'slt is permitted to Mr.. Lewis (Fresson)
Honore TO establish himself at the head Of
the rapids Of the river Des Moines; ani
his establishment once formed, notice oi
it shalI be given to the Governor General
IN order to obsasis..lor him the-concess.ol.
Of space sut1icien, 10 give value TO the
said establishment, and, al the same time,
to render it useful to the commerce. OF the
peltries Of this country, TO watch the In
dians, and to keep them i'll the lideilly
which they owe to his Majesty"
Now, sir under this grant or permit
Hnnore made an ac,uas settlement and fin
provement- not, as would first be suppos
ed, AT the head OF any rapids in the De,
Moines river; bul Immediately upon the
banks OF the Mississippi river, aud al the
head OF the Des.Molnes rapids IN tha. riv
er, some eighteen or twenty miles above
the mouth of the river Des Mones. II
virtue Of winch settlement his assigns
uhe heirs OF Thomas + Reddick,) nav.
oba,ned from our GQvernment il patent
,or.the section ot1and so settled upon
Pierre Choutean. jr., sfales III IA letter
lii reply to one FROM Mr., Lea, ilquirins
by what appellu,on the Des u iaes ant
Rock river rapids OF the Mlssissipp
were generally known among the Frenct
inhabitants of the country, that he hae
never known them designated otherwise
than as .'lcA rapides de la rivierr De
!, Moines,' and ..les rapides de ia rivere d,
la Roche"
Mr. ChouteaN was born at ST. Louis, il
Missouri. He was membep OF the con
vention that framed her constitution =
has been engaged all his life in the Indi
an trade upon the Upper Mississippi. a
was his father before him. lie is now ii
this city, and, in conversation but fay
days smce, he informed me that, althoug
in Tn habit from his youth up, Of pei
Iforming trip almosl every year to hi
trading establishments on the Mississippi
river and its tributaries, (the Des Moine
being one ef them,) he had never hear
tof.a any rapidsin the Des Moines river u1
til within I few years past It is his u,
quatfked opinion that The .expressio
!, s.rapids Of the river Of Des Moines,' .
used in.the act Of Congress, and IN tn
constitutes Of Missouri, means the raj
ids in thas Mississippi river. called, fro,
their proximity to4he mouth OF die De
!. Mlnes river, ''Des Moine. rsrlds,' E,
ely map, without exception, III whic
4 Missouri is laid down, represents the p,
!: sition Of the northern boundary l,ne ,
that Stlte TO be the northern indian li,l
surveyed by Sullivan in the year 1871,
Several .0fthese maps have been 'publ.sl
: !, cd byscitlzsns Of. Missouri, upon all
!. which the rapids upon the Mississippi
|. riveEare noted as the '.Dss Moines ra
!, ids,' whilst no reference whatever
made upon any Of them to any rapids
\ the Des Moines river Nor were the,
y in 1920 any such rapids known. Tn
! point, Il not now fully establised, will b
by other eyidences which shall hereu
Z ter adduce, demonstrated beyond the pos
v Utility OF q doubt in the mind Of any OH
J. sape Missouri politician. But, sir, SUI
!, nnse. For aruumenyss SAX. that IL wa