Iowa territorial gazette and advertiser., 1842-09-24
JAMES NJ MORGAN & BERNHART HEM,

boundary OF said STATE
From these. and various other acts up
on the par Of the State Of Missouri ane
her delegation in Coagrc IS. in reference
to this subject. contend that il is nor
! too late for the plea Of jurisdiction to b'
sci up in this case 1t is an aftcr-,hoagh
and should be ds,egarded; posiiio,
which neither the Safe nor her 4 pre-
sen,a'ives would have ever thought o
TAX tng. but for the unnnsrered aud unon
smerd le report from he Committee on
Territories. That report. sir, is $,
able, so argnmcntative. and, nj the sa,nt
time. SO decidedly adverse to the claim o
Mis- souri,. that it will require all the in
gehui'y oi her Representatives.. think
/ to find any grounds upon which to stanc
III this controversy.
Questions Of boundary have been, Mr.
Chairman, in all ages ana countries. the
prolific source O contention and strife
The one which you are now about to de
eide is, as have before rema rked, of ,i
talimporiance to Iowa, and has caused nc
little excitement and alarm to- her clti
Zens.
Originating in the year 1897, Gin an at
tempt on the part OF the State Of NissOu
ri to extend her northern boundary be
yond s'Sulivan's,' or '.ihe old Iadian
iine," a it is called, to include within hel
already extended limits strip Of land
the area Of which is cutnputed at 2'6lt
square miles,) 1t has KEEP, not only lha
portion of the citizens Of Iowa residing
on the disputed tract in constant state
Of alarm, but has been the cause OF much
expense and trouble to the Who'll! people
of the Territory. many O! whom have
been called from hcir homes ~ he depth
Of winter to repel the lnsnlent and iyran.
| ical attacks which have been made upon
US from time to time by ths Missouri au
thorities. For seventeen wears mad that
State recognised, by the most solemn acs
oil legislation. the tine bell, mentioned
as her true northern boundary. Her
counties had all been organized, running
up to and stopping at this line; and that,
too, at time when there was not white
iuhabtant within the present limits Of To-
wa TO question her right TO come as much
farther north as she chose. The acts OF
her Legislature for the organization OF
her counties. specifically called for and
named this lineas her north rn boundary
The people OF the Territory OF Missouri,
in their PETITIONS to Congress for admis-
sion into the Union, also named the lndi-
an boundary line, and asked that it nigh,
be made the northern boundary Of their
State. Among others Of her citizens who
signed tnese petitions, is Col. John c.
Sullivan, who, in 1916, hal run he line.
And, sir TO show you that this opinion
was entertained at a mucs later period,
will read 10 you.an eXttact from mes
sage ofthe Hon. John Miller. late Govern.
or o nat State, and now one of her Rep
resenfatives on this tioor, returning with
his objections. 10 the Legislature, me
mortal 10 Congress. which had been
adop:ei by the Legislature at is session
of 83l, upon the subjec! Of their north.
ern boundary. lie says:
'.fhe memorial assumes as fact, tina,
the portion OF the western boundary line
extending from the mouth of the Kansas
river to the northwest carner Of the State
has never been surveyed and marked
In this. | am of opinion the Legislature
has labored under misrepresentation
| Although there cannot be tourd OH fife il
the executive department u return al lht
survey vet iam satisfied Of the fact; anc
| think | cannot be mistaken that ,he late
Col John C Sullivan was appointed 10,
that purpose, and that he did run and
mark that porti,,n Of our western hounda
nv. as well as The nnrthern boundary o
| ,h, State. further evidence that the
~ ine IN question must have heen run, is
! that the surveys Of the pubic lands arr
a.ad, 10 close upon this line, in that sec
tion OF The State. aud are fractional there
by
Yet, sir. in the face Of all these acts o
her own high official iunclionaries, an.
o, various Indian treaties, which call 70
and recognise this line, aud which it j
known were approved aud ratified in the
presence Of her Senators, without am
exceptions being by them to the reterenc
made To this line,-the authorities Of iha
}, State, without the cooperation or assen
OF the United States, or ofthe Perrilor,
oflowa, in the year 1887 appointed com
missionsrs to ran and mark her northern
boundary.x
i The commissioners so appointed, in
stead OF commencing to run the line ppo
Fthe parallel Of. latitude. which passe
!. through the rapids Of the river De
Moines, IN the Mississippi. river, proceed
red, contrary to the expectation Of ever
one, lunless II were. the few who wer
privy to her design OF wrenching fror
US portion OF our Cerritory,l to scare
for rapids in tie Des Mines riper use j
from which to commence They tinall
fixed upon the. rifles triples at u
s.Gseal Bend" ms the Des Moines rive
!, These they ASSUMED to be lf,e rapids I
the Des Moines aAncd in the ac, Of Coz
gsess OF 1920. NJ her consultation; no
withstanding they were not then, nor ar
they n0u.. known or called the rapids I
, the river Des Moines, but are called ID
those Who choose to designate them b
+ that appella1ion) ''rapids Of the Big Bend
Fro this point they proceeded to n
and mark line, which III. authorities
hat State now choose to call their mort.
, ern boundary.
. II was then, Mr.. Chairman, that seve
al thousand Of the citizens oflowa, sa
and earned, with Transformation aml
: lorn, thn, thew we re- Ahmlt IA IA hro,anI