Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, IA [i.e. Ind.]) 1839-1854, 1853-06-24

Of Indiana. was approved May I. 1900 Cen
eral William Henry Harrison, then delegate in
Congress from the North western Territory.
was appointed Governor. John Gibson. Score.
tary Of State, and William Clark. John Griffin.
and Henry Vanderburgh, judges. The gov.
eminent was organized at St. Vincennes. on
the 4th of July, 1900, by Gen John Gibson.-
Secretary Of State. and ex-offoio Governor
Gen. Gibson officia:ed as Governor until the
10Th Of January. 1901. When Gen. HARRISON
arrived. and took the oath Of office. John Rice
Jones. father of Hon. George w. Jones. Sena-
tor from Iowa the first District Attorney.
On the l2th of January, two days after the
arrival of the Governor, Council. composed
of the Governor and Judges, convened and
adopted code of laws for the government OF
the Territory. There was then but one county.
Knox, named in honor Of General Henry
Knox, of the revolution. and Secretary Of War
under the amnist ia ton of General Wash
ng;on. The territory was afterwards divided
into six COUNT viz: Knox, Clark, and Dear
born, in the district now the State of Indiana :;
ST. Clair and Randolph included what was
afterwards organized into the Territory of Illi
nois; and Wayne, including the whole OF wha,
is now the State of Michigan. In 1915. the
second, representative grade of territorial
90 sernment was formed. The Governor issued
his proclamation for the election of nine Rep
resentatives. Owing to failure of the mail.
Wayne county, at Detroit. and no election was
held. Before another election could be order
ed, WAYNE county made a separate terri
tory. The first Territorial Legislature was
composed of seven Representatives, the Judges
acting a Council, and the Governor exercis-
ing the absolute and unqualified veto power.
In 1907. the territory of Illinois organ
lied. This reduced the territory of Indiana to
three counties, Knox, Clark and Dearborn
At the ensuing session of the Territorial Legis-
lature the county of Harrison was organized;
Vinccnnes still rem aiming the seat of Govern
nent and General Harrison Governor.
4, Ben amin = ark was the first delegate in Con
sress He was succee ded by Jesse b. Thomas.
who resided at Lawrenceburg. and who secured
his election BY obtainin, the votes Of the cas-
tern and western portion Of the Territory un-
der a pledge to use his exer,ions to procure a
division Of the Territory; and to secure the
votes at kaskaska and Cahoka in the west.
it is said that he executed to John Rice Jones a
bond. binding himself in heavy penalty to
vote for the division. This pledge he redeem
C l. SO that the validity Of the bond never was
tested in IA judicial tribunal. After the forma
ton of the Illinois Territory, Jonathan Jennings
was elected delegate from the Indiana Terri
tory. His competitor Thomas Randolph.
Esq, who afterwards fell at T;ppecanoe. The
contest involved, among other things. the sla
very question. AtEincennes, and the vicinity
k'nCTc were Qulte u DuNlDtT Oh slaves, oWncU ny
persons who had cmigrated from Virginia, prior
to the ordinance Of 1893. Mr.. Randolph was
a Nir, inian. AMI i. WAS said favored the pecu
liar institutions, did most of the citizens in
Knox county, and many in Clark. Dearborn.
and especially that portion now forming the
county Of Wayne, were opposed to slavery. and
by that vote Mr.. Jennings was elected He
was periodically elected, and served a
delegate until the formation Of the State Gov
crnment in 1916
! General Harrison resi- gned his commission as
Governor in 1879. having been appointed to
command the North Western army. at the
commencement of the British and Indian war
at that period IL. succeeded by General
Thomas Posey. officer Of the revolution,
who continued to exercise the functions OF
Governor, during the Territorial Government
General John Gibson still continuing Secretary
of State.
Although the Territorial Secretary. from,
some cause, (pcrhaps physically he could not
write, and the only mark of his pen. in the
original records, is to be found in his crooked
and scarcely legibIe signature, at the end OF
the Territorial Record, in 1916, when the pa
pe,s. books. and documents passed into the
hands Of the State Government
We shall occasionally refer to these rcmini-
SCIENCES of our early State and Territorial his
tory. 1t lamentable fact that but little is
known Of the early history of Indiana, by the
general reader. Many know much more of
the carly settlements and history Of Virginia
and Massachusetts, than Of thei. own State
Indianapolis Sentinel.