Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1854-07-22
NATIONAL NTELLIGENCER.
TERRITORIAL SOVEREIGNTY.


.bout fourteen years previously Governor of what
was then called the Northeastern Territory, EN-
br.c;no what now constitutes Ohio, Indiana, ILL
nois. Michigan, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota
By an act Of Congress, passed the 7th May, 1900,
this Territory vas divided into two separate govern
nents, Ohio and Indiana. An act Of the Both of
April, 1902, authorized the people Of the eastern
division Of the Territory to form Constitution
and State Government. In November, 1902, the
people Of the Territory met in Convention by dele
gates, and Governor ST. CLAIR made an address to
that body. He stated that Congress had not pre-
scribed the mode Of bringing them together, but
they were assembled, and that was enough. He
deprecated the spirit of party then raging, and
thought the times BODIED evil. (This was the Sc
cond wear Of Mr. Jefferson's Presidency He as
serted the right of the people to form State Go
yernment for the whole or part of the Territory.
On this point he said:
That the people Of the Territory should form Conven
.tiou and Constution-needcd no act Of Congress- To
pretend to authorize it their Raxt an interference
With the internal affairs of the country, which they had
neither the power the right TO make The act is not
binding on the people, and it is in truth nuity and
could Il be brought before that tribunal where acts Of
CONGRESS can be tried would be declAred nullity
nFor all internal affairs We have complete Legisla
tnre Of our own and in them more bound by an
act Of Congress than we would be bound by an sdct
of the First Consul Of France.
mYou may do whatever appears to you to be for the
best for your constituents freely if Congress had
never nterfered in the matter and it may be strong
motive to you for acting that by this very act about
fye thousand people diuesed Of the rights they were in
possession Of without hearing-bartered away like
sheep in market transferred to another Government
thrown back into stage Of it which has been loaded
with every epithet Of opprobrum which the English Ian
guage Affords
Form then, gentlemen, irect new election for
the purpose o Constitution or the whole Territory as
sert your right to full rel, ntston In the councils Of
the nation; direct the Legislature forthwith to cause
census to be taken; it will ros require much time set
with that in their hands, aud demand the admission Of
the Territory as State will not it cannot be refus
ed But suppose it should be refused it would not affect
your Government any thing you have done to orga
nize That would 60 on equally well and perhaps bet
ter was think eight years after the people OF Yer
mont had formed their Government and exercised all the
powers Of an independent State before y was admitted
into the Union. The Government was not retarded q
single moment that account 1t would be ncompara-
bly, better that should be deprived OF share IN the
national councils for session or two OF even for years.
than that we should be degraded to unequal share in
them for nine years but it will not happen we hare the
means bring Congress reason ioe should
BE forced them If we submit to the degradation,
we shall be trodden Hpon and what is WORSE we shall
deserve to be trodden on
On the 22d November, 1902, Mr.. MADISON,
then Secretary of State, wrote to Gov. ST. CLAIR,
under direction Of President Jefferson, as follows
SIR: The President observing in address lately
delivered by you to the Convention held at Chcohe
intemperance and ndecorum Of language towards the
Legislature Of the United States, and disorganzing
spirit and tendency Of very evil example, and grossly
violating the rules Of conduct enjoned by your public
station, determines that commission Of Governor Of
the Northwestern Territory shall the receipt Of
.JAmEs MApIsps.
sARTHUR ST. CLAIR, Esq, Chillcothe"
To which Gov. ST.. CLAR replied in a severe
letter, dated at Cincinnati, 2lst December, 1902,
saying, among other things:
~ request Of you, sir to present my humble thanks
to the President for that favor he has thereby dis
charged me from Office heartily tired of about
six weeks than had determined to rid myself Of
it,"
After denying that there was any indecorum in
what he said, Gov. ST.. CLAIR added:
scruple not say the violent hasty and unprece-
denied intrusion of the Legislature of the United States
into the internal Of tho Northwestern Territory
was at least ndecorous and Inconsistent with it's public
duty and might add that the transferring above hye
thousand people, without their knowledge or consent
from country where they in possession of self
government another where they will be at least for
time deprived Of that privilege was something more than
ndecorous and that had happened in Germany where
such things have happened, no man in America would
have hesitated to call it by harsher name"
The principal complaint seemed to be that the
new State Of Ohio was to have but one representa-
tive in Congress for nine years to come. The peo
pie having presented their State Constitution under
the act Of April 80, 1902, Congress passed an act
on the 10th February, 1903, for the due execution
of the laws Of the United States within that State
The Hon. JOHN SMITH and Hon. THOMAS WORTH
INGToN were the first Senators from the State O
Ohio, and took their seats on the 1st April, 1903
The Hon. JEREMIAH Morrow was the first Repre-
sentative.
Tie Territory of Indiana having been formed BY
act of May Z, 1900, was divided into two separate
Governments by act of January IL, 1905, and tina
Of Michigan created. The Territory was still fur
Their divided into two separate Governments anc
that of Illinois was created by act Of February
3, 1909.
That portion of the act of 30th April, 1902, au
thorizing the formation Of State Government, mos
complained of by Gov. ST. CLAIR, seems to have
been the third section, which declared that al
that part of the territory of the United States north
west of the river Ohio heretofore included in the
eastern division of said territory, and not included
within the boundary herein prescribed for the said
State is hereby attached to and made part of the
ladiana Territory" &c.
This included the FIVE thousand people referred
] to by Gov ST.. CLAIR as being transferred without
their consent and this legislation shows the power
claimed and exercised by Congress over the Terri
tories at that early period The fourth section fixed
the right Of suffrage as follows THAT all male
citizens Of the United States who shall have ar
rived at full age and resided within the said Ter