The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1856-12-17

The ORDINANCE OF 1787.-Among the pub
lications of the Pennsylvania Historical Societ,
f for the current year, is a s.History of the Or
} dinance of 1897" by honorable Edward Coles
formerly governor of Illinois. Governor Coles
Of all men living, is perhaps best prepared K
compile such document. The personal ane
| political friend Of Jefferson, Madison and Mon
roe-a Virginian by birth, education and resi-
: dence-an early settler in the northwest terri
tory, and participant in the political discus
sions which attended the settlement of the slave
} ry question IN 1llinois-elected governor of Il
llnois in 1884 upon that very issue-he enjoy
ed rare opportunities of becoming familiar botl
with the private opinions and official actions
OF the men who, in the infancy of the republic
lnaugurated the policy involved in the ordl
nance of 1887, the Missouri compromise and
the. Texas settlement respecting the on-exten
sion of slavery Bra sr..ii s.. ri 3. a-sfs
.~s One Of the mostinteresting facts established
by governor Coles in this history relates to the
authorship of the ordinance Governor Coles
places this question beyond the reach ofcon-
troversy, and proves conelusiyely that to Thos
Jefferson belongs the credit of its introduction
We epitomise the following from his history: z
The whole of the old north west territory, in
Guiding all the tract bounded by the State o1
New York, the Ohio, the Mississippi and the
lakes, became the property of the federal gov
ernmant, the Western Reserve in Ohio except
ed, by deed of cession from Virginia, dated
March 1884. A few days after the execu-
ton Of the deed, Mr. Jefferson moved in con-
gress the appointment of committee 10 frame
an organic law for the new acquisition The
committee consisted of Mr.. Jefferson, Samuel
Chase of Maryland, and David Howell of Rhode
Island. The report of this committee was
founded on draft submitted by Mr.. Jefferson,
and contained variety Of provisions of ne
cessary and formal sort, and finally this:
after the year 1900 Of the christian era,
there shall be neither slavery nor involuntary
serviude in any of the said States, otherwise
than in punishment of crimes whereof the par
ty shall have been duly convicted to have been
personally guilty. ..... ... o.
This clause of the ordinance excited much dis
cussion, and finally, on the 18th of April 1894,
Mr.. Spaight of North Carolina, seconded by
Mr.. Reed, of South Carolina, moved to strike
it out On the question whether it should stand,
all the members from the northern States, to-
gether with Mr. Jefferson, of Virginia, and Mr..
|
southern States voted no; and it was stricken
out, because only six out of thirteen States vo-
ted for its retention, whereas seven States, or a
ma jority of the whole number of thirteen States
was required to pass any measure. 1t was ex-
planned at the time that the limitation was FIX
ed at 1900, because the act operated as an
emancipation act, since lasge numbers of set
tiers from Virginia were in the territory with
slaves, while all the old French settlers on the
banks Of the Mississippi were slavehoders.-
Justice required that some interval should be
given them to prepare for freedom. The ques
ton came up again in March, 1884, when Mr..
King moved that Mr.. Jefferson's proviso-the
limitation just alluded to being omitted-should
be referred to committee with a view to its
introduction into the organic law of the north
western territory. The motion was carried
eight States voting for it, and three against it,
Finally, on the 18th of July, 1887, the ordi-
nance with this anti-slayery provision in it was
adopted, every State voting Cor it. In showing
that the provision was first reported by Mr.. JEFF
ferson in 1894, governor Coles destroyed the
claim set up in behalf of Nathan Dane, of Mas
sachusetts, to its authorship, since Mr.. Dane
only took his seat in November, 1875, eighteen
months after Mr.. Jefferson's report. In con-
necton with the adoption of this ordinance, gov
ernor Coles says:
"This brings to my recollection what was
told by Mr.. Madison, and which / do not re-
member ever to Aave seen in print The old
congress held its session in 1887 in New Y York,
while at the same time the convention which
framed the constitution of the United States
held its sessions in Philadelphia. Many indi
viduals were members of both bodies, and thus
were enabled to know what was passing in each,
both sitting with closed doors and in secret ses-
sions. The distracting question Of slavery was
agitating and retarding the labors of both, and
led to conferences and intercommunicatons of
the members which resulted in a compromise
by which the northern or ant-s]avcry portion
OF the country agreed to incorporate into the Or
dinance and constitution the provision to restore
fugitive slaves, and this mutual and concurrent
action was the cause of the similarity of the
provisions contained in both, and had its infu-
ence in creating the great unanimlty by which
the ordinance passed and also in making the con-
sitution more acceptable to the shareholders" "
Mr. W. GILMORE S1MMs ON South CAROLINA
IN THE REvoLor1oN- w. Gilmore Simms
delivered his lecture in defence af the revolu-
tionary history of South Carolina, at doctor
Chapin's church, New York. There was small
select audience. The historians, Hildreth and
Bancroft, were present Mr.. Simms was slight
ly vehement; his voice and manner made him
apparently good deal so. There was some in
vidious comparison-an occasional allusion to
what he regarded as the derelictions of New
England He admitted that nearly one half OF
the population of South Carolina adhered to the
crown throughout the struggle, and explained
and palliated the circumstance by saying that
the territory felt very little Of the burdens OF
which New England complained. The popu-
lation was almost entirely agricultural, who
found a ready market for their products in Eng
land. Their coasts were defended by British
men Of war. Their young men of family were
in British colleges, But South Carolina was
one of the foremost in the fight. She adopted
constitution before the declaration of indepen-
dence was made. She built the first and arg-
est man Of war She captured the powder which
supplied the army of Washington when encamp-
ed before Boston.
The first repulse a British fleet ever receiv.
| od ,p,s h1- tbe forts IN Charleston harbOr man.