The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1860-10-11
VIRGINIA AND THE ORDINANCE.
From the n. Y. Tribuue.l

Several friends write us that the Doug
las advocates, in their respective sec
tions, account for the undcniable facts
that Thomas Jefferson in 1884 proposed,
and Congress in 1887 enacted, a prohi.
bition of Slavery in tho Federal Terri.
tories, by asserting that Virginia, Ly
her act or deed Of cession, impcraiireiy
required such prohibition aud they write
to ask us if such be the fact
We answer No-unequivocally, per.
emptorily, No. The story Is lie-an
utter, bascless, inexcusable lie. We
have just looked through all the official
documents relating to thc ccssion ty
Virginia of her claims to territory north
west of the Ohio, and here is synopsis
of them:
l. Congress, by act of Sept 6, 1850,
recommended to the several States, ebay
"ing claims to waste and uuapprcpria-
"ted lands in the Western country" to
make a "libcral cession to the United
" States of a portion of their respective
" claims, for the common benefit of the
"Union."
2. Virginia, by a resolve Of her Legis-
lature, passed Jan. =, 17Sl, consented to
make such cession Of her claims to rri-
tory northwest of the river Ohio, on
certain duly specified conditions
3. Congress, on the 18th of Septcm-
Der, 1888, agreed to most of the cund,
tions prescribed by Virginia, while good
reasons were given by the Committee for
declining to acccdc to the residue; and
Congress accordingly declined them.
4 The Legislature of Virginia-in
October, l7>3-acccpted the modified
terms of cession proposed by Congress,
and fully empowered the delegates of
that State in Congress to make the ccs-
sion by decd
>. Thomas Jefferson, S. Hardy, John
F. Mercer, Arthur Lee, and James Mon.
roe, delegates to Congress from Virginia,
did make the deed of cession as aforc.
said, at Annapolis, on the 22i of March,
1884.
In all these important papers which
are under our eye as we writc-there is
not lisp. not hint, of any requirement
or stipulation by Virginia that Congress
shall prohibit Slavery in that North
Western Territory thus cedcd, nor any
part of it, nor anywhere else: nor is the
subject of Slavery anywhere alluded to in
any of these papers. Virginia stlpulates
that the territory so ccdcl " shall be laid
+" out and formed into States, containing
" a suitable extent of territory, not less
"than one hundred nor more than one
"hundred and fifty miles square, or as
" near thereto as circumstances will ad.
emit; and that the States so formed
~ shall Ls 1:s~:.~. ~fL!:--.-- o.~.as .nI
" admitted members of the Federal In
" ion, having the same rights Of sover-
" eighty, freedom and independence as
/" the other States" that certain expen-
ginia with referenc:c H:f TO aTd' said terrlo4y AT E
shall be made good by the Union and
THAT all the lands within the territory
" SO ceded to the United States, and not
" reserved for or appropriated to any of
"the aforementioned purposes, or dis
opposed Of in bounties to the officers AMI
" soldiers of the American army, shall
" considered common fund for the use
" and benefit of all the States, Virginia
" inclusive, according to their usual res
"pective proportions in the general
" charge and expenditure, and shall be
" faithfully and bona file dipsoscd of for
" that purpose, and for no other use or
;, purpose whatever" lIening's Statut-
es at Large of Virginia, Vols. X, Nl)
Such were the conditions, ond alt the
conditions, imposed by Virginia on the
United States in ceding her claim to ter
ritory north west Of the Ohio; and
such were the circumstances under which
Thomas Jefferson, directly after perfect
ing the cession as aforesaid, was appoin-
ted chairman of Committe of Congress
to draw up plan for the government of
said territory; whereupon he drew up
and reported april 10, l7s4) his " Or
dlnance" for the government of said ter
ritory, and Of all other territory then ce-
ded or to be ceded to the Union, inciud
ing what now forms the Sta:es of Tenn
cssce, Alabama, and Mississippi +; which
territory, clear down to the then south
ern limit of the Union, he proposed to
divided into seventeen embryo States,
nearly half Of them embracing territory
now included in Slave States, to all of
which he proposed to apply this stringent
rule of Slavery Inhibition:
"That after the year 1900, of the
Christian era, there shall be neither
Slavery nor involuntary scrvitude in any
of the said States. otherwise than in the
punishment of crimes, whereof the party
shall have been convicted to be personally
guilty.
This proposition received sixteen Yeas
to seven Nays, yet failed to become law,
because the Articles of Confederation re-
auired at least two delegates from each
State to be present to form quorum from
said State, and the vote of seven States
to carry proposition; and only six
States sustained Mr.. JeIlerson's Anti
Slavery proviso-New Jersey having no
quorum present, while North Carolina
was divided. Mr. Jefferson was over
borne by his two colleagues, Hardy and
Mercer, SO that Virginia was recorded
Nay. 30 the proposition lalicu lot tnat
time but in 1877 it was embodied in
1" An Ordinance for the Government of
"the Territory of the United States
"North- West of the River Ohio and
was now carried by the vote of every
State present, Georgia and the Carolinas
included. The only vote given against
it was that of Mr., Yates of this State,
who was ovcrborne by his colleagues
As thus adopted and enacted, it reads:
"Thcre shall be neither Slavery nor