The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1860-10-05
Virginia aud the o ordinance.

s deniable facts that Thomas Jefferson
9 in 1884 proposed, and Congress in
{ 1887 enacted, prohibition OF slave
ry in the federal territories, by IA
= serting that Virginia. by her act OF
deed of cession, imperatively re
q quired such prohibition; and they
: write to ask us if such be the fact.
e We answer No--unequivocalIy
! peremptoriIy No. The story il a
lie-an utter, baseless, inexcusablc
lie. Tn re is no shadow Of iounda
3 ton for it. We have Just locke!
through all the official documents
relating to the crssIon by Virginia
/ Of her claims totcrri,ory North. West
a the Ohio, and here is synopsie
of them:
J | Congress, BY act Of September
10. 1850. recommended TO the several
states having claims to waste and
unappropriated lands in the Western
country. to make Liberal cession
to tie United States OF a portion OF
their respective claims, 'or the con-.
mon benefit of the Union"
,. Virginia, by a resolve Of her
Legislature. passed January2 17s,
consented to make such cessiun Of
her claims to territory North-Wes
of the River Ohio, on certain duy
specified conditions.
3. Congress, on tie 18Th ot Seo
tember, 1888. agreed IL most of the
conditions prescribed By Virginia,
while good reasons were given
by the Committee ior declining t,
accede to the residue, an ! Congress
accordingly Y declined them.
4 TIE Legislature ui Virginia-
October, l7S3-accepted the moIi
fled terms Of cession proposed 10y
I. Congress, and fully empowered the
delegates of that state in Congress
to make the &C sion by deed
3. Thomas Jefferson, 5. Hardy.
John f. Mercer, Arthur Lee, and
James Monroe, delegates to Congre s
from Virginia. did make the deed
OF cession as aforesaid, at Annapolis,
on the 22l Of March, 17S4.
In all these important papers -
which are under our eye as we
write there is not a lisp, not n
hint. OF any requirement or stipula.
ton by Virginia, that Congress shall
prohibit slavery in that Mort West
ern territory thus ceded, nor any
part OF it. nor anywhere else: nor is
the subject Of slavery anywhere al
iu,ici 10 in any OF theec papers. -
Virginia stipnlstes tI.At the territory
SD ccdel "shnll be laid out and
formed into states, containing Il
suitable extent OF territory, not less
than one hundred nor more than one
hundred and fifty miles squar1, Or
as near thereto aS circumstances vii
admit; and that the states so 'urmel
shall he distinct Republican states,
and admitted members Oi the Fcdcr'
, Union, having the same rights @
, sovereignty, freedom and indePrnd
encc aS The OH or states that CcrtAil
. expenses incurred ami claims al,
r lowl bv Virginia with reference t
said territory shall he made by the
= Union;.anl "rllat I'll the land wilh.r
, the territory So cedcl to the Unjtct
. States, und not reserve tor or ap.
proprittcd 10 any at the before
mentioned purposes. or disposed .
2 in bnunties to the officers aad soldier,
/ OF the American Army. shall be
considered common fund for til,
use and benefit ot all the states
Virginia inclusive, according to thei
usual respective proportions in th'
/, general charge and expenditure. an,
: shall be faithfully and bona .fi
disposed OF tor that purpose, ami to
no other use or purpose "whatrve-.
e (Iening's Statutes NJ Layge of Ejr
e ginia, Vols X XI)
Such were the conditions and al
1t the conditions, imposed by Nlrgini
4. on the Unitel States in ceding he
q claim to territory North West OF II
,e Ohio; and such were the crrnm
d stances under which Thorn ctitr
- son, directly after projecting III
N cession as aforesaid. was appointe
IA ( hartman OF a Committee OF Con
,e gress to draw mp plan tor the gov
!; ernment oieaid territory; whereupo
D. hc drew up and reported (April Is
l1S4) his ordinance" for tho gov
is ernment OF said territory, and of a
ce other territory then ceded or 10 b
=, ccded TO the Union. including VIII,
r now forms the states of Tennessee
IN Alabama, and Mississippi; whic
ed territory, clear down to the the
Dy Southern limit of the Union, he pr
ch posed to divide into seventeen en-
N. bryo states, nearly half of the
re- embracing territory now included
I'M slave states, TO all OF which he pr
posed to apply this stringent rule
slavery inhibition:
ur "That after the year 1900, of the Christi
a era, there shall be neither slavery nor
~ voluntary servitude in any Of the said stat
'rd otherwise than the punishment OF Grim
ay whereof the party shall have been convic
le- to be personally guilty."
nly This proposition received sixte
md yeas to seven nays, yet failed to |
BILE came law, because the articles
his Confederation required at least t.
er- deleg stes to form quorum from 81
his state, and the vote of seven states
sep carry a proposition; and only
ind states sustained Mr.. Jefferson's al
hat slavery proviso-New Jersey hav
cd. no quorum present, while No
rail- Carolina was divided. MIR. JEFF
his son was overborne by his two c
all. leagues, Hardy and Mercer, so t
c;all Virginia vas recorded nav So