The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1869-11-04
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL.
Resolutions Adopted by the St.
Louis Convention.
ST. LOUIS. October 9

Joseph MedlIl, Chairman of the Com
mittee on Resolutions, and adopted
unanimously:
"WHEREAs, The present site of the
National Capital was selected as the
most central point, when the people
of this Republic, only few millions il
number, inhabited only narrow strip
of country along the Atlantic coast
and
"WHEREAs, The population of this
Republic has increased thirteen-fOid
since then, and spread over a vast con.
tinent, Of which the States in existence
when the seat of Government was
located, form only the Eastern edge
and
"WHEREAs, The present location OF
the National Capital is nOtoriOusly in
convenient in a time of peace, and, as
the darkest pages in our national his
tory demonstrated, in times of war OF
domestic turbulence is so dangerously
exposed as to require vast armaments
and untold millions of money for its
special defence; and
"WHEREAs, ALI the reasons which
caused the location of the seat Of Gov
ernment where it now is, have, by the
enormous development of the country
and corresponding change in the
wants of the people, become utterly
obsolete; therefore,
"ReSOlUed, That it is absurd to sup
pose that the handful of inhabitants in
1889, just emerging from colonial vas
salage, before steamboats,, railways, tel
egtaphs or power presses were dreamed
of, ora mile of turnpike, or canal con-
structf d, possessed the authority or
desired to exercise the power Of fixing
the site of the capital forever on the
banks of the Potomac, against the
will and interests of the hundreds of
millions who might come after them.
"RssOlUed, That the people have en-
dured the present lily located capital
for three-quarters of century, pa
tientIy waiting for the vast territory of
the Union to be peOpled and organ
lied intO States, and until the centre
of population, area and width could be
when a permanent place
of residence for the Government could
be sell cted. That time has come; all
sectional issues are settled; all dan
gerous domestic variances are disposed
of; a new era has been entered upon,
and new departure taken.
z=i'ReSOIUed, That in the language of
James Madison, in the Congress of
1889, can equal attention to the rights
of the community is the basis of re-
puhlics.' If we consider the effects of
power on the aggregate
community, we must feel equal in
ducements to look to the center in or
der to find the proper seat of Govern
mrnt. This equal attention has not
been and can not be given to the in
terest and rights of the people SO long
as the capital is located in an incon-
venient section of the Union.
."LcesOiUed, That the vast and fertile
region known as the Mississippi Val
ley, must for all time be the seat of
empire of this continent, and exert the
controlling influence in the nation, be-
cause it is homogeneous in its interests
and too powerful ever to permit the
outlying States to sever their cOnnec-
tion with the Union. This. vast plain
will always be the surplus food and
fibre producing portion of the conti-
nent, and the great market for the
fine fabrics and tropical productions Of
other ctiOns of the Republic. This
inmt nSe basin must have numerous
outlets and channels of cheap and
swift communication by water and
rail with the seabOard for the egresS Oi
its products and ingress Ofits exchange
Therefore whatever policy the Gov
ernment may pursue that tends to
multiply, improve or enlarge those ar,
ries of commerce, must result in
common advantage to the whole
Union, to the seabOard States equally
with those of the center.
"RssOJUed, That the natural, cOnve
nient aud inevitable place for the cap
ital of the Republic is in the heart OF
the valley where the center of pOpula.
ton, wealth and power is irresistibly
gravitating; where the Government
surrounded by numerous millions Oi
brave and Union loving citizens, would
be forever safe against foreign foes oil
sectional seditions, and where it would
need neither armauhents nor stanling
armies for its protection.
"ResOLUed, That while advocating
the removal of the seat of government
to the Mississippi Valley, we do no
mean to serve the interests of any par
ticular locality, but that we urge Con
gress to appoint commissioners fol
the purpose Of selecting a suitable site
for the national capital in the great
valley of the Mississippi.
"ResolUed, That in urging the re-
moval of the national capital from its
present inconvenient, out of the way
and exposed locality on the extreme
border of the Union, we are earnest
and that we shall not cease in our eff
forts until that end is accomplished
firmly believing that the absolute ne
cessity of the removal will become
more apparent every day, and the
majority of the American people will
not long permit their interests and
convenience to be disregarded.
RsSOLUed, That the removal of the
national capital, being only question
of time, we emphatically oppose and
condemn all expenditures of money
for the enlargement of old Govern
ment buildings and the erection o
new ones at the present seat of the
National Government, as a useless and
wantOn waste of the property of the
people,"
The following resolution was offered
by Hon. Sidney Clarke, of Kentucky,
and, after discussion, was tabled:
"ResolUed, That this convention dc
recommend and request all Congress.
iOnal nominating conventions in the
various States to incorporate in theil
platforms demand for the removal oI
the national capital to a more central
- ,o,,,.n,fCyt Iooy1ify, -