Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-08-07
The Proposed new State.

The meeting of delegates from North
Mississippi, West Tennessee and West
Kentucky, held at Jackson, last week,
having for its object the Attenuation of a
new State out of the sections named,
shows that there is pretty strong senti-
ment in favor of the idea. Just how
strong will better appear after the ap-
pointed canvassing committee have per-
formed the work assigned them and re-
ported. 1t is evident, however, that the
present strength of the movement lies
in few counties, perhaps one-third of
those included in the new State area,
the remaining counties being, if not OPP
posed to the project, at least exceeding
ly luke-warm in regard to it. There
were but ten counties of Mississippi rep
resented out of the thirty included, and
but nine out of the nineteen Tennessee
counties, so that we can hardly set down
the entire section as ablaze with excite
ment on the subject. The special pro-
moters of the idea, old and shrewd poll
ticians, are evidently in dead earnest,
and will agitate the question as long as
there is any use in agitation.
The real design of the movement is to
carve out from the area mentioned suffi-
cient trustworthy Democratic territory
to make a new State in which the col
ored people and white Republicans
shall find themselves in a hopeless and
helpless minority. The proposition is
to take seven of the counties of Ken
lucky, nineteen of Tennessee and thirty
of Mississippi. By this dividing process
the former State would lose about 2, $40
square miles of territory, Tennessee,
10, 800, and Mississippi, 1860 and the
area of the four States would be, Ken
lucky, 80, $40 square miles; Tennessee,
1866; Mississippi, 80, 800, and the new
State, 80, DO The population of Ken
lucky would lose about 70, 900, retaining
1,242, 900; Tennessee would lose about
$4,000, retaining 944,000, and Missis-
sippi would lose about 275, 900, retaining
sos, 900. The seven counties of Ken
lucky have a population of 10000, the
counties of Tennessee about $50, 900 and
those of Mississippi about $50, 900; max
ing a total population of nearly 800, 900.
Much of the territory included is of an
excellent character, embracing upland
and valley of great fertility, is interseCt-
ed by streams and crossed by railways.
1t is also fully up to the average inpoint
of wealth. The eastern portions of
Tennessee and Kentucky are cempara-
lively poor, the wealth averaging less
than 5000 per head, while in the section
to be cut off the wealth averages from
$500 to $3.50 per head, which is much
higher than the rule in the Southern
States.
There will probably be some difficulty
in obtaining the consent of the various
States to this division. Under the Con-
stitution, ''no new State shall be form
ed or erected within the jurisdiction of
any other State, nor any State be form
ed by the junction of two or more States
or parts of States, without the consent
of the Legislatures of the States concern
ed, as well as of Congress-" 1t will be
a hard matter to convince the Legisla-
lures of Kentucky, Tennessee and Mis-
sissippi that it would be for their best
interests to have some of their best ter
ritory taken away from them, and I'M
less they are so convinced the project
will be futile. Besides, Congress would
hardly be disposed to do anything to-
ward the creation Of an additional South
ern State, aud especially one which
would be opposed to the party in power.
1t is, therefore, safe to conclude that it
will be some time before the proposed
new State is brought into being, or finds
place among those which at present
form the Federal Union.