The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1876-04-30
The Great Northwest and the Ordinance
of 1887.
From the Brooklyn Union.

From the Brooklyn Union.
The Congress of the old Confeder-
alton, in 1887, passed an ordinance
for the government of the territory
northwest of the Ohio river, which
passed into history as the "Ordinance
of 1887" The area embraced in its
provisions is now the States of Ohio
Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa,
Minnesota, Nebraska and Oregon,
and the ordinance in breadth of con-
ception, in details and results has
been the most notable ever enacted
by the representatives of the Ameri-
can people. 1t fixed forever the charac-
ter of the immigration, and of the
social, political and educational insti
tutions of the people who were to in
habit this imperial territory-then
wilderness, but now covered by five
great States and teeming with more
than 10, 900, ,000persons, or one fourth
of the entire population of the
United States. 1t forever prohibited
slavery and involuntary servitude-
that pestilent element of discord and
tyranny in our American system,
which then existed in all the States
except Massachusetts,, where it had
come to an end by decision of its
Supreme Court, only four years be-
fore. 1t declared that "religion,
morality and knowledge being neces-
sary to good government and the
happiness of mankind. schools and
the means of education shall always
be encouraged ?" 1t prohibited the
feudal law of primogeniture, and
provided that ''the property of a
parent dying intestate shall be divided
equally among his children or next
of kin, that no person demeaning
himself in peaceable and orderly
manner shall ever be molested on ac-
count of his mode of worship or re
ligious sentiments that the inhabi-
lants shall always be entitled to the
benefits of the writ of habeas col pus,
of trial by jury, of a proportional
representation in the Legislature, and
Of judicial proceedings according to
the course of the common law ; that
all persons shall be bailable, unless
for capital offenses, when the proof
shall be evident or the presumption
great; that all fines shall be moderate
and no cruel and unusual punishment
shall be inflicted that no man shall
be deprived ofhis liberty or property
but by the judgment of his peers or
the law Of the land and should the
public exigiencies make it necessary
to take any mans property, or to de-
mand his particular services, full
compensation shall be made for the
same; and in the just preservation Of
rights and property, it is understood
apd declared that no law ought ever
to be made or have force in said ter
ritory that shallin any manner what
ever interfere with or affect private
contracts or engagements bona fide
and without fraud previously made. "
This was the first embodiment in
written constitutional law of pro-
vision maintaining the obligation of
contracts. The far-sceing intellect to
which belongs this masterpiece of
liquidation many have claimed. 1t
has been given to Jefferson,t to Nathan
Dane, and others, but Mr.. w. F.
Poole, Librarian of the Chicago
Public Library, has fixed it upon Dr.
Manassit Cutler, of Killingly
Conn.
In July, 1887, Mr.. Poole states,
DR.. Manassit Cutler arrived in New
York. His business there was to
buy of Congress, then in session, a
million and Q. half acres of land in
the Northwest Territory for settle
ment under the auspices of the
.Ohio Company of Associates. He
remained in New York, and the vicin-
ity about three weeks, bought his
million and a half acres for the Ohio
Company and about 10000, 900 acres
for other parties. In April of the
following year tile Ohio Company
made the first English settlement Of
the Northwest Territory, at Marietta
Ohio, at the mouth of the Muskingum
on the land which DR.. Cutler had