The Red Cloud chief., 1889-03-29
OF 1877.
he important Document Which ~ Con
stantS Subject Of Interest.

ORDINANCE OF 1877.
The important Document Which - . Con
slant Subject OF Interest.
The most serious question brought
before the Continental Congress after
the close Of the revelutiOn-second to
the ever insoluble Of how the public
debt was to be paid-was that concern
Ing the disposition ofthe rast extent OF
unoocupied lands at the West. The
charters of the large States on the
Atlantic coast extended their territory
westward to the South Sea" and over
this they claimed to exercise full
jurisdiction. In 1880 New York offered
to cede part of its Western territory
for the formation OF new States and a
few years later Virginia made a similar
concession. In 1874 an ordinance for
the temporary government OF the
Northwest Territory was passed by
Congress. This ordinance was drawn
up BY a committee Of which
Thomas Jefferson was chairman,
and is known 10 be mainly
the work of the fruitful brain that de-
lviscd the Declaration of Independence.
1t recommended that all the Western
territory ceded or 10 be coded DO
formed into nine States, each extend
ing over two degrees of latitude. the
said States to be named: Chersonesus,
Sylvania. Asscnisipia, MctrOpotamia,
Polypotamia, Pellisipia, Saratoga.
Washington. MichiGania and Illinoia.
1t further provided that after tho year
1890, slavery should DC prohibited in
all these States. Tho anti-slavcry
clause was lost. and some other
change were made in the act before it
was finally adopted. II was not how
ever, wholly satisfactory, and further
legislation was attempted. In 1857
Nathan Dane, rs chairman Of a second
committee on tho Territories, reported
an ordinance, which was adopted.
This provided for the organization OF
the Northwest territory, and concluded
with six unaltcrablc articles OF per-
HCtuol toIfpd'i. 81 uIol
for entire religious freedom; the Sec
ond secured to all the inhabitants
trial by jury, the writ OF habeas cor
pus, and the political rights and privi-
ileges enumerated in the "Bill OF
Rights" the third provided for the en-
c0uragcment of schools. and for good
faith, justice and humanity towards
Indians; and the sixth provided that
there shall be neither slavery O in
voluntary sorvitudc in the said terri
tory, OtherW0e than in the punish
ment of crimes whereof the party shall
have been duly convicted" The OPP
position that had previously over
thrown this anti-slavcry provision was
Iplacated by the following stipulation:
provided always that any person es-
Gaping into the same frsm whom
labor or service is lawfully claimed in
any ono Of the original States, such
fugitive may he lawfully reclaimed and
conveyed TO tho person claiming his
or her labor or service aforesaid" This
was tho original slave law, and its
passage represents the concession
made by tho anti-slaycry men TO Sc
cure the consent OF their opponents TO
the ordinance OF 1877. Another i'm
'pOrtant clause OF the ordinance was
one providing ''tiat the navigable
waters leading into the Mississippi
and st. Lawrence, and the carrying
places between the same, should DO
common highways free to the citizens
of the United States" The author
ship of this important ordinance has
been usually ascribed 20 Nr. Dane, but
1t hasSbeen asserted, from the evidence
of letters. that its principal author
was a Massachusetts clergyman. Rev.
Mauasseh Cutler. who had Just pur-
chased. rs the agent of n colonization
company Of his own State and other
parties. 1900, 600 acres in Ohio, and
Who was in New York at this meeting
Of the last Congress OF the Confedera-
ton, c~ndeavcrinr 10 aid legislation
concerning tho territory which he
wished 10 Coionizc and to shape tho
laws, as far IA nc could. to his liking
Toledo Blade.