Mexico weekly ledger., 1901-08-15
A OLD

0A8A0 VAN AAI@111
The 10th day Of August 1901, is the
eiRhtiethanniversary Of the statehood
Of Missouri. This is the day upon
which President Monroe issued his
proclamation declaring the admission
o. Missouri as q State into the Union.
The people the year previous had
adopted a constitution and applied
for admission into the Union, but the
anti-slaveFy members Of Congress had
opposed It's admission upon the
ground that the constitution adopted
contained a provision which forbade
free negroes from coming into the
state.
After two sessions Of wTangle and
debate oyer the question, Congress
passed an act admitting the State
upon condition that this view be
eliminated from the constitution.
Finally. the Legislature Of Missouri
accepted the condition imposed By
Congress and this act being made
known tothe President his prOclama-
ton was issued declaring Missouri 70 be
n u the sister states Of the Union.
Application was first made 10 1877
10 form a constitution preparatory 10.
admission as a State. This led 10 a
~prOtracted struggle In Congress over
the slavery question, ending In the
Missouri compromise, by which Mis-
soun was admitted as a slave State,
but excluding slavery from the terri
tory north Of the parallel forming the
southern boundary Of the State in all
Of the territory ceded % the United
States b. France under the name Of
Louisiana.
The Missouri compromise is che Of
the principal landmarks In the his
tory Of the United States during the
nineteenth century. This compromise
arrested the agitation Of the slavery
question til in 1854 when it was
virtually repealed By the Kansas
Nebraska bill injecting the eontro-
Teny sneS into the politics Of the
country, the results q which were the
organization and success Of the Re
publican party, the secession d the
Southern States and the Civil War
with It's attendant consequences.
Missouri, geographically, is the cen
trzl State u the Union and is, hist0T-
ically, the typical American State,
being neither distinctly Northern,
Southern. Eastern or Western. Not
one state presents a greater variety Of
resources agricultural mineral or
commereial-and none is more closely
allied with the great continental rail-
rad systems and waterways and bet
ter situated for Interstate and foreign
commerce.
The early Inhabitants came from
other states bringing their ideas with
them: the southern and central parts
being settled principally by emigrants
from the older states Of the South and
the northern and western part largely
by 9sople from the North. An example I
o. the institutions brought from the
older states may he seen in the town
ship Organization in the counties north
~ the Missouri river and south along
the Kansas border, while where the
Virginia idea predominates the county
remains the unit q organization.
In the Civil Wa this state bore
It's part nobly. IL was a hOt-bed Of
contention and strife throughout that
period. On February p, 1851, a
delegated convention decided not to
sscede With the other proslavery
states though the State adminlstra-
ton attempted 70 carry 1t out Of the
Union.
On the fortieth anniversary August
10. 1851, vas fought on Missouri soil,
principally by Missourians on both
sides, one Of the bsoodIest battles Of
the Civil War, that Of Wilson's Greek.
In almost every nelghboFhoOd Of this
state there are survivors Of that hat
tie q both armiss living side by side.
The State furnished about an equal
number q soldiers 20 each army and
zone q The greatest generals, 70 either
side IL the conflict
50 long a. men : heroic deeds
aud devotion 10 q cause, the names Of
Price and Marmaduke will shine with
hat lustef enclrcling the names Of
Lyon and Blair.
Every M~issOurian may well be proud
u her Statesmen. Benton, OF Mis-
souh. belaufs 70 that bright galaxy
are found Calhoun, Of south
Carolina Randolph, Of Virginia, Clay,
q Rentacky, and Webster, Of Mas
achusetlE
Though Missouri Is eleventh IN /,
81 admission Of the new states I
INTO the Union, Il to-day stands third /
Z that number IN point q population |
md wealth and Is the peer Of any, old !
. new, IL resources progress and IN I
elilrcnoc Z
During Statehood Il has grown Z
rom slmeuhing over serenity thous- /
% ~ three milliol one hundred and
"a Thousand IN population and has al
IA assezed valuation u over ais
Illion dalikn 10 property. 81 Louis ]
- uosa from four thousand IN pop-s
|atinn q ever seven hundred th0uS p
ID. 4 * third manufacturing citys
tfr Enite1 States while kansaslv