The Washington herald., 1908-08-10

EiEnty-seVen years ago t1-l-2 K --'-N---
Monroe signed the proclamation that al
mitted Missouri as q state, having eqoai
rights and privileges with the tvventy-taree
states that had preceded if into the |
Union. For three years the citizens OF
the Territory OF Missouri had been knock
ing at the doors Of Congress, pleading Tor
statehood For three years the eioquence
OF both Houses had been used for and /
against the admission Of the new State I
Henry Clay. Lowndes. Of South Carolina. I
TAYLOR and AfcLane. Of Delaware; Ser
aaaut Of Pennsylvania: Barbour, Of Nir- /
rinia. Eustis. OF Massachusetts and Cobb. |
OF Georgia. pleaded. argued. and vilifed, /
each for his OWE side To admit Missouri |
as a slave state would disturb that balance
OF power. already topping toward that
crash that awakened the world with IN
ternecine strife In 1S51-Is55-
Parker. OF Virginia. holly declared; II
ever a people or earth has been ul1ltreat-
ed. II Is this people" and in the summer
between the fifteenth and sixteenth Con
crosses. the people Of almost every state
held meetings on the question OF MIS-
souri's eligibility to Statehood, and de-
clared for OF against the famous MS
souri, Compromise" The press took Il up
pamphleteers made II the subject Of
much printed eloquence. and the country
was. for a while, denOralized- Ihere
were debates everywhere that summer
and in Congress that winter, on the evils
Of slavery. on the rights Of the South the
balance Of power. the Interpretation Of
the word union" and the obligations and
benefits that should accrue from the
Union
Then came Maine, in February. 1s2o,
asking 10 be admitted as a state and re-
oliring no enabling act, for, when MasSa-
chusetts had voluntarily agreed TO separa-
ton. il was with only one condition eN-
dressed. that Maine must be admitted 70
statehood before March I. lS2s- Advocates
Of Afissouri's cause saw their opportunity
and the Maine bill with the Missouri bill
as q rider. passed both Houses on March
. That summer the Missouri legislature
met 10 draft its constitution. but as this
did not prove acceptable 10 Congress
when presented that December, the old
fight was renewed In February when
TIE electoral vote was 90 be counted In
Congress. NissourT's vote was challenged
and pandernonium reIgned- The Senate
with great dignity. withdrew from the
chamber. and heard from afar the cries
of Missouri is a state" until the criers
were GREATNESS. The Senate eventually
returned and il was declared that waeth-
or Missouri was counsed or not. that
Monroe would be President and Temp
kins Vice President. BY February ISL
IL was decided 10y a committee OF twenty
three that II Missouri would eliminate
certain clauses from its constitution II
would be admitted, and tie bill Wa
passed by a very narrow margin
And so Of the most violent politica
struggles that ever beset the nation Wa
born this peaceful and prosperous Com
nlouwealth- Its fairness and beauty and
great possibilities had been recognized
long ago. Il IS possible that the weary
De Soto and his men may have gone as
far north as the present confines OF the
State before turning further down int'
Arkansas where that intrepid leader me
death. Marquette and Joliet in 1913 cam
10 the mouth OF the Missouri River. ate
passing the pointed rocks on the land o
the Illinois Indians. and thirty year
later adventurous soldiers OF fortune wen
out from Kaskaskia across Missouri int
New Mexico in search Of lead mine:
About I7g5 Sainte Ceusvieve was founde
and became known TO history as the frs
permanent settlement
Where in the early part Of the eight
eeuth century Sieur Remand. director q
the celebrated Mississippi Company, r.
ceived a land grant and brought in h
colony of houemakers and slaves. theT
are to-day thousands Of farmers. most {
them owning their own lands. and show
Ing one Of the largest percentages
homecoming citizens Of any State in Il
Union Renaud's land grant vas consi'
cred large in those days, and meant q
opportunity for certain redemption Of lO
moneys. the Mississippi Company havir
already sunk 100000 in the euterpris
and the crown tslving seen between S
cl0055 and S1lo00Oo0 go toward the opel
ing Of the French kings territory
Louisiana.
In contrast 70 RenaUd's agricultural e
fcrt Of IS years ago stands to-day Z
Rankin corn farm Of 30.100 acres. a ira
containing forty square miles Whe
Renaud-s herd Of half-wiId swine Sc
him by Bienville had 20 fend for theT
selves in olden DAYS the 2000) that a
herded on the Rankin farm with the g.
head OF cattle eat 500 worth Of corn eve
hour at feeding time. over 4000 bushels
day being needed for them Where r
uaud-s men fought thsir way through [
wilderness culCvaJing acre by acre wi
slow. progress and great pains. from L.
10 L20O acres on the Rankin farm a
plowed and planted in one day. So mu
for the march Of progress through N
souri,, and IN this same fashion most
the States progress can be measured
There are about 1900 stock farms
the state. with something ike 200,
mules on them. Il Is said that il =
not British grit and British fighting u
won the P0er war, but II was the II
souri, mule. for without that animal I
problem Of transportation could not hs
been solved and victory would not hs
perched so surely on the banner bear
The crosses Of St George. St Andre
and St Patrick Mules constitute o.
ninth of the live stock in Missouri.
state that leads in live stock farms.
that State can be found ~ Per cent
al the live stock in the United States.
its superior grade can be determined fr
the fact that il represents ; per cent
the live stock valuation. something
S20eo0 900 being the States total value
With its dairy products alone, Misso
could pay on IN one year all the d
incurred ~ the King Of France and
Mississippi company IN exploiting Il
new territory. and still have money
snare This branch Of industry bri
in something Ike Sl5500.G00 a year. e