Carbon County news., 1937-07-16
/. LAND CLAIMS OF THE THIRTEEN
ORIGINAL STATES in 1888
New York claimed all the lands west
Of The AIleqhany Mountains and north
offha: Ohio River. belonging to the Six
Nations. or Iroquois Indians.

This resolution was never acted
upon, but when Dane drew up his
ordinance, he included in it the
resolution of his Bay State col
league. He added to it a pro-
vision for the surrender of fugi-
tive slaves, as a concession to
gain support for the measure
from Southern delegates. Except
for this, sound doctrines of civil
liberty were contained in the ordi-
nance. No person was to be mo-
Tested on account Of his mode of
worship or religious sentiments.
Each citizen was entitled to trial
by jury and the right to invoke
the writ Of habeas corpus. Still
another clause declared "That
religion, morality and knowledge
being necessary to good govern
ment and the happiness of man.
kind, schools. and the means of
education shall forever be en-
couraged."
As for the form of government
the first officials were to be
governor, secretary and three
judges appointed by congress.
AS the population increased, the
people were to be allowed rep
resentation in the national gov
ernment. Not less than three nor
more than five states were to be
formed from the territory and
admitted to "a share in the Fed
eral councils" and to remain for
ever "a part Of this Confederacy
of the United States of America" p"
The ordinance was passed on
July IS, 1871, and signed by Gen.
Arthur st. Clair, president of the
Congress, and Charles Thomson,
the secretary who's eleven years
earlier, had signed the first draft
of another famous document, the
Declaration of Independence.
The Ordinance Of 1887 was
passed by the dying congress of
the Confederation, " says one his
torian. "Its trials and it's failures
had been many, but the honor of
this act rests with it," And an
other observes: "The importance
of the Ordinance of 1887 was
hardly overstated by Webster in
his famous debate with Hayne."
Settlers Pour In.
Through the efforts of Manas-
sch Cutler, who had found it
polite to cease advocating the
appointment of his own candidate
for the post, General st. Clair
was made governor of the newly
organized Northwest Territory.
But even before he could arrive
on the scene of his future labors,
thousands of settlers were pour
ing into the Old Northwest.
They came afoot and on horse
back and by covered wagon over
roads that were little better than
dim trails through the wilderness.
They foated down the Ohio by
flatboat-in the first. half of the
year 1887 nearly $50 Of these boats
bearing more than 8 3,cE0 people
had passed Fort Harmar, which
had been built at the mouth of
Muskingum to protect the sur
veyors and the daring Kentuck-
ians who had ventured across the
river to take up tonahawk claims
in the Indian country. In 1888
the migration had grown to a
food-nearly 1000 boats and
more than $4,000 people.
Among them were the colonists
who, led by Gen. Rufus Putnam
of Massachusetts, established the
first important settlement north
of the Ohio-Marietta, named for
Marie Antoinette, queen of
France. And it IS In the mod
ern city of Marietta that one of
the most important celebrations
of the Mother Lands" birthday
will be held. There on July 13
will be enacted pageant depict
ing the memorable scene in the
Continental Congress on the same
date $50 years ago when the Ordi-
nance of 1887 was passed.
And on December 8 of this year
an ox-drawn covered wagon car
avan will leave Ipswich, Mass,
for Marietta which it will reach
on April Z of next year, the 150th
anniversary of the arrival of Gen
eral Putnam and his colonists
there. Then twill start a trek
through the states Of Ohio, Indi-
ana, Illinois, Wisconsin and
Michigan, presenting at various
places in each state the same
pageant that isl being given at
Marietta this month. For these
states of today are the t'children"
of the "Mother Land Of $50 years
ago - the Northwest Territory
which came into being through
the Ordinance Of 1881.
n wastern Na4vayla,, Tfs,a.