Page:History of Richland County, Ohio.djvu/92

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��HISTORY OP OHIO.

��the home government. There were two parties in the country, known as Federalist and Anti-Federal- ist. One favored a central government, whose au- thority should be supreme ; the other, only a compact, leaving the States supreme. The worth- lessness of" the old colonial system became, daily, more apparent. While it existed no one felt safe. There was no prospect of paying the debt, and, hence, no credit. When Mr. Ilaniilton, Secretary of the Ti'easury, offered his financial plan to the country, favoring centralization, it met, in many places, violent opposition. Washington was strong enough to carry it out, and gave evidence that he would do so. When, therefore, the excise law passed, and taxes on whisky were collected, an open revolt occurred in Pennsylvania, known as the " Whisky Insurrection." It was put down, finally, by military power, and the malcontents made to know that the United States was a gov- ermnent, not a compact liable to rupture at any time, and by any of its members. It taught the entire nation a lesson. Centralization meant pres- ervation. Should a " compact" form of government prevail, then anarchy and ruin, and ultimate sub- jection to some foreign power, met their view. That they had just fought to dispel, and must it all go for naught? The people saw the rulers were right, and gradually, over the West, spread a spirit antagonistic to State supremacy. It did not revive till Jackson's time, when he, with an iron hand and iron will, crushed out the evil doctrine of State supremacy. It revived again in the late war, again to be crushed. It is to be hoped that ever thus will be its fate. " The Union is insepa- rable," said the Government, and the people echoed the words.

During the war, and while all these events had been transpiring, settlements had been taking place upon the Ohio, which, in their influence upon the Northwest, and especially upon the State, as soon as it was created, were deeply felt. The Virginia and the Connecticut Reserves were at this time peopled, and, also, that part of the Miami Valley about Dayton, which city dates its origin from that period.

As early as 1787, the reserved lands of the Old Dominion north of the Ohio were examined, and, in August of that year, entries were made. As no good title could be obtained from Congress at this time, the settlement practically ceased until 1790, when the prohibition to enter them was withdrawn. As soon as that was done, surveying began again. Nathaniel Massie was among the

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��foremost men in the survey of this tract, and lo- cating the lands, laid off a town about twelve miles above Maysville. The jtlace was called Manchester, and yet exists. From this point, Massie continued through all the Indian war, despite the danger, to survey the surrounding country, and prepare it for settlers.

Connecticut had, as has been stated, ceded her lands, save a tract extending one hundred and twenty miles beyond the western boundary of Pennsylvania. Of this Connecticut Reserve, so far as the Indian title was extinguished, a survey was ordered in October, 1786, and an office opened for its disposal. Part was soon sold, and, in 1792, half a million of acres were given to those citizens of Connecticut who had lost property by the acts of the British troops during the Revolutionary war at New London, New Haven and elsewhere. These lands thereby became known as " Fire lands " and the "Sufferer's lands," and were located in the western part of the Reserve. In May, 1795, the Connecticut Legislature authorized a committee to dispose of the remainder of the Reserve. Before autumn the committee sold it to a company known as the Connecticut Land Company for |l, 200, 000, and about the 5th of September quit-claimed the land to the Company. The same day the Company received it, it sold 3,000,000 acres to John Mor- gan, John Caldwell and Jonathan Brace, in trust. Upon these quit-claim titles of the land all deeds in the Reserve are based. Surveys were com- menced in 1796, and, by the close of the next year, all the land east of the Cuyahoga was divided into townships five miles square. The agent of the Connecticut Land Company was Gren. Moses Cleve- land, and in his honor the leading city of the Re- serve was named. That township and five others were reserved for private sale; the balance were disposed of by lottery, the first drawing occurring in February, 1798.

Dayton resulted from the treaty made by Wayne. It came out of the boundary ascribed to Symmes, and for a while all such lands were not recognized as sold by Congress, owing to the failure of Symmes and his associates in paying for them. Thereby there existed, for a time, considerable un- easiness regarding the title to these lands. In 1799, Congress was induced to issue patents to the actual settlers, and thus secure them in their pre- emption.

Seventeen days after Wayne's treaty, St. Clairs Wilkinson, Jonathan Dayton and Israel Ludlow contracted with Symmes for the seventh and eighth

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