Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/301

 HISTORY OP SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 241 proposed constitution was in opposition to the constitution of the United States. This oppo- sition to the admission of Missouri was strong enough to prevent all action upon the bill for a number of weeks. Quite probably, it w as strong enough to keep the state out of the Union for an indefinite period. The matter was settled by another compromise. It, too, can hardly be termed a compromise, for it was also one-sided. At this time, however, the opi)osition conceded practically every- thing. They agreed that the offending clause in the fundamental law of Missouri should remain as it was. This concession they made, provided the legislature of the state should pass a solemn public act setting aside a clause in the constitution of the state. The legisla- ture evidently had no authority or power to amend or in any way change the constitution and any solemn public act of theirs which at- tempted to do so was a mere farce. The word solemn, indeed, would hardly be applied to an act having the preamble that this act carries with it, for the legislature of the state quite evidently regarded the thing they were at- tempting to do as entirely beyond tlieir power and authority. Out of all the contention and bitterness, out of the conflicting claims and so-called com- promises, one fact emerges with clearness and distinctness, and that is that Missouri was ad- mitted to the Union and became the twenty- fourth state. The eonstitiitional convention which closed its labors July 19, 1820, in accordance with Ihe terms of the act of Congress providing for the organization of the state government in ^Missouri, framed and adopted an ordinance which was expressly declared by its terms to be forever irrevocable and binding on the people of the state. This ordinance had in it five sections, which were designed to carry into effect five different demands made on the l^eople by Congress. The first of these sec- tions set aside the 16th section of every town- .ship in the state for school purposes. The second section of the ordinance dedicated the i-alt springs of the state, not to exceed twelve in number with six sections of land adjoining each of these springs, to the state. The third section set aside five per cent of the net pro- ceeds of the state land for the purpose of building roads and canals. The fourth section provided that four sections of land should be set aside at the point afterward to be selected for the state capitol. The fifth section pro- vided that one entire township should be re- served and forever dedicated to the purpose of a seminary of learning. The convention inserted in the ordinance, however, a request that Congress should so modify its demand that five per cent of the net proceeds of the land should be set aside for roads and canals, so as to permit the fimd bonus arising to be used not only for roads and canals, but also for school purposes. The southern boundary of the state, as sug- gested in the memorial presented to Congress asking for the organization of a state govern- ment, was fixed at the parallel of 36 degrees and 30 minutes noi-th latitude. It was so fixed on the theory that this left 3i{> degrees south of the state for the territory of Ar- kansas. This boimdary was not at all satisfactory to people who lived ia Little Prairie, now called Caruthersville. The settlements along Black river and "White river were also dissatis- fied with the suggested boiuidary. They did not wish to be attached to the territory of Ar- kansas. Another petition was presented to Congress in March, 1818, asking that the ter-