Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/359

 CHAPTER XXV POLITICAL, CIVIL AND MILITARY The First State Election — Contest fob the Senatorship — The Eight Counties — Courts IN Each County — Organization op New Counties — Southeast Missouri in the Mex- ican War. The people of Missoui-i, after the adoption of the first of the two compromises, supposing that they would be admitted to the Union, proceeded to the formation of a government. The constitution was framed in July, 1820, and it called for a meeting of the general assembly in September of that year. The election was ordered to be held August 28th. The people were tlien to elect a governor, lieu- tenant governor, a representative in Congress for the sixteenth Congress, one for the seven- teenth, members of the general assembly, and sheriffs and coroners in the' various counties. The constitution fixed the number of senators in the state at fourteen and representatives at forty-three. First State Election The election was lield on the date announced and the entire state government selected. This was nearly a year before the admission of the state into the Union, .so that Missouri pre- sented the unusual spectacle of a sovereign state with a duly authorized government under a constitution, but outside of the Union and still not independent. The election resulted in the choice of Alex- ander McNair for governor, William H. Ash- ley for lieutenant governor, and John Scott as representative in Congress for both its ses- sions. Scott lived in Ste. Genevieve. Contest for the Senatorship The general assembly met in St. Louis in September, 1820. James Caldwell of Ste. Genevieve was the speaker of the house. Among the duties of the legislature were the election of two United States senators and the appointment of three supreme and four cir- cuit judges. One of the judges of the supreme court was John D. Cook of Cape Girardeau. The contest for United States senator was a very interesting one. There were two senators to be selected. David Barton of St. Louis was elected on the first ballot by an unanimous vote, but a fierce contest was waged for the remaining place. The candidates were Thomas H. Benton, John B. C. Lucas, Henry Elliott, John Rice Jones and Nathaniel Cook. Of these candidates. Judges Lucas and Benton were the most prominent. After a long at- tempt to select a senator Benton was finally chosen. The Eight Counties When Missouri was admitted to the Union in 1821 there were only eight counties organ- ized in Southeast Missouri. These were: 299