AN ATTEMPT TO SHOW THE POLICY OF ANNEXING PART OF MISSISSIPPI TERRITORY TO THE STATE OP I 0 l] IS I A .'-.~' ..! . {f;.":"'""".,..,.""""""""-""""""""""""".,..,., . ~ ..AN A1,TE~1P'I;, &c. , • • • ~ , # • A pe;i~ has arrived, with the return of a rr~ perous a'gricitlture and commtrce, when the: n ind . of every· Citizen must lx- more or lrss occU})i• (1 on .Yr the s\Jbject 'of extending tl:ie 'princip~s of St ·f-go­ Vemment in this Territory,. ·.. Within the· lim ;t ~ of the United States republican institutions havt n et with a "'success . be,·ond . the· expectation ot ll't'ir warmein1qmirers, ~nd to the utter disappointn ent of their· theoretic -opposers. ' They have becomt ~o interw·ovt>n with the sentiments habits ;md growth of the people, that· w~ have the most just expe-ctati- on thanhey will noer IX- cherished. :.. · It is; therefore-, no m~tte'r of'surprise, that the temporary · expedient· of territorial government should - ~endured wit~ some impatience, and the pu'ret principles of a permanent system sought with anxiety ·and soli('itude. But it ooght to be remem­ ber~d. that·the system, for which our territorial go­ vernment may be exchanged, will as to the limits il·may emhrace, be permanent and u"alterable. It is notconly to· affect os in· all our interests and rela­ tions ; b\lt posterity will· share the beneficial· effects of our ~isdom ; or regret our want of discernment. :Yb~ subject; therefore, of a change of govern­ ment, becomes one of vast consequence, and de­ serves the bt'rious and deliberate·attention of evf ry citizen. It deser.ves an impartial consideration· in.­ depend~nt of the local ·and· a~vt'n~itious ·'politics of the day-::--thcsc: wiU 'pass away-bur tbe system to be aciopted is expected to' endure for ages. The enquiry then, whether this T erritory shall ~o ipto a state government, with its present limits _as, ·-M1ss. 01!M' OF ARCHlVCS & HISTORY... l ·-""' .. ~ .... ( 4 ) ... ·- (f!t. • .. ., • one of the deepest mterest to every person : an(t -a<llrl\' etf()rt to duciclare ap enq\1iry, so intere.:;tiog, b.may ·I)Ot be unacceptable, however humble the at. temp_t, ...... Wt' have-formed the deliberate opinion, that na•. ·...., ttrrc Hevl!r-intended the present limjts of this T erri­ ·'. ton to b e- emhraced in one State ; and, jf it were ... ,t'ffected, that the interests and welfare of each por­ ~ - tion of the T erri<orv would be jeopardiz<"d, and . the S<"eds sown of enduring dissention and animosi- ty.__ ~ . The Terntory cons1sts.ofthree prmf.lpal sections of coumr~: : Ftrst, the counties'on the Mississippi, I ~ ing west o:~ Pearl River & extending tu,ahout the SSd. degree -Of North latitucle: Secondlf!, the .. c 0unties on Tombighee, Allabama and M obile : 1 Thircjty, Madison county. The clistance bet\~een . the first and second IS nearly three hundred mdes, . and bellween the first and third more than four hun­ ... d red 'miles, wi•h two lndian nations intervening. ~ B et\vC'en these sections of countrv then· is no na­ ~ tural•or c1>mn:iercial connection- · no communit,- of ; inter,ests flr pursuits:· the situation and quality of .• •the soil preclude the hope,' that there t?ver6hould be . a COl1nected :population between the 6rit and second - sections of country ; and the intervening Indian 11ations fornid it between the -first and thirrl. T he . inhabitants of each are "strangers to those of the 0· t her ; ~nd they only meet who are selected to carry on -the optTatiotts•--ur. tlie ten'hot1a1 'g'bveirJment, m uch complained'of for bringing about that indon­ venience. These districts have been.thrown togetherfortui- .. g_ -=- !2 ( 5 ) tously, by Congress, for the immediate purposes of 'em por~ry government-theY. never had any natu. rat or political connection p re v~ou ~ I y : but a!> ltey ~arne. 'vithin the JUrisdiction of the U nited S es b~ the cessio!) or relinquishment of Spain, or r.ue popu_~tM by an une xpc:;~ted migration, were I Ii tts tt:ffij){lrarily d\ !; po ~ ed of, witho.ut reference to m..ru. rat ho.tii'ldaries or cpnnections-tht'refore no'anci,ent -· ~imi~_i 'can be pre~cribed for, as having fitly encom-- passed them. · From the unconnected-sitltation ofthese districts they 'muSt be ·expected7 ever to remain, in ·some measurt·, separate CQmmuni t i ~s , wirh separate and distinct i"n tcrests, never to be brought: in unison. What will be their·bafe(l!l effects when brought 'ogether under a statt: government ?. '{qe asst:ss- . ment of a rt-venue will 'be made with jeatous partia­ l it~ '· collected with waste; and appropriated, not ·· for ~ h~ ag~randisement of the sta,te, b.ut for pur. post s, Which will contipue and p t: rpetuat~ disst'n. tions. E ach sectinn, as its majority m~ _v· happ~n, will take to its<;'lf ('very thing in turn. '•Has it oc,. curred to l\n} one w~ere th~ seat of government will be, where the sessi.ons of a supl'('me- o~ appt'l. late court" will ~ held, and \\'ht-re the siteS of a. coilege and public schoo l s~- Tht y, most probably, would be migratory, fi xed by one; ~ajo rit y at vast exp~nce, and removed by another at eqQal.expence. If it were endeavored, for sake of'theor)r; ' to ascer ~" tain the mt'>~t cemral situation, it would .J>rob bly' be found in the Chactaw nati'on. · A t present the seat of government iS' near the Mb:~issippi. But under a Stitte government, em. _.. :;::::ao ( 6 ) \;racing the present ten·itorial limits, ran the inha. \:l t,nts of the countits on the Mississippi fl a t te~ tht- msdves tha~ it "·ould be continued among them for a single ); e~ ?_ ')'he increasing numbers of the other sections· pf country would furnish a majority to remove it to Tombigbe~ , Mobile or to a . more tli!>tant plf1ce: · T tle- supreme or appellate c-ourt, \lndcr the; s~atc gQV e ~ nment, would, of course. fot. low it : '!nd ~h~ sarne majority coul.d not be ex. pec(ed' to lea ...· e Jdit.·rson college, or am· otht<r pub. ltc institution of learning. The revenue, derived fronlThe industrY. anq wealth of the inhabitants in the counties near. th~ MississipJ)i, would he t>X· pended in a section. pf country, with which they would have ouly a forced connection throu gh the mal-confirmation of their government. The great in conv enienc~ , it~ ~av ing al\ the legtslative ann ex­ ecutive ope~at~o11s of the ~overnm~n t carried on at ~o great a dt stan~e , wou\c\ l;>c most !)everely felt.­ B ut could it be endured, that all the important causes, involving life. liberty and property . !:!hould b~ determined in the last resort at either of those distant places, or in Madison county ? Would not an imrnediate depression in the value of lands i11 the Mississippi portion of r,ou nt r~r take place? In fact, wo~ld nGt th_is section of country, whilst it em\ured a severe taxation, lose nearly all the ad­ vantages ·and bles-.ings of self-government ?-­ Might it not, with as much convenienc<:>, be ap­ pendt'd to t he..stet~J.. ef Cee:g":a, e: ~ ci\\l(t of --. ·c arolinas? But if it were even believed hv the •t .c._ • people on the Mississippi, that the seat of g~;vern. w ent and sites of public institutious might be re. ... ... •. ·--- ( 7 ) . tained among them,~he i!lhabitan~ of the _other districts would expe ence the same mconvemence and oppression, whi h thost on the :vt.isSil>lSippi would avoid : aod, in either event, the most ran­ cOr-ous jealousi<;s. and animosities ''-:buld ~nsu c: .-­ The local pft'juctices ofdetacned communities, un. fitly brought together'} ar~ strong'and unconquera­ bie. W e think we might, with confide!)ce, appeal. to our moo;t intdligeht cit i t_en~ froAl evety part .of tlit Territory_, who have' been stlede4 a~ ~i.s la tor's; ifthey hayt ~ ob.fl,erved the ~ti'on bf·the'Se pre.­ judices in oux territori~J assembli1s ? W e bdieye they woul~ .reply, ~hat they had, w_ith re,gr~t •. m"rl\-' ed th~ progre... s u1. those ! ~cal prtJUd•g:s 'aJld Jea­ l ousit~, which.~d cr<iPtri~d much to 'tJ\e hi n~ drance of pu.blit; bu!>·hress· and tp t~e annoyance of' gener_:al rileasur~s ; ~u.a . \\ hich. had introduce~ a &) stem ofbartc:n ng one loc:ll measure, unconnected 'fllb the gener.tl im~re~ts, tor another of similar im- • port. ft is irot intended,~y these observinions, to cast ~·esl' a shade, of rdle:-ctipn · on former legisl.a-• fines. The error is not attributed to theirmotives,­ blrt to, the sy~tem of limits, \Vhich brought toge: · ther the heterogenious intei't-sts: T o what othc:f. cause can be attributed the unprosperous course pf dur territorial government f Systems have. beeri atlopted and abandoned, laws i-nacted, amended 8r'd rt:txaled, with a profusion, that wouTI! ~m to ~sti mate tht·m of little value- local laws and !:!lf<i•_ aures rscha~d by one db"trict for simila.! ~ ­ dic:nts for another, with the rapidity of a dnvi11g t rad.c:. Mul'h revenue ha" bt-en collected-taxes havt been high, and the people have paid tht:m: r !! ( • 8 - ) t .