the fathers of the constitution-第10节

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ally　acceptable。　It　is　interesting　to　find　in　the　Articles　of　Confederation　（Article　XI）　that；　〃Canada　acceding　to　this　confederation；　and　joining　in　the　measures　of　the　United　States；　shall　be　admitted　into；　and　entitled　to　all　the　advantages　of　this　Union：　but　no　other　colony　shall　be　admitted　into　the　same　unless　such　admission　be　agreed　to　by　nine　States。〃　The　real　importance　of　this　article　lay　in　the　suggestion　of　an　enlargement　of　the　Confederation。　The　Confederation　was　never　intended　to　be　a　union　of　only　thirteen　States。　Before　the　cession　of　their　western　claims　it　seemed　to　be　inevitable　that　some　of　the　States　should　be　broken　up　into　several　units。　At　the　very　time　that　the　formation　of　the　Confederation　was　under　discussion　Vermont　issued　a　declaration　of　independence　from　New　York　and　New　Hampshire；　with　the　expectation　of　being　admitted　into　the　Union。　It　was　impolitic　to　recognize　the　appeal　at　that　time；　but　it　seems　to　have　been　generally　understood　that　sooner　or　later　Vermont　would　come　in　as　a　full…fledged　State。　It　might　have　been　a　revolutionary　suggestion　by　Maryland；　when　the　cession　of　western　lands　was　under　discussion；　that　Congress　should　have　sole　power　to　fix　the　western　boundaries　of　the　States；　but　her　further　proposal　was　not　even　regarded　as　radical；　that　Congress　should　〃lay　out　the　land　beyond　the　boundaries　so　ascertained　into　separate　and　independent　states。〃　It　seems　to　have　been　taken　as　a　matter　of　course　in　the　procedure　of　Congress　and　was　accepted　by　the　States。　But　the　idea　was　one　thing；　its　carrying　out　was　quite　another。　Here　was　a　great　extent　of　western　territory　which　would　be　valuable　only　as　it　could　be　sold　to　prospective　settlers。　One　of　the　first　things　these　settlers　would　demand　was　protectionprotection　against　the　Indians；　possibly　also　against　the　British　and　the　Spanish；　and　protection　in　their　ordinary　civil　life。　The　former　was　a　detail　of　military　organization　and　was　in　due　time　provided　by　the　establishment　of　military　forts　and　garrisons；　the　latter　was　the　problem　which　Jefferson's　committee　was　attempting　to　solve。　The　Ordinance　of　1784　disregarded　the　natural　physical　features　of　the　western　country　and；　by　degrees　of　latitude　and　meridians　of　longitude；　arbitrarily　divided　the　public　domain　into　rectangular　districts；　to　the　first　of　which　the　following　names　were　applied：　Sylvania；　Michigania；　Cherronesus；　Assenisipia；　Metropotamia；　Illinoia；　Saratoga；　Washington；　Polypotamia；　Pelisipia。　The　amusement　which　this　absurd　and　thoroughly　Jeffersonian　nomenclature　is　bound　to　cause　ought　not　to　detract　from　the　really　important　features　of　the　Ordinance。　In　each　of　the　districts　into　which　the　country　was　divided　the　settlers　might　be　authorized　by　Congress；　for　the　purpose　of　establishing　a　temporary　government；　to　adopt　the　constitution　and　laws　of　any　one　of　the　original　States。　When　any　such　area　should　have　twenty　thousand　free　inhabitants　it　might　receive　authority　from　Congress　to　establish　a　permanent　constitution　and　government　and　should　be　entitled　to　a　representative　in　Congress　with　the　right　of　debating　but　not　of　voting。　And　finally；　when　the　inhabitants　of　any　one　of　these　districts　should　equal　in　number　those　of　the　least　populous　of　the　thirteen　original　States；　their　delegates　should　be　admitted　into　Congress　on　an　equal　footing。　Jefferson's　ordinance；　though　adopted；　was　never　put　into　operation。　Various　explanations　have　been　offered　for　this　failure　to　give　it　a　fair　trial。　It　has　been　said　that　Jefferson　himself　was　to　blame。　In　the　original　draft　of　his　ordinance　Jefferson　had　provided　for　the　abolition　of　slavery　in　the　new　States　after　the　year　1800；　and　when　Congress　refused　to　accept　this　clause　Jefferson；　in　a　manner　quite　characteristic；　seemed　to　lose　all　interest　in　the　plan。　There　were；　however；　other　objections；　for　there　were　those　who　felt　that　it　was　somewhat　indefinite　to　promise　admission　into　the　Confederation　of　certain　sections　of　the　country　as　soon　as　their　population　should　equal　in　number　that　of　the　least　populous　of　the　original　States。　If　the　original　States　should　increase　in　population　to　any　extent；　the　new　States　might　never　be　admitted。　But　on　the　other　hand；　if　from　any　cause　the　population　of　one　of　the　smaller　States　should　suddenly　decrease；　might　not　the　resulting　influx　of　new　States　prove　dangerous？　But　the　real　reason　why　the　ordinance　remained　a　dead　letter　was　that；　while　it　fixed　the　limits　within　which　local　governments　might　act；　it　left　the　creation　of　those　governments　wholly　to　the　future。　At　Vincennes；　for　example；　the　ordinance　made　no　change　in　the　political　habits　of　the　people。　〃The　local　government　bowled　along　merrily　under　this　system。　There　was　the　greatest　abundance　of　government；　for　the　more　the　United　States　neglected　them　the　more　authority　their　officials　assumed。〃*　Nor　could　the　ordinance　operate　until　settlers　became　numerous。　It　was　partly；　indeed；　to　hasten　settlement　that　the　Ordinance　of　1785　for　the　survey　and　sale　of　the　public　lands　was　passed。**　*　Jacob　Piat　Dunn；　Jr。；　〃Indiana：　A　Redemption　from　Slavery；〃　1888。　**　Although　the　machinery　was　set　in　motion；　by　the　appointment　of　men　and　the　beginning　of　work；　it　was　not　until　1789　that　the　survey　of　the　first　seven　ranges　of　townships　was　completed　and　the　land　offered　for　sale。

In　the　meantime　efforts　were　being　made　by　Congress　to　improve　the　unsatisfactory　ordinance　for　the　government　of　the　West。　Committees　were　appointed；　reports　were　made；　and　at　intervals　of　weeks　or　months　the　subject　was　considered。　Some　amendments　were　actually　adopted；　but　Congress；　notoriously　inefficient；　hesitated　to　undertake　a　fundamental　revision　of　the　ordinance。　Then；　suddenly；　in　July；　1787；　after　a　brief　period　of　adjournment；　Congress　took　up　this　subject　and　within　a　week　adopted　the　now　famous　Ordinance　of　1787。　The　stimulus　which　aroused　Congress　to　activity　seems　to　have　come　from　the　Ohio　Company。　From　the　very　beginning　of　the　public　domain　there　was　a　strong　sentiment　in　favor　of　using　western　land　for　settlement　by　Revolutionary　soldiers。　Some　of　these　lands　had　been　offered　as　bounties　to　encourage　enlistment；　and　after　the　war　the　project　of　soldiers'　settlement　in　the　West　was　vigorously　agitated。　The　Ohio　Company　of　Associates　was　made　up　of　veterans　of　the　Revolution；　who　were　looking　for　homes　in　the　West；　and　of　other　persons　who　were　willing　to　support　a　worthy　cause　by　a　subscription　which　might　turn　out　to　be　a　good　investment。　The　company　wished　to　buy　land　in　the　West；　and　Congress　had　land　which　it　wished　to　sell。　Under　such　circumstances　it　was　easy　to　strike　a　bargain。　The　land；　as　we　have　seen；　was　roughly　estimated　at　one　dollar　an　acre；　but；　as　the　company　wished　to　purchase　a　million　acres；　it　demanded　and　obtained　wholesale　rates　of　two…thirds　of　the　usual　price。　It　also　obtained　the　privilege　of　paying　at　least　a　portion　in　certificates　of　Revolutionary　indebtedness；　some　of　which　were　worth　about　twelve　and　a　half　cents　on　the　dollar。　Only　a　little　calculation　is　required　to　show　that　a　large　quantity　of　land　was　therefore　sold　at　about　eight　or　nine　cents　an　acre。　It　was　in　connection　with　this　land　sale　that　the　Ordinance　of　1787　was　adopted。　The　promoter　of　this　enterprise　undertaken　by　the　Ohio　Company　was　Manasseh　Cutler　of　Ipswich；　Massachusetts；　a　clergyman　by　profession　who　had　served　as　a　chaplain　in　the　Revolutionary　War。　But　his　interests　and　activities　extended　far　beyond　the　bounds　of　his　profession。　When　the　people　of　his　parish　were　without　proper　medical　advice　he　applied　himself　to　the　study　and　practice　of　medicine。　At　about　the　same　time　he　took　up　the　study　of　botany；　and　because　of　his　describing　several　hundred　species　of　plants　he　is　regarded　as　the　pioneer　botanist　of　New　England。　His　next　interest　seems　to　have　grown　out　of　his　Revolutionary　associations；　for　it　centered　in　this　project　for　settlement　of　the　West；　and　he　was　appointed　the　agent　of　the　Ohio　Company。　It　was　in　this　capacity　that　he　had　come　to　New　York　and　made　the　bargain　with　Congress　which　has　just　been　described。　Cutler　must　have　been　a　good　lobbyist；　for　Congress　was　not　an　efficient　body；　and　unremitting　labor；　as　well　as　diplomacy；　was　required　for　so　large　and　important　a　matter。　Two　things　indicate　his　method　of　procedure。　In　the　first　place　he　found　it　politic　to　drop　his　own　candidate　for　the　governorship　of　the　new　territory　and　to　endorse　General　Arthur　St。　Clair；　then　President　of　Congress。　And　in　the　next　place　he　accepted　the　suggestion　of　Colonel　William　Duer　for　the　formation　of　another　company；　known　as　the　Scioto　Associates；　to　purchase　five　million　acres　of　land　on　similar　terms；　〃but　that　it　should　be　kept　a　profound　secret。〃　It　was　not　an　accident　that　Colonel　Duer　was　Secretary　of　the　Board　of　the　Treasury　through　whom　these　purchases　were　made；　nor　that　associated　with　him　in　this　speculation　were　〃a　number　of　the　principal　characters　in　the　city。〃　These　land　deals　were　completed　afterwards；　but　there　is　little　doubt　that　there　was　a　direct　connection　between　them　and　the　adoption　of　the　ordinance　of　government。　The　Ordinance　of　1787　was　so　successful　in　its　working　and　its　renown　became　so　g