Democratic Sentinel, Volume 13, Number 15, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 May 1889 — THE NATION’S GROWTH. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

THE NATION’S GROWTH.

FORTY-TWO STATES NOW COMPRISE THE UNION’S GALAXY. • How Star After Star Ha* Boon Added to the Flag;—Historical Facts Not Generally Known—The Union as It Was and Now Is —lnteresting Data.

TATES of the Union, on March 4,1789. when government under ’the Constitution began, numbered only eleven. North Clsro’lina formally came in on November 21, of that year, and Rhode llsland.then the only one awaited (of the original thirteen, ratified the Constitution on the 29th of May, 1790. Hod the tardy little State delayed much longer she might have been outstripped by a newcomer, for, under the act of March 6, 1790, Vermont had been formed out of a part of the territory of New York, and on February 18,1791, an act of ConSeas admitted her for the 4th of arch following. It may not be generally known that, although Vermont was thus the first new State added to the original thirteen, the act admitting Kentucky was really passed and approved a fortnight earlier than the one admitting Vermont.

Kentucky’s application had been two months earlier than the Green Mountain State’s, but the act admitting her was framed so as to take effect only on June 1, 1792, so that she came in second. Fifteen States joined in the election of l President Washington for his second term. As New York had set off Vermont, amd Virginia had set off Kentucky, so in December, 1789, North Carolina had Bet off Tennessee, and early the following year this Territory was fori uiallv convoyed to tho General Government, 1 and Dy It accepted. Six yoars later its people, I in convention, adopted a* constitution and ap- ! iflied for admission into the Union, which apJ'lication was promptly granted, to date from r une 1, 1796. Long before that time the Northwest Territory had lieen established under the famous ordinance of July 18, 1787. During the remaining years of the century this tract waa slowly settled, and an act was approved April 80, lStia, allowing the eastern portion of it to become a State on forming a constitution. This was effected on November 1 following, and full oomplianoe with the law on November 29, 1802, so that Ohio then became the seventeenth Stale. Nine years and more passed before the admission of another State. Louisiana had been formed out of the territory ceded by Franoe under the treaty of April 80, 1808. The following year this French territory had been divided by • Congress into two port's, tho southern being called the Territory of Orleans and the northern the District of Louisiana. Tho people of the former, early In 1812, formed a government under an enabling act passed hv Congress eleven months previous, and the act for their admission as the State of Louisiana was approved April 8, 1812. Louisiana was followed by Indiana December 11,181(1; by Mississippi Deoemfier 10, 1817; by Illinois December 3. 1818, and by Alabama December 14, 1819, making four new States In four successive Decembers. Indiana and Illinois, of course, had been formed from tlib Northwest Territory: the other two from territory ceded t» the United States by South Carolina and Georgia. Maine also quickly followed, March 15,1820, being formed out of a part of Massachusetts; while Missouri, which waa formerly the District of Louisiana, and had received its new name in 18X2, wcyi admitted August 10,1821. Hers was one of tho most memorable of all admissions, for the act authorizing it wail klso ontjtlcd an act “to Prohibit slatforw in certain Territories, passed Marcin 0. 1830. The memorable debates on that subject resulted in the appointment of a joint committee of Senate and House, which ropmtod a “resolution providing fox tho admission of the State of Missouri into the Union on a certain condition,’’ which condition was formally accepted. The nino years from 1812 to 1821 had thus been fruitful to tne extension of the Federal system, having resulted in the admission of seven new states covering a large area. THls activity in State-making waß followed by a lull lasting fifteen years, during which no State was added. But when tne flrßt naif century of;the Government under the Union drew to a close the event was prqface<|by the Qreation of two new States —Arkansas, formed outof the French Territory, admitted June 15, 1886 formed from the Northwest Territory, admitted January!®, 1887. Thus tho fifty years closed with twentysix States in the Union. Another long Interval followed before a new PfWiod of, State-forming activity. Spain had ceded FloHda to the United Slates under the treaty of February 22, 1819, and twenty years afterward, in 1839, its people sought admission as a State. But a contest arose over thp proposal to divide the territory for the purpose of ultimate admission into tne Union of East and West Florida. The wariness which had for many years existed regarding the admission ofa great preponderance of either Northern or Southern States prolonged this dispute, and meanwhile the great Northwest had begun to grow rapidly. The consequence was a double admission, the first in the history of the country—though now outdojip by the recent quadruple admission—the Territorial profiting by it being lowa and Florida. There was something very significant in the extreme southeast and the extreme northwest of the then populated regions being brought in together as if to offset each other. It happened, however, that the admission of lowa was not consummated till 1846, and meanwhile Texas came in ahead of her. The act of March 8, 1845, followed the usual formula except for Including two States instead of one: “That the States of lowa and Florida be, and the same are hereby declared to be, Stateß Of the United States of America, and are hereby admitted into the Union on an equal footing with the original States in all respects whatever." The entrance of Texas, which occurred near the end of 1845, was exceptional as the first admission of an independent republic, and also, of course, in its being followed by war with Mexico. In 1848 Wisconsin came in, and California followed in 1850. Another interval of eight years then occurred without the admission of a State, succeeded by a period of nine years during which no fewer than ih States were admitted. These were Minnesota, in 1858; Oregon, in 1859; Kansas, in 1861; West Virginia, in 1868: Nevada, in 1864; Nebraska, in 1867. Then, after another nine years, came Colorado, in 1876. Finally, after an interval of thirteen years, we gee tho first oentury of the Union rounded out by four new States, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington and Montana.

OUR CENTENNIAL, A Notable Event in the History of American liberty. The centennial celebration on April 30 marks the most interesting and most Important event in the history of American liberty, The declaration and the war of the revolution which established it was the beginning of a new epoch in the history of nations, but all the labors and sacrifices of that time would have been la'vain had not a government been devised which har. monized to a great extent the conflicting ideas of State and national authority. After experiencing all the inconveniences of an Inadequate and powerless central authority, and staggering along under the confederacy for eleven years, the States finally adopted the present Constitution, though not without extreme reluctance. The framers concluded their labors in Philadelphia September 17,1787, and provided that the ratification of the conventions of nine States for the establishment of the Constitution should be sufficient as between the States so ratifying, so little faith had they that all the thirteen would accept the instrument. It was not until midsummer of the following yearthattbe consent of the requisite nine States was obtained, with the ratification by New Hampshire. Then followed Virginia and New York, making eleven States, and the Continental Congress appointed the first Wednesday of January, 1789, for the States to choose electors; the first Wednesday in February for those electors to choose a President and Vice-President, and the first Wednesday in March for the new Government to go into operation at the city of New York. The last-named day fell on the 4th of Miwi., That day has Jong been familiar to every American, and it is a puzzle to many minds now why thq 30th of April should be the anniversary oi the celebration aad not the 4th of March. If the latter day hod been fixed for this centennial observance all would have Understood it. and yet it Wquld not have been the proper day.