ACT of April 18th, 1818. Pamphlet edit. 98. An act to enable the people of the Illinois Territory to form a Constitution and state government, &c. 1. SEC. 1. The inhabitants of the territory of Illinois, are hereby authorized to form for themselves a constitution and state government, and to assume such name as they shall deem proper; and the said state, when formed, shall be admitted into the Union, upon the same footing with the original states, in all respects whatever. [See Judiciary, 128.] 2. SEC. II. The said state shall consist of all the territory included within the following boundaries, to wit: Beginning at the mouth of the Wabash river, thence up the same, and with the line of Indiana, to the north west corner of said state; thence east, with the line of the same state, to the middle of Lake Michigan; thence north, along the middle of said lake, to north latitude forty-two degrees thirty minutes; thence west, to the middle of the Mississippi river, and thence, down along the middle of that river, to its confluence with the Ohio river, and thence, up the latter river, along its north western shore, to the beginning: Provided, That the convention hereinafter provided for, when formed, shall ratify the boundaries aforesaid: otherwise they shall be, and remain, as now prescribed, by the ordinance for the government of the territory northwest of the river Ohio: Provided also, That the said state shall have concurrent jurisdiction with the state of Indiana, on the Wabash river, so far as said river shall form a common boundary to both; and also concurrent jurisdiction on the Mississippi river, with any state or states, to be formed west thereof, so far as said river shall form a common boundary to both. SEC. III. [Representatives in the Convention, apportioned among the counties.] 3. SEC. IV. The members of the convention, thus duly elected, are hereby authorized to meet at the seat of government of the said territory, on the first Monday of the month of August next, which convention, when met, shall first determine, by a majority of the whole number elected, whether it be, or be not expedient at that time to form a constitution and state government for the people within the said territory, and, if it be expedient, the convention shall be and is hereby authorized to form a constitution and state government; or, if it be deemed more expedient, the said convention shall provide by ordinance for electing representatives to form a constitution or frame of government; which said (ACT of April 18th, 1818.) representatives shall be chosen in such manner and in such proportion, and shall meet at such time and place as shall be prescribed by the said ordinance, and shall then form for the people of said territory a constitution and state government: Provided, That the same, whenever formed, shall be republican, and not repugnant to the ordinance of the thirteenth July, seventeen hundred and eighty-seven, between the original states and the people and states of the territory northwest of the river Ohio; excepting so much of said articles as relate to the boundaries of the states therein to be formed: And provided also, That it shall appear, from the enumeration directed to be made by the legislature of the said territory, that there are within the proposed state not less than forty thousand inhabitants. 4. SEC. v. Until the next general census shall be taken, the said state shall be entitled to one representative in the House of Representatives of the United States. 5. SFC. VI. The following propositions are hereby offered to the convention of the said territory of Illinois, when formed, for their free acceptance or rejection, which, if accepted by the convention, shall be obligatory upon the United States and the said state. First. That section numbered sixteen in every township, and, when such section has been sold or otherwise disposed of, other lands equivalent thereto, and as contiguous as may be, shall be granted to the state for the use of the inhabitants of such township, for the use of schools. Second. That all salt springs within such state, and the land reserved for the use of the same, shall be granted to the said state, for the use of the said state, and the same to be used under such terms and conditions, and regulations, as the legislature of the said state shall direct: Provided, The legislature shall never sell, nor lease the same, for a longer period than ten years, at any one time. Third. That five per cent. of the nett proceeds of the lands lying within such state, and which shall be sold by Congress, from and after the first day of January, one thousand eight hundred and nineteen, after deducting all expenses incident to the same, shall be reserved for the purposes following, viz. two-fifths to be disbursed, under the direction of Congress, in making roads leading to the state; the residue to be appropriated by the legislature of the state, for the encouragement of learning, of which one-sixth part shall be exclusively bestowed on a college or university. Fourth. That thirty-six sections, or one entire township, which shall be designated by the president of the United States, together with the one heretofore reserved for that purpose, shall be reserved for the use of a seminary of learning, and vested in the legislature of the said state, to be appropriated solely to the use of such seminary by the said legislature: Provided always, That the four foregoing propositions, herein offered, are on the conditions RESOLUTION of December 3d, 1818.) that the convention of the said state shall provide by an ordinance, irrevocable without the consent of the United States, that every and each tract of land sold by the United States, from and after the first day of January, one thousand eight hundred and nine. teen, shall remain exempt from any tax laid by order, or under any authority of the state, whether for state, county, or township, or any other purpose whatever, for the term of five years from and after the day of sale: And further, That the bounty lands granted, or hereafter to be granted, for military services during the late war, shall, while they continue to be held by the patentees or their heirs, remain exempt as aforesaid from all taxes, for the term of three years from and after the date of the patents respectively; and that all the lands belonging to the citizens of the United States, residing without the said state, shall never be taxed higher than lands belonging to persons residing therein. 6. SEC. VII. All that part of the territory of the United States lying north of the state of Indiana, and which was included in the former Indiana territory, together with that part of the Illinois territory which is situated north of, and not included within the boundaries prescribed by this act, to the state thereby authorized to be formed, shall be, and hereby is, attached to, and made part of the Michigan territory, from and after the formation of the said state, subject, nevertheless, to be hereafter disposed of by Congress, according to the right reserved in the fifth article of the ordinance aforesaid, and the inhabitants therein shall be entitled to the same privileges and immunities, and subject to the same rules and regulations, in all respects, with the other citizens of the Michigan territory. RESOLUTION of December 3d, 1818. Pamphlet edit. 109. Declaring the admission of the state of Illinois into the Union. 7. Whereas, in pursuance of an act of congress, passed on the eighteenth day of April, one thousand eight hundred and eighteen, entitled " An act to enable the people of the Illinois territory to form a constitution and state government, and for the admission of such state into the Union, on an equal footing with the original states," the people of said territory did, on the twenty-sixth day of August, in the present year, by a convention cal. led for that purpose, form for themselves a constitution and state government, which constitution and state government, so formed, is republican, and in conformity to the principles of the articles of compact between the original states and the people and states in the territory northwest of the river Ohio, passed on the thirteenth day of July, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-seven: Resolved, by the senate and house of representatives of the United States of America in congress assembled, That the state of Illinois shall be one, and is hereby declared to be one, of the United States (ACT of April 19th, 1816.) of America, and admitted into the Union on an equal footing with the original states, in all respects whatever. ACT of March 3d, 1819. Pamphlet edit. 92. 8. There shall be granted to the state of Illinois, four sections of land, or contiguous quarter sections and fractions, not exceeding the quantity contained in four entire sections, for the purpose of fixing thereon the seat of government of the said state; which lands shall be selected in the manner provided by the thirtieth section of the schedule, to the constitution of the said state: Provided, That such selection shall be made, before the public sale of the adjoining public lands shall have taken place. INDIANA.. Authorized to form a state government, 1, 3 | Propositions relative to lands, 4 5,7 ACT of April 19th, 1816. Pamphlet edit. 59. An act to enable the people of the Indiana territory to form a constitution and state government, &c. 6 1. SEC. I. The inhabitants of the territory of Indiana, are hereby authorized to form for themselves a constitution and state government, and to assume such name as they shall deem proper; and the said state, when formed, shall be admitted into the Union upon the same footing with the original states, in all respects whatever. [See Judiciary, 118.] 2. SEC. II. The said state shall consist of all the territory included within the following boundaries, to wit: bounded on the east, by the meridian line which forms the western boundary of the state of Ohio; on the south by the river Ohio, from the mouth of the Great Miami river, to the mouth of the river Wabash; on the west, by a line drawn along the middle of the Wabash from its mouth, to a point, where a due north line drawn from the town of Vincennes, would last touch the north western shore of the said river; and from thence by a due north line, until the same shall intersect an east and west line, drawn through a point ten miles north of the southern extreme of lake Michigan; on the north, by the said east and west line, until the same shall intersect the first mentioned meridian line which forms the western boundary of the state of Ohio: Provided, That the convention hereinafter provided (ACT of April 19th, 1816.) for, when formed, shall ratify the boundaries aforesaid; otherwise they shall be and remain as now prescribed by the ordinance for the government of the territory northwest of the river Ohio: Provided also, That the said state shall have concurrent jurisdiction on the river Wabash, with the state to be formed west thereof, so far as the said river shall form a common boundary to both. SEC. III. [Representatives to form a Convention apportioned among the counties.] 3. SEC. IV. The members of the convention, thus duly elected, are hereby authorized to meet at the seat of the government of the said territory, on the second Monday of June next, which convention, when met, shall first determine, by a majority of the whole number elected, whether it be, or be not expedient, at that time, to form a constitution and state government, for the people within the said territory, and if it be determined to be expedient, the convention shall be, and hereby are authorized, to form a constitution and state government: or if it be deemed more expedient the said convention shall provide by ordinance for electing representatives to form a constitution, or frame of government; which said representatives shall be chosen in such manner, and in such proportion, and shall meet at such time and place, as shall be prescribed by the said ordinance, and shall then form, for the people of said territory, a constitution and state government: Provided, That the same, whenever formed, shall be republican, and not repugnant to those articles of the ordinance of the thirteenth of July, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-seven, which are declared to be irrevocable between the original states, and the people and states of the territory northwest of the river Ohio; excepting so much of said articles as relate to the boundaries of the states therein to be formed. 4. SEC. v. Until the next general census shall be taken, the said state shall be entitled to one representative in the house of representatives of the United States. 5. SEC. VI. The following propositions, are hereby offered to the convention of the said territory of Indiana, when formed, for their free acceptance or rejection, which, if accepted by the convention, shall be obligatory upon the United States. First. That the section numbered sixteen, in every township, and when such section has been sold, granted or disposed of, other lands, equivalent thereto, and most contiguous to the same, shall be granted to the inhabitants of such township for the use of schools. Second. That all salt springs within the said territory, and the land reserved for the use of the same, together with such other lands as may, by the president of the United States, be deemed necessary and proper for working the said salt springs, not exceeding, in the whole, the quantity contained in thirty-six entire sections shall be granted to the said state, for the use of the peo Y y |