isa-normaladvance-1913-00245

Description:	THE NORMAL ADVANCE245granted for an academy and that a townshipbe given for a college. All of these schoollands were granted the state, on the conditionthat purchasers of public lands should be freefrom taxation on the land purchased for fiveyears after the purchase. Saline lands (landsabout salt wells), not to exceed thirty-six sections, Avere granted the state, and four sectionsAvere granted the state for a site for a capital.30The state boundary was extended ten milesfarther north.settlers rights.One of the reason given for asking as muchas 7% of the proceeds of the ianas was thatthe settlers had endured many dangers andhardships to found settlements in this Avilder-ness, as a consequence of which the governmentlands were enhanced in value. It was thoughtthat this fact would justify the settlers in asking for a large per cent, of the sales. Thesesettlers had political theories almost as acuteas those of the French philosophers, althoughthey were never displayed unless the pioneersthought their rights were being interfered Avith.At the latter part of 1815, some of the settlersand squatters thought the general governmentAvas interfering with their rights. For aboutseA^en years the boundary of the Indian countryin Indiana had been stationary, but the frontier line of settlement had moved onward, andmany squatters could be found on Indian soil,where they had no legal right to be. So, onDecember 15, 1815, the United States executive,through the proper official, issued a proclamation ordering all such squatters to remove fromsuch locations, and he gave the military officersorders to remove them. A storm of protests ensued, but it seems that perhaps a majority ofthe squatters did not take the proclamationseriously. However, one editorial writer underthe name of Farmers and Patriots Rights,vigorously asserted the rights of the squatters,and manifested the high patriotism (?) shownby them as they kept in a Ave for the last threeyears, a savage foe, whose tomahawks andscalping knives Avould otherwise have glitteredin our houses. * * * Are they, he said,Avhen danger has ceased to threaten, to becalled uninformed or evil disposed and orderedoff the land their presence alone has heretoforesecured? This writer maintained that thepre-emption laws passed at various times bycongress Avere as surely violations of the lawfor preventing squatters from settling on Indian lands as settling there was a A7iolation. Heargued further that the president had transcended his poAver in applying the law, inasmuch as the laAv required thirty days notice before the settlers could be removed. He continued : Can it be contended that Avhen congress and the United States executive set an actat defiance, that the people should not? Hisfinal argument Avas that such a policy of re-moATal Avould injure theterritory by Aveakeningthe frontier, by taking aAvay those daring menAvho had been keeping back the Indians.81I^orce is given these arguments Avhen it is remembered that because of the recent hostilities,many of the settlers could not pay the final orfourth annual installment on their farms whichthey had purchased from the government.Upon this failure to make the final payment,the settlers were obliged to forfeit their farmsback to the gOArernment, thus losing Avhat theyhad already paid doAvn. Such losses duringthe hostilities Avere comparatively great, running up to several thousand dollars. In 1813more than half as much land reverted to thegovernment as Avas bought. The same personswho were obliged to lose money because of thehostilities Avere the men avIio had been engagedin protecting the frontier—Avhich protectionenabled the government to sell the lands at better adArantage. These losses helped to unifythe settlers in their expression of Avhat theycalled their rights.rush to the avabash, 1816.By the summer of 1816 the lands along theWabash (as far north as Clinton), and inlandfor many miles east of the Wabash, Avere sur-Western Sun, Jan. 27, 1816.^Western Sun, Jan. 27 Feb. 23, 1816.
Source:	http://indstate.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/isuarchive/id/34690
Collection:	Indiana State University Archives

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