Time: Tue Oct 29 15:50:58 1996
To: libertylaw@www.ultimate.org
From: Paul Andrew Mitchell [address in tool bar]
Subject: Northwest Ordinance
Cc: 
Bcc: dean, Nancy Lord

<snip>
>>"Whatever the limitation upon her powers as a government whilst
>>in a territorial condition, whether from the ordinance of 1787 or
>>the legislation of Congress, it ceased to have any operative
>>force, except as voluntarily adopted by her, after she became a
>>State of Union. On her admission, she at once became entitled to
>>and possessed of all the rights of dominion and sovereignty which
>>belonged to the original States. She was admitted, and could be
>>admitted, only.....'on an equal footing with the original States
>>in all respects whatever."]
>
>
>Great info for reading.  Thanks for all of the work.
>
>Would you agree that the only available conclusion is all States in the
>Union [several States] shall be " one of the United States, with equal
>footing to the original States in all respects whatsoever"
>
>Would you agree that the authority for this is the Northwest Ordinance of
>1787?  This is referred to in the Alaskas Statutes books as the authority,
>but it was not followed.

The Northwest Ordinance is an
excellent source of pertinent
historical evidence for the
true construction of the phrase
"Citizen of the United States"
in the organic ["organizing"]
Constitution.  In it, the 
qualifications for serving in
the territorial assembly was that
one must be a "Citizen of one of
the United States," which tells
you clearly what is intended.

Here we see the phrase "one of".

The Northwest Ordinance was
drafted right about the same
time as the Constitution for
the United States of America, 
if I am not mistaken.  See 
Chapter 11 in The Federal Zone
for the pertinent clause, and
some commentary on the Ordinance.

/s/ Paul Mitchell


      

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