the slave States, but that part of the State lying west of the Alleghany mountains, consisting of 48 counties, refused to go with the Eastern part, seceded from it, and set up a separate State government, which was then recognized by Congress, and admitted into the Union. Thus West Virginia became a new State, made out of an old one. When admitted it made the 35th State. It has an area of 23,000 square miles, equal to 14,720,000 acres. The population in 1860 was 349,628, which gives her 3 members of Congress. West Virginia was subsequently put into the Fourth Judicial Circuit, and constitutes one Judicial District. Parkersburg also was made a port of delivery. Wheeling is the capital. The State election is held on the fourth Thursday in October. The Legislature meets on the third Tuesday in January. UNITED STATES SENATORS. Peter G. Van Winkle, from 1863 to 1869 Waitman T. Willey, 66 66 Wisconsin was admitted as a State into the Union on the 29th of May, 1848, and made the thirtieth State. It has an area of 53,924 square miles, equal to 34,511,360 acres. The population in 1860 amounted to 775,881, which gave her 6 members of Congress. Wisconsin lies in the seventh Judicial Circuit, which is composed of Wisconsin, Indiana and Illinois,-and forms one Judicial District. It has one Collection District, one port of entry, viz., Milwaukee, and five ports of delivery, viz., Southport, Racine, Sheboygan, Green Bay and Depere. 11 The Legislature The capital of this State is Madison. meets on the second Wednesday in January. election is on the first Tuesday in November. The State The enacting clause of her laws is as follows: "The people of Wisconsin represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows." CHAPTER XCI. Territories. UNTIL a very recent date there has always been-west of the States-a vast uninhabited stretch of country, extending to the Pacific Ocean; which, however, was constantly becoming less as the people pushed out from the inhabited portions into these almost boundless and unoccupied regions. This process has gone on ever since order was established at the close of the Revolutionary War. But it was the discovery of rich mines of gold and silver in this Western wilderness that gave emigration thither an unprecedented impulse. Within the past twenty years, heretofore unexplored, uninhabited, and almost unknown regions have become peopled. States have grown out of them, and the whole of this almost interminable waste has been explored and surveyed. Boundary lines have been fixed and Territorial Governments established, so that no part now lies outside of an organized local government. Every spot of this heretofore trackless desert may now be localized and described as a part of some State, or well defined Territory. Having given a brief account of the thirty-seven States now in the Union, it remains for us to give a similar account of the Territories, which embrace all outside of the States, and together with them cover the whole area of the United States. These Territories we give as they exist at the close of the year 1867. But after a few years, several, if not all of them may become States. Indeed, bills are now before Congress for the admission of both Nebraska* and Colorado, as States. Besides, from their im mense size, as may be seen by looking at their areas, as shown below; they will probably be divided into two or three parts; and these parts will receive new names, and finally become new States. There is land enough in the most of them to make three States larger than the average size of the States now in the Union; and in estimating the number, there will be when all the existing Territories shall be formed into conveniently sized States; we may safely say there will yet be added, from twenty-five to thirty new ones, although we should not enlarge our boundaries, by the acquisition of any new territory. The following is a list of all the remaining Terri tories, placed in the order of the times, when their temporary territorial governments were formed by acts. of Congress. * Since the above was written Nebraska has been admitted as a State. Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Feb. 24, 1863 { Was cut off from New Mexico. In this brief statement, we do not notice any of the laws made for their government, or the officers appointed to administer it. Suffice it to say, that they have a Governor, Secretary and judges of their courts, who are appointed by the President, by and with the consent of the Senate. The laws organizing their Territorial Governments are of course enacted by Congress; and so are all the general laws relating to their administration. But they are allowed to elect and organize a Territorial legislature, and to regulate their own internal affairs. The laws of Congress, and all the provisions made by it, or by their territorial legislation, and all the officers appointed to administer them are of a temporary character, are made only for a temporary government, and all disappear as soon as the Territory is admitted as a State. |