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Missouri Compromise: Federal Sovereignty Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Section.Sentence)

Quote #1

…the navigable rivers and waters leading into the same, shall be common highways, and for ever free, as well to the inhabitants of the said state as to other citizens of the United States, without any tax, duty impost, or toll, therefor, imposed by the said state... (2.2)

In setting the boundaries of Missouri upon natural lines—rivers—a question was raised: if the river was the state boundary, to what degree did the state own the rivers? Congress answers this with a firm "none whatsoever."

The rivers were determined to be owned by the public, free from any one state's control (but, conveniently for the Federal government, under federal jurisdiction under the interstate commerce clause).

Quote #2

…Provided, That the same, whenever formed, shall be republican, and not repugnant to the constitution of the United States; and that the legislature of said state shall never interfere with the primary disposal of the soil by the United States, nor with any regulations Congress may find necessary for securing the title in such soil to the bona fide purchasers; and that no tax shall be imposed on lands the property of the United States; and in no case shall non-resident proprietors be taxed higher than residents. (4.1)

This is one of the key stipulations that Congress made when it allowed Missouri to draft its own constitution: that it in no way compromised the power and authority of the Federal government. Especially related to the revenue-generating activities of taxation and land sale.

Quote #3

…Provided, That the five foregoing propositions herein offered, are on the condition that the convention of the said state shall provide, by an ordinance, irrevocable without the consent or the United States, that every and each tract of land sold by the United States, from and after the first day of January next, shall remain exempt from any tax laid by order or under the 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… (6.9)

This part of the Compromise is built to ensure that the stipulations made by Congress can't simply be overturned by the Missouri state legislature later on. It also asserts that federal sales of land be exempt from any state-instituted taxes, as a way to sweeten the deal for any potential buyers of federally owned land.