JOURNAL MISSOURI CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION OF 1875 VOLUME I WITH AN HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION ON By ISIDOR LOEB, PH. D., ll. b. AND A BIOGRAPHICAL ACCOUNT OF THE PERSONNEL OF THE CONVENTION Editors. A Missouri Centennial Publication By COLUMBIA, 1920 PREFACE For forty-five years Missouri has been governed by the constitution framed in 1875. It is, therefore, surprising that the official journal of the convention that drafted this document has been practically inaccessible until now, owing to its having been preserved only in its original manuscript form. The journal is only less important than the constitution itself. To insure the safety of this record from possible destruction of the original and to make it accessible to the citizens of the State, the Fiftieth General Assembly of Missouri appropriated funds for its publication by The State Historical Society of Missouri. The plan of publication adhered to in this work was to reproduce as nearly as possible the exact wording of the original. In cases of ambiguity of language, no changes have been made except where the intended meaning was obvious. Incorrect spelling, capitalization, and punctuation, where obviously erroneous, have been corrected. The changes in style are due to the different copyists employed by the convention. The editors did not undertake to obtain uniformity in such cases. For better understanding both the Missouri constitution and the journal of 1875, two introductory chapters have been included in this work. The article on "Constitutions and Constitutional Conventions in Missouri" is an account of constitutional development with particular reference to the conditions which influenced the action of the convention of 1875. The article on "Personnel of the Convention" is a resume of the salient facts in the lives of the delegates. The biographical sketches of the delegates were compiled by Miss Buel Leopard, who is document clerk in The State Historical Society of Missouri. For the many courtesies and favors shown by interested citizens of the State, the compilers are under obligation. Without the assistance of Missouri editors, lawyers, judges, and public officials, many facts relating to the delegates could not have been obtained. The valued assistance of Mr. Wm. Clark Breckenridge, Mr. Walter B. Stevens, and Judge Walter B. Douglas, of St. Louis, and of Hon. Perry S. Rader, of Jefferson City, should be especially mentioned; also the courtesy of Hon. John L. Sullivan, of Jefferson City, in lending the original journal for copying. It is appropriate that this work should have been completed in July, 1920. One hundred years ago on July 19, 1820, forty-one delegates framed and adopted Missouri's first constitution. The State Historical Society of Missouri is glad of the opportunity to issue this publication as a contribution to the observance of the centennial of this State. THE EDITORS. |