No taxes to be le vied on lands of U.S. taxed higher than resident lands. tax shall be imposed on land the property of the United States, and that in no case shall non-resident proprietors be taxed higher than Non-resident not residents; and that the bounty lands granted, or hereafter to be granted for military services during the late war, shall, while they continue to be held by the patentees or their heirs, remain exempt from empted from tax any tax laid by order or under the authority of the state, whether for state, county, township or any other purpose, for the term of three years from and after the date of the patents respectively. Bounty lands ex ation for three years. New proposition submitted to congress. Lands to be aproads and canals. propriated for One section of land for each mile of certain And be it further ordained by the authority aforesaid, That the following propositions be submitted to the congress of the United States, which, if assented to by that body, shall be obligatory on this state. Not less than five hundred thousand acres of the unappropriated lands lying within said state, shall be designated under the directtion of the legislature, and granted the state for the purposes of internal improvement; said land, or the proceeds of the sale thereof shall be appropriated to aid the state in constructing one or more railroads or canals across the peninsula, from Lake Erie or Detroit river to Lake Michigan, and also to aid in the construction of such other roads and canals, and the improvement of such rivers, as the legislature may designate. That for the construction of a road from the mouth of Ontonagon river of Lake Superior, to the mouth of Menomonie river of Green proposed roads. Bay, or some river of Green Bay north of said Menomonie river, thence to the Sault St. Marie, to be located under the direction of the legislature, one section of land for each mile of said road shall be granted to said state, and all roads commenced by the United States and remaining unfinished in the state, shall be completed and put in repair at the expense of the United States. Approved July 25, 1836. Preamble. ASSENT OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN, TO THE ACT OF CONGRESS OF JUNE FIF Whereas, By an act of congress of June the fifteenth, one thousand eight hundred and thirty-six, the constitution and state government, which the people of Michigan have formed for themselves is accepted, ratified and confirmed: and whereas, the admission of the state of Michigan into the Union, as one of the United State, is provided by the said act to be upon the express condition, "that the said state shall consist of and have jurisdiction over all the territory included within the following boundaries, and over none other, to wit: beginning at the point where the described northern boundary of the state of Ohio intersects the eastern boundary of the state of Indiana, and running thence with the said boundary line of Ohio, as described in the first section of the said act, until it intersects the boundary line between the United States and Canada, in Lake Erie; thence with the said boundary line between the United States and Canada through the Detroit river, Lake Huron and Lake Superior, to a point where the said line last touches Lake Superior; thence in a direct line through Lake Superior to the mouth of the Montreal river, thence through the middle of the main channel of the said Montreal river, to the middle of the Lake of the Desert; thence in a direct line to the nearest head water of the Menomonie river; thence through the middle of that fork of the said river first touched by the said line, to the main channel of the said Menomonie river; thence down the centre of the main channel of the same to the centre of the most usual ship channel of the Green Bay of Lake Michigan; thence through the centre of the most usual ship channel of the said bay, to the middle of Lake Michigan; thence through the middle of Lake Michigan to the northern boundary of the state of Indiana, as that line was established by the act of congress of the nineteenth of April, one thousand eight hundred and sixteen; thence due east with the north boundary line of the said state of Indiana to the north-east corner thereof, and thence south with the east boundary line of Indiana to the place of beginning." And whereas, as a compliance with the condition of admission described in the said act, it is provided and required in the said act, that the above described boundaries of the state of Michigan shall receive the assent of a convention of delegates, elected by the people of the said state for the sole purpose of giving such assent: and whereas, no authority or power is designated in said act of congress by which such convention of delegates shall be called or convened, but in the third section of said act the right of the people of Michigan to elect said delegates without any previous action of their constituted authorities, is clearly recognized and manifest : and whereas, this convention originated with, and speaks the voice of a great majority of the people of Michigan: and whereas, it is provided and enacted in the said act, that as soon as the assent therein required shall be given, the president of the United States shall announce the same by proclamation; and thereupon, and without any further proceedings on the part of congress, the admission of said state into the Union as one of the United States of America, on an equal footing with the original states in all respects whatever, shall be considered as complete : Now, although this convention are of opinion that the congress of the United States had no constitutional right to require the assent aforesaid as a condition preliminary to the admission of the said state into the union, nevertheless, as the congress have required such assent to the said condition, and as the interest and prosperity of the state will be greatly advanced by an immediate admissiou into the union as one of its sovereignties, and the people of the said state are solicitous to give to her sister states and to the world, unequivocal proof of her desire to promote the tranquility and harmony of the confederacy, and to perpetuate the unity, liberty and prosperity of the country, Therefore, Be it resolved by the people of Michigan in Assent. convention assembled, That the assent required in the foregoing recited act of the congress of the United States is hereby given. This done in convention at Ann Arbor, this fifteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirtysix, and of the independence of the United States of America the sixty-first. Preamble. Admission of Michigan into the Union. To be considered state in carrying into effect the act relative to deposites. AN ACT TO ADMIT THE STATE OF MICHIGAN INTO THE UNION, UPON AN EQUAL In Congress, January 26, 1837. Whereas, in pursuance of the act of congress of June the fifteenth, eighteen hundred and thirty-six, entitled "An act to establish the northern boundary of the state of Ohio, and to provide for the admission of the state of Michigan into the union upon the conditions therein expressed," a convention of delegates, elected by the people of the said state of Michigan, for the sole purpose of giving their assent to the boundaries of the said state of Michigan, as described, declared and established in and by the said act, did, on the fifteenth of December, eighteen hundred and thirty-six, assent to the provisions of said act, therefore: SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the senate and house of representatives of the United States of America, in congress assembled, That the state of Michigan shall be one, and is hereby declared to be one of the United States of America, and admitted into the Union on an equal footing with the original states, in all respects whatever. SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That the secretary of the treasury, in carrying into effect the thirteenth and fourteenth sections of the act of the twenty-third of June, eighteen hundred and thirtysix, entitled "An act to regulate the deposites of the public money,' shall consider the said state of Michigan as being one of the United States. Who may be admitted as citizens Form of declaration; two years prior to admis sion, and before whom made. Certain persons exempted from tions. ABSTRACT OF THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES IN RELATION TO THE NATURALI ZATION OF ALIENS. (a.) SECTION 1. Any alien, being a free white person, may be admitted to become a citizen of the United States, or any of them, on the following conditions, and not otherwise : SEC. 2. First: That he shall have declared, on oath or affirmation, before the supreme, superior, district or circuit court of some one of the states, or of the territorial districts of the United States, or a circuit or district court of the United States, or before the clerk of either of such courts, (b) two (c) years at least before his admission, that it was, bona fide, his intention to become a citizen of the United States, and to renounce forever, all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state or sovereignty, whatever, and particularly, by name, the prince, potentate, state or sovereignty, whereof such alien may, at the time, be a citizen or subject. (d) SEC. 3. From this condition are exempted, any alien, being a free preceding condi- white person, who was residing within the limits and under the jurisdiction of the United States at any time between the eighteenth day (a) 6 Cranch 176; 2 Whea, 259; 4 Peters. (b) Act May 26th, 1824, sec 3. Story, 1973, 393; 8 Cranch, 335; 7 Cranch, 420; 2 Galli. C. (d) Act of April 14th, 1802. Story 850. of June, 1798, and the fourteenth day of April, 1802, and who has continued to reside within the same. (a) nors who arrive when not over SEC. 4. Any alien, being a free white person and a minor, under Admission of mithe age of twenty-one years, who shall have resided in the United in United States States three years next preceding his arrival at the age of twenty-one years, and who shall have continued to reside therein to the time he may make application to be admitted a citizen thereof, may, after he arrives at the age of twenty-one years, and after he shall have resided five years within the United States, including the three years of his minority, be admitted a citizen of the United States, without having made the declaration, required in the second section, three years previous to his admission: but, such alien shall make the declaration required therein, at the time of his or her admission; and shall further declare, on oath, and prove to the satisfaction of the court, that for three years next preceding, it has been the bona fide intention of such alien to become a citizen of the United States; and shall, in all other respects, comply with the laws in regard to naturalization. (b) and children of SEC. 5. When any alien, who shall have complied with the condi- When widow tion specified in section second, and who shall have pursued the direc- deceased alien tions prescribed in the second section of the act of April 14, 1802,* deemed citizens. may die, before he is actually naturalized, the widow and the children of such alien shall be considered as citizens of the United States, and shall be entitled to all rights and privileges as such, upon taking the oaths prescribed by law. (c) mission. SEC. 6. An alien shall, at the time of his application to be admit- Oath upon adted, declare, on oath or affirmation, before some one of the courts aforesaid, that he will support the constitution of the United States, and that he doth absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to every foreign prince, potentate, state or sovereignty whatever, and particularly by name, the prince, potentate, state or sovereignty whereof he was before a citizen or subject; which proceedings shall be recorded by the clerk of the court. (d) before admission; be made. SEC. 7. The court admitting such alien shall be satisfied that he Proof of charac has resided within the United States five years, at least, and within ter and residence, the state or territory where such court is at the time held, one year and by whom to at least; and it shall further appear to their satisfaction that, during that, time he has behaved as a man of good moral character, attached to the principles of the constitution of the United States, and well disposed to the good order and happiness of the same. The oath of the applicant shall, in no case, be allowed to prove his residence. (e) SEC. 8. In case the alien applying to be admitted to citizenship, Alien to renounce shall have borne any hereditary title, or been of any of the orders of hereditary title, nobility in the kingdom or state from which he came, he shall, in ad- to be citizen of dition to the above requisites, make an express renunciation of his country at peace title or order of nobility, in the court to which his application shall States. be made, which renunciation shall be recorded in the said court; provided, that no alien, who shall be a native citizen, denizen or subject of any country, state or sovereign with whom the United States * The second section of the act of April 14, 1802, required an alien when he arrived in the United States, to have his name registered, &c., with the clerk of the proper court, &c. This section was repealed by act of May 24, 1828. Story, 850, 2145. Story, 1973, (a) Act of March 26th, 1804, sec. 1. Story 942. record thereof; with United As to aliens re ted States in 1812. shall be at war, at the time of his application, shall be then admitted to be a citizen of the United States (a). SEC. 9. But persons resident within the United States or the terrisiding in the Uni tories thereof, on the eighteenth day of June, in the year one thousand eight hundred and twelve, who had, before that day, made a declaration according to law, of their intention to become citizens of the United States; or who, by the existing laws of the United States, were, on that day, entitled to become citizens, without making such declaration, may be admitted to become citizens thereof, notwithstanding they shall be alien enemies, at the times, and in the manner prescribed by the laws heretofore passed on that subject; provided, that nothing herein contained, shall be taken or construed to interfere with, or prevent the apprehension and removal, agreeably to law, of any alien enemy, at any time previous to the actual naturalization of such alien. (b) As to aliens resi ding in the Unitween 1802 and ted States be 1812. As to aliens resi ding in the Uni ted States be SEC. 10. Any alien, being a free white person, who was residing within the limits, and under the jurisdiction of the United States between the fourteenth day of April, one thousand eight hundred and two, and the eighteenth day of June, one thousand eight hundred and twelve, and who has continued to reside within the same, may be admitted to become a citizen of the United States, without having made any previous declaration of his intention to become a citizen; provided, that whenever any person, without a certificate of such declaration of intention, shall make application to be admitted a citizen of the United States, it shall be proved to the satisfaction of the court, that the applicant was residing within the limits, and under the jurisdiction of the United States, before the eighteenth day of June, one thousand eight hundred and twelve, and has continued to reside within the same, or he shall not be so admitted; and the residence of the applicant within the limits, and under the jurisdiction of the United States, for at least five years immediately preceding the time of such application, shall be proved by the oath or affirmation of citizens of the United States; which citizens shall be named in the record as witnesses; and such continued residence within the limits, and under the jurisdiction of the United States, when satisfactorily proved, and the place or places where the applicant has resided, for at least five years, as aforesaid, shall be stated and set forth, together with the names of such citizens, in the record of the court admitting the applicant; otherwise the same shall not entitle him to be considered and deemed a citizen of the United States. (c) SEC. 11. Nothing in the foregoing section ten contained, shall be construed to exclude from admission to citizenship, any free white tween 1798 and person who was residing within the limits and under the jurisdiction 1802; what proof of the United States at any time between the eighteenth day of June, quired, and how one thousand seven hundred and ninety-eight, and the fourteenth day cord to render of April, one thousand eight hundred and two, and who, having conadmission valid. tinued to reside therein without having made any declaration of in of residence re set forth in re tention before a court of record as aforesaid, may be entitled to become a citizen of the United States, according to section three. Whenever any person, without a certificate of such declaration of intention, as aforesaid, shall make application to be admitted a citizen of the United States, it shall be proved to the satisfaction of the court, (a) Act 14th April, 1802: sec. 1. Story, 850. (b) Act of July 30, 1813. Story 1354. (c) Act May 24, 1828. Story 2145; and see Story 1354. |