Like Other (Especially Border) States
St Louis Mercantile Library Hall - where convention was meeting
As Seven Score and Ten has reported a Missouri state convention was meeting in St Louis 150 years ago to decide how the state should relate to the Union and the Confederacy. Would the state secede?
The New-York Times of March 19 1861 gave a bit of information about the proceedings (The New York Times Archive:
THE MISSOURI STATE CONVENTION.
ST. LOUIS, Monday, March 18.
The following amendment to the fifth resolution to the majority report of the Committee on Federal Relations, which has been under discussion the past week, was voted down yesterday in the Convention by a vote of 61 to 30: “And further believing that the fate of Missouri depends upon the peaceable adjustment of our present difficulties, she will never countenance or aid a seceding State in making war upon the General Government, nor will she provide men and money for the purpose of aiding the General Government in any attempt to coerce a seceding State.”
This seems like nice peaceful Missouri compromise: an appreciation of the Union, but a rejection of any Missouri support for federal coercion. Sort of sitting on the fence in perpetuity – but I guess being a Switzerland for the United States was not meant to be for Missouri
The motion was voted down. The debate in the convention would continue.
In other news the Missouri state legislature elected a new U.S. senator for the “General Government” (The New York Times Archive.
Waldo P Johnson - new US senator from Missouri
Election of United States Senator.
ST. LOUIS, Monday, March 18.
After several days of balloting for United States Senator, Mr. GLEEN was withdrawn to-day and WALDO H. JOHNSON nominated instead, who was elected on the second ballot. The vote being as follows: Whole number of votes cast 145, necessary to a choice 73; JOHNSON, 88; DONIPHAN, 36; ENGLISH, 29.
Waldo P. Johnson was born in Virginia. He was expelled from the U.S. Senate in January 1862 for disloyalty. He became a Confederate officer.
