THE HICKMAN TIMES - July 30, 1856 Public Meeting in Madrid Bend Submitted by: Don Livingston [mailto:donaldl@hcis.net] Feb. 2003 ******************************************************************* USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net ******************************************************************* At a meeting of the citizens of Madrid Bend on the 26th day of July, 1856, Jerome Watson, Esq., being called to the chair, and J.C.Harris, appointed secretary, the following preamble and resolutions were read and unanimously adopted. Whereas, The citizens of the Kentucky part of Madrid Bend, are situated in a Detached corner of the State, forty miles from Hickman, their county seat, and fifteen miles of which they have to travel through Tennessee, and at high stages of water thirty miles of the route is inundated from three to fifteen feet, which renders it impossible for them to attend to such business as may call them there; and being so cut off from, they can have but little intercourse wit, the State of Kentucky, consequently are debarred the enjoyment of rights and privileges that are extended to citizens of every other portion of the State; And further, being so situated, it is impossible to execute the laws, without which we have no security for our persons, property, our lives, or the pursuit of happiness guaranteed to us; Also, the citizens of Tennessee part of Madrid Bend, being detached off in like manner from the rest of the county of Obion and State of Tennessee, by Reelfoot Lake, are suffering under the same grievances; And we, the citizens of each, feel it to be a matter of sheer justice due us that the two be annexed together, formed into a new county, and all come under the jurisdiction of one State; and to this end, by the people of both territories above mentioned, in mass meeting assembled, be it: 1. Resolved, That all just and equitable citizens every where, and especially those of Kentucky and Tennessee, be solicited to use their influence favorable to a redress of our grievances. 2. Resolved, That the Sheriff's of Fulton County, Ky. And Obion County, Tenn, be requested to open polls in each voting precinct of their respective counties, in next November, for the purpose of taking the sense of the qualified voters upon annexation of the Kentucky and Tennessee parts of Madrid Bend. 3. Resolved, That for the purpose of devising the best ways and means for the accomplishment of the object in view, and fairly to represent our true condition of grievances, this meeting to appoint a committee of five, whose duty shall be to consult and correspond with some of the most influential men of both states asking their influence in our behalf. 4. Resolved, That we solicit the publishers of every newspaper throughout the States of Kentucky and Tennessee, to copy the proceedings of this meeting, assuring them that it will be a favor conferred upon and highly appreciated by us. 5. Resolved. That the Secretary be ordered to furnish the editors of the Hickman Argus and Times with a copy of these resolutions, with a request that they publish the same. On motion, R.C.Nall, Thomas Merriwether, W.R.Dickinson, Jerome Watson and J.C.Harris, were appointed a committee of correspondence. On motion, the meeting adjourned. Signed - July 26, 1856, J.Watson, Chairman; J.C.Harris, Secretary.