The War in the Northwest 25 



riages ; and these were always held legal, which was 

 fortunate, as it was a young and vigorous commu 

 nity, of which the members were much given to 

 early wedlock. 



Thus a little commonwealth, a self-governing 

 state, was created. It was^ an absolute democracy, 

 the majority of freemen of full age in each stockade 

 having power in every respect, and being able not 

 only to elect, but to dismiss their delegates at any 

 moment. Their own good sense and a feeling of 

 fair play could be depended upon to protect the 

 rights of the minority, especially as a minority of 

 such men would certainly not tolerate anything even 

 remotely resembling tyranny. They had formed a 

 representative government in which the legislative 

 and judicial functions were not separated, and were 

 even to a large extent combined with the executive. 

 They had proceeded in an eminently practical man 

 ner, having modeled their system on what was to 

 them the familiar governmental unit of the county 

 with its county court and county militia officers. 

 They made the changes that their peculiar position 

 required, grafting the elective and representative 

 systems on the one they adopted, and of course 

 enlarging the scope of the court's action. Their 

 compact was thus in some sort an unconscious re 

 production of the laws and customs of the old-time 

 court-leet, profoundly modified to suit the peculiar 

 needs of backwoods life, the intensely democratic 

 temper of the pioneers and above all the military 

 necessities of their existence. They had certain 



VOL. VII. 2 



