THE MEETINGS OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 1912-1913 DECEMBER MEETING OF THE ASSOCIATION REGULAR SESSION The regular mid-year meeting of the Mississippi Valley Historical Association was held at Boston, Massachusetts, on December 30, 1913, in connection with the annual meeting of the American Historical Association. The program was arranged by a committee, of which Mr. A. C. McLaughlin was chairman. The session was presided over by Mr. Reuben Gold Thwaites, President of the Mississippi Valley Historical Association: The general topic selected for consideration at this meeting was "New England and the West", and the following papers were presented: Sidelights on the Scioto Company -The Early Movement of New England into the West by Mr. Archer B. Hulbert of Marietta, Ohio; The New England Element in Illinois Politics Before 1833 by Mr. Solon J. Buck of Urbana, Illinois; New England and the Western Reserve by Mr. Karl F. Geiser of Oberlin, Ohio; and The Mayflower Compact and its Descendants by Mrs. Lois Kimball Mathews of Madison, Wisconsin. SIXTH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE ASSOCIATION (Omaha, Nebraska, May 8, 9, and 10, 1913) The sixth annual meeting of the Mississippi Valley Historical Association was held at Omaha, Nebraska, on May 8, 9, and 10, 1913; and in connection with it there was held the regular annual meeting of the Nebraska History Teachers' Association and a special meeting of the Nebraska State Historical Society. The program for the meeting was arranged by a committee consisting of Mr. Frederic L. Paxson, Mr. Albert H. Sanford, and Mr. Clarence E. Carter. The local arrangements were in the hands of a committee composed of the members residing in Omaha with Mr. John Lee Webster as chairman. The sessions were all held in the lecture room of the Omaha High School Building. FIRST SESSION The first session of the sixth annual meeting of the Mississippi Valley Historical Association was a joint meeting with the Nebraska State Historical Society, held on Thursday, May 8th, at 2:00 o'clock, P. M., with Mr. John Lee Webster, President of the Nebraska State Historical Society, presiding. The following papers were presented at this session: Economic Factors in the Acquisition of Louisiana by Mr. Louis Pelzer of Iowa City, Iowa; Lost Landmarks by Mr. Henry W. Yates of Omaha, Nebraska; The Economic Basis of the Greenback Movement in Iowa and Wisconsin by Mr. Clyde O. Ruggles of Winona, Minnesota; Asa Whitney: Father of Pacific Railroads by Mr. Nelson H. Loomis of Omaha, Nebraska; and A Forgotten Phase of the New England Opposition to the War of 1812 by Mr. Frank Maloy Anderson. Owing to the unavoidable absence of Mr. Loomis, his paper was read by Mr. Edson Rich. With the conclusion of the program the Secretary announced the following committee appointments by the President: on Resolutions, Mr. James A. James, Mr. Albert H. Sanford, and Mr. William J. Trimble; on Nominations, Mr. Orin G. Libby, Mr. Benj. F. Shambaugh, and Mr. Clarence W. Alvord; on Audit, Mr. Arthur C. Cole, Mr. Frank M. Anderson, and Mr. Eugene M. Violette. SECOND SESSION The second session was held on Thursday, May 8th, at 8:00 o'clock, P. M., with Mr. John Lee Webster presiding. After an address by Mr. Webster, the evening program was concluded with the President's address by Mr. Reuben Gold Thwaites, whose subject was At the Meeting of the Trails: the Romance of a Parish Register. At the close of the session a reception was tendered to the visiting members at Hillside, the home of Mr. and Mrs. Henry W. Yates. THIRD SESSION The third session was devoted to the regular annual business meeting of the Mississippi Valley Historical Association. This session was held on Friday, May 9th, at 9:30 o'clock, A. M., and was opened with the Report of the Secretary-Treasurer, which was accepted and placed on file. The report of the Committee on Historic Sites was presented by the Chairman, Mr. Orin G. Libby, as follows: Your Committee have to report on two separate matters, each of some considerable importance: First. As to the proposed monument to La Salle at or near the mouth of the Mississippi River, it is not necessary at this time to urge upon the members of this Association the propriety of such a memorial. The importance of La Salle's work and the far reaching nature of the results that flowed from his achievements are sufficiently known to all who have interested themselves in our history. The ways and means to accomplish the work involved in the erection of such a memorial present a problem by no means simple. The recommendations of your Committee are as follows: 1. That a La Salle Memorial Association be organized and incorporated under the laws of Louisiana with the usual officers, constitution and by-laws. The membership of this organization should consist largely of residents of Louisiana, and especially of New Orleans. Such an organization can care for all financial and business transactions connected with the project. A committee of seven appointed by the President shall have charge of organizing such an Association. At least three of the members of this committee shall be residents of Louisiana. 2. That a petition be presented by the La Salle Memorial Association to Congress asking for a small appropriation to be expended in securing plans and specifications for the proposed monument. 3. That the President appoint an advisory committee to act with the La Salle Memorial Association in furthering the project. Such committee shall contain representatives from each State in the Mississippi Valley as well as one each from the cities of New Orleans, Chicago, St. Louis, and other leading cities prominently connected with French exploration in the Mississippi Valley. Second. Your Committee desires to make the following recommendations with reference to the future work of this Com mittee: 1. That the Committee on Historic Sites be continued as a permanent committee of the Association. 2. That the Committee make an annual report, giving a resume of what is being done to preserve and mark historic sites. 3. That the Committee recommend from time to time the erection of such memorials as may seem fitting and appropriate. 4. That the Committee extend such aid as is possible in the erection of memorials in the various parts of the Mississippi Valley and in securing the attendance and participation of our members in all exercises connected with the dedication of such memorials. 5. That the Committee secure a list of historic sites, of which pictures, photographs, or lantern slides are available, and by coöperation with other committees secure as wide use as possible of this material in the public schools. On motion the report of the Committee on Historic Sites was adopted. Mr. Clarence W. Alvord then presented the report of the special Committee to investigate and report upon the advisability of publishing a Quarterly Historical Review, as follows: At the fifth annual meeting of this Association, a Committee, composed of Mr. Clarence W. Alvord, Mr. Benj. F. Shambaugh, and Mr. James A. James, was appointed to investigate the feasibility of starting a Quarterly Review under the auspices of the Association, provided the sum of fifteen hundred dollars annually could be guaranteed for its support. The Committee was instructed to report to the Executive Committee at the December meeting on the possibility of obtaining a sufficient number of scientific papers to warrant launching such an enterprise. In accordance with our instructions, we herewith present our report. In answer to a circular letter sent out by us requesting (1) opinions as to the feasibility of the Association's undertaking such an enterprise, (2) the promise of articles within two years, and (3) the promise to write reviews of books, we have received forty-six replies from historians, generally of recognized standing. The great majority of these have answered that there is a demand for such a quarterly and have promised their cordial cooperation. These answers have been tabulated with the result that (1) almost without exception the members are in favor of launching the quarterly, (2) only four members express doubt as to the enterprise, and (3) but two members are decidedly unfavorable to the project. Reviews have been promised liberally by the members of the Association, and a sufficient number of articles have been guaranteed to run the quarterly for a period of nearly two years. This report was discussed at some length by Mr. Alvord, Mr. Shambaugh, Mr. Hulbert, Mr. Caldwell, and Mr. Anderson. On motion it was decided that the Association should undertake the publication of a Quarterly Historical Review. On motion of Mr. Alvord, the Executive Committee was instructed to plan for issuing two numbers of the Quarterly, without financial aid from the Association, and to take up the whole proposition again at the next annual meeting. The resignation of Mrs. Idress Head Alvord, as a |