Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1823-09-27
From the Washington Republican.
PROTECTION OF THE NORTH. WEST.
ERN FRONTIER

PROTECTION OF THE NORTHWEST.
LRN FRONTIER.
We have beheid, with those feelings
OF distress which are Common 10 every
American citizen, the recent massaCres
and losses which have befallen our tra:.
dors on the Missouri river. We know
iuil we'll thai this is The Da,ural resultsor
that nigBaidiy policy which wilhhoids the
means OF aifordms 10 TINS enterprizing
Class OF our cltIzlne The necessary pro.
lec,ion. But we consoled ourselves with
the belief that these disasters would con.
vince the most lncredulous OF the pro.
priety OF establishing military posts high
up that river, and which was originally
intended, tor the protection OF our traders.
Looking only to the protection OF the fur.
lure, we ielt not the slightest disposition
to Notwithstanding much more solici.
tude that protection should be uitin aiclY
afforded, than to expose the narrow and
contracted views OF those by whose efforts
it has been heretofore withheld. But
guilt cannot be sient-And we accor.
DINGHY find that the Secretary of tho
Treasury, who IS perfectly conscious that
Ii was principally through his efforts That
the establishment OF the post at the Nam
dan village was defeated,) and conse.
quenlly is The real cause oil those disas.
ters,) has attempted, IN bis organ of the
25th inst. the Washington Gazette, d
Justlfcation !; and endeavors, in his at
tempt to screen himself from merited
sI IL. IL
A course SO disiDgenuous compels US
10 break the silence which we had pre-
scribod; and to place the censure where
Il ought to rest.
1t IS we'll known that after the expe-
rlence OF the late war, the attention OF the
government was strongly directed to the
protection of our North Western From.
tier; and to prevent the introduction Of
loreIgn influence among The Indians re.
siding within our limits. Shortly after
the present Secretary OF War came into
othce, ne projected, under The sanction
! oi the President, line OF posts in that
quartef, which was intended to give am
pie security to that portion Of our coun.
ny, and protection and extension to our
valuable tar trade, carried ON al the
sources Of The Missouri With this
view, and with the forecast which is so
characierislIc at him, the Secretary Of
war 'oos measures to occupy posts at
the Sioux o. St. Mary's, between Lake
Superior and Lake Huron; at the mouth
OF the 81. Peters Oh the M!ssissippi; at
the Council Bluffs, and Mandan village
on the Missouri. These posts, with the
exception OF the last, were all established
But before the last could be occupied.
party arose in Congress, under. the ha.
tronage Of the Secretary Of the 7reasu-
ry, and directly hostile to The yiezvs nj
me .7dmtaiStration. The first efforts oT
this party was to raise a clamor aeains,
those JudIcious measures, and they were
denounced as wild and ex travagant, Tn.
members OF Congress being unacouaint.
cd with the source whence they came.
we're induced to withhold the necessar,
appropriation Tor the establishment ofthe
most IMPORTANT of all those posts-we
mean thai at the Mandan Village. The
others, by great efforts Of the War De.
partment, fortunately for the country
were established and preserved.
That The views which were then taken
by the Secretary of.War may be fully
understood, we publish, Immediately al
the close OF this article, the excellent re.
port OF this sagacieus statesman, setting
forth the views of the government il
projecting this line Of posts. We invite
the careful attention Of our readers, es.
pecially those OF the West, to this report.
Notwithstanding the clear demonstra.
ton OF the expediency OF those measure.
as set forth in the report, the friends of
Mr.. Crawford, through whose active in.
iluence, either from narrow views Of no.
hey, or causes still more censurable.
commenced as we have already stated.
an active opposition, which, unfortunate.
~ tor the country, was partially success
ial, by defeating the establishme nt Of tho
post a. the Mandan Village. ne alr..JS