Iowa territorial gazette and advertiser. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa Territory [Iowa]) 1840-1846, 1845-12-13

lmmense ,reolth and poarer may BE- lost by
soapronsise.-Estimate snoring trtnf IRE
should loose By Submitting to the line of
80 degrees north.
The leading wing presses. and poli,i-
clans in the Eastern States and cities, are
now saying, as usual. that the land north
Of latitude 49 degrees is worthless. The
same story was told when the North East
ern Boundary was at issue. Yet the fish
burton Treaty gave to the British Gov
ernment nearly one-third of the State of
Msine, a large portion Of which is covered
with the most valuable pine timber that
ever grew upon any soil or in any climate.
Now the space, when viewed on map,
between - and 81 degrees and 40 minutes
north. appears but small, not worth con-
tending about. But when we consider it
As il IS, it assumes vastly different as
pect. We find that the Commissioner Of
the General Land Office, in answer 10 a
letter addressed to him in lSl3 by com.
lniitee asking information Of the amount Of
public lands nnsold, informed that commits
tee, that the number Of acres Of land ae-
tween 40 and 81 degrees and A. minutes
north, were one hundre and four millions
sir hundred and forty thonsand.! This
land, then, at the minimum, or lowest
price Of government lands, would amount
to the enormous sum of one HUNDRED IN d
thirty ns,llion eight hundred thousand dol
lars, or about sic dollars and a half for
each ssan, scoaan and child in the United
Ndtes. Divide this land into farms of ffy
acres each, and that lite spot which we
should loose by submitting to compro.
mise Of lat 40 degrees north, would make
tho overwhelming number of tro million
nisety-tco thousand eight hundred farms
Reckoning that on each of these farms there
could live, on an average, husbandman
his wife and four children, and this litl'
spot would contain, on that basis, tcelr
million Jeus hundred and Jtfty-sir Mousan1
eight hundred inhabitantsv Of this las
number there would be, in case of neces
sisy, one soldier to every five of the in
habitants; 50 that this lille spot may, no
. hundred years hence, if retained by The
United States, be able to raise an army o
tsco million foe hundred and eleren Mousan1
three hundred and sirty Mousond fighting
man,!
Now we ask if such piece of territory
is not worth contending about? We have
nc right in such questions, to look at the
present available value exclusively. Once
England looked upon her whole American
settlements as Of no great account. Spain
too, considered the Floridas worthless
comparatively; and France was conten
t. sell the Louisiana Grant for few mil
lions. Bat could either Of these nation!
have foreseen the future importance o
these several possessions, they would have
parted with them vastly more reluctantly
taan they did. A century before the Eng
lish took possession of the Straits of Glib
rnlter, that strong hold was not considered
Of much Importance, or much thought Of
But the development Of the march Of civil
ixation and its concomitants has fully
shown the wisdom of British Statesmen il
seizing that fortress. Popular liberty ant
monarchy are striving for the mastery
Every advantage gained by either makes
difference in the struggle of twice it
amount. To yield one jot or title 10 her
or to let her have one inch of our land, i
giving her the vantage and takes ava
cur ability to contend to the same amount
Tor whenever there are two antagonist
forces, whatever is gained by one ope
rates double disadvantage to the othe,
1.-THE scales are equally balanced, and 20
take ole pound from the right scale an
place il into the left, then the left scale
two pounds heavier than the right one.
becomes the American people, therefore
to contend for the advantage. For if W
cannot get it now, how can we expect I
do it after we part with a part of ourselw
and Of our strength and ability?
Ball.