Mississippi Democrat. (Carrollton, Miss.) 1844-18??, 1845-03-05

|
New York, established factory near the
mouth of the Columbia, and u fort wa:
erected there by our citizens, called Asto
ria' ln 1918, during the last war, thi.
place fell into the hands of the British. IL
pursuance Of the first article OF the treaty
Of Client, in which it was stipulated thai
call territory, places, and possessions what
soever, taken by either party from the
other during the war;" was TO be delivered
up. Astoria was restored to the u. States
on 9Th October, 1878; and at that time
"Lord Cas.lereagh admitted, in the most
ample extent, our right to DO reinstated,
and to be the party in possession, while
treating Of The iitle.n
From this condensed recapitulniion Of
the facts, we can easily comprehend the
relative position of parties when the ex-
traordinary convention of 1918. agreeing
to joint occupancy, was entered into by
the high contracting parties. BY the French
cession of 1903, we had acquired the ir.
revocable REIMBURSEMENT Of England 10
all her claims to territory west of the
Mississippi river. By our discovery and
settlements at the mouth OF the Columbia,
that government did not gainsay, but on
the contrary, in the most ample extent, &c.
knowledged, not only our possession, but
our right of possession. This was the
condition Of our relations, when our min
listers proposed the doth degree of north
latitude as our northern boundary line.--
This proposition was rejected and then
withdrawn.
But when we take retrospective view
Of the settlements OF the great valley Of
the Mississippi as they then stood, we
ought not to be surprised at the slipula-
tons finally agreed upon. Louisiana had
but one representative, Mississippi had
Just been admitted into the Union and had
but one representative, Tennessee three,
Ohio two,- Indiana one, Kentucky eight,
and all The country west Of the great ia
Their Of waters, with few exceptions, was
one vast unbroken wilderness. The ap.
pication of steam as the propelling power
of boats was almost unwholly unknown
and it required six months TO make trip
from the up-couftry to the city Of New
Orleans. Settlements in Oregon seemed
to be an impossipilty; and the only inie-
rest our people could be supposed to have
in this far-distant territory, could be one
of which we might, at some future day,
then very remote, avail ourselves. Our
possession being acknowledged, our title
not being impaired, our commercial od.
vantuges secured, this government was
content with allowing the same CONNER
clal facilities to the subjects Of Great Bril-
tain. This was evidently the meaning
and purpose Of the treaty Of 1918, and
nothing more.
BY the treaty Of 1919 with Spain, known
as the Florida treaty, we acquired The III
lie of that government 10 the northwest
ern territory north OF AZ degrees of north
latitude; and as early as 1900, Count de
Fernan Nunez, the Spanish ambassador
at Paris, made this statement 10 the Scc-
rotary Of the Foreign Department Of
France:
"That by the treaties, demarkations, takings
of possession, and the most decided acts OF So
vereignty exercised by the Spaniards on these
| stations, from the reign OF Charles ii, and au-
| thorized by that monarch in 1909, :.
all the coast TO the north of the western Amer
lea, on the side Of the South sea, as far as be-
| You'd what is called Prince William, sound,
which is IN the Glst degree, is acknowledged to
belong exclusively to spainn
Now, whatever pretentions TO title 70
Oregon may have been set up by the u.
States and Great Britain in 1878, il BY
no means follows that Spain did not, at
that time, possess title paramount 10 Ell
Their or both. But in 1919, The Spanish
right and claim Of exclusive sovereignty
were transferred 10 this government. 10
1918, we had agreed to a joint occupancy;
in 1919, we acquired from third party a
title to exclusive sovereignty, and conse-
quently right 10 exclusive possession,
unless that possession at the time had up
on il some incumbrance. After that date,
our first conflict was with the Russian GO
vernmeni; and in April, 1924, 10 4 CON
yeniion between the United States and
Russia, signed at ST. Petersburg, il was
agreed hat no settlement should be made
in the Northwest Territory, by citizens Of
the United States, north Of Sd degrees
and 40 minutes Of north latitude; and no
establishment was 10 be made by subjects
Of Russia, or by her authority, south Of
the same parallel. This was our position
when we entered upon the negotiation Of
1925 with Grea. Britain. We claimed the
country between the parallels Of AZ de-
grees and 81 degrees and 40 minutes
| north latitude, by discovery and occupnn.
cy, In Difference 10 which England had &C
know.edged the United States 10 be ia
possession; by The French cession Of 1909
which embraced. BY the express acknowl
edgment Of The same government, all The
territory wsstof the Mississippi river and
south Of the 4oth degree Of latitude; by
- - -