Southport telegraph. [volume] (Southport, W.T. [i.e. Kenosha, Wis.]) 1840-1850, 1845-12-30


Tor the purpose of commerce" The PAT,
began TO ascend the IA ssouri in Nav. 1904
and, in the summer Of 1906, reached The
hcadwatcrs Of the Colambia river. Afc
crossing many OF the streams falling into it.
they reached the Kooskoo 3kce, in a,itude
4} deg. 3i-desceaded that TO the principa
northern branch, which they called Clarke
and thence descended TO the mouth Of the
river; where they landed, and cuclmped on
the north side, on Cape D,sa9pointment,ana
winterei. The next spring, they comman-
ced their return, and continued their cxplo
ration up he rycr,noiingi,s 9ag.oas branches
and tracing some ofiix prlncipa'; and q lal
" arrived at ST. Louis h September, 1906,
LATER an absence Of two yaars api ioly
Itnonths,
Ii was this important expedition which
brought 10 the knowledge afihe world th: S
erea; ryer-the greatest by f;,r on HE Yves
EN- side of this c0n;ineni-with its nuner-
Gus branches, and the vast regions through
which il flows, abovc the poiHts 10 which
Gray and Vancouver bal assembled IL
took place many years before it WIS visited
aad explored by any subject Of Great Brit
ain; or of anv other civilized nation, so far
as we are Informed. Ii as clearly entities
us to The claim of priority Of discovery, as
TO its head branche5, aud The exploration Of
the river and region through which it pas
ses, as the voyages of C,pt4in Gray and the
Spanish navigator, IIecela, entities us 10
priority in reference 10 lis mouth, and The
entrance into lis chlnnol
Nor is our priority oi settlements less Ger
tain. Establishments were formed bv A.
mercan citizens on the Columbia as early
IS 1909 and 1910. III the latter year, a
company was formed 20 New York, al the
head of which John Jacob Asor, a wealthy
merchant Of that cay, the object OF which
WIS to form a regular chan OF establishments
Oh the Columbia river and the contiguous
coasts of the Pacific, for commercial parpo,
ses. Early in the pr'ng oll8l they made
their first establishment on ,he south side OF
the river, few miles above Point George
where they were VISITED in July following by
Mr.. Thompson, surveyor and astronomer
OF the Northwest Company, and his party.
They had been sent out by that company to
fore5iall the American company in occupy
ing the mouth orthe river, bat found them
selves defeated in their object. The a
merican company formed two other con-
nccteI establishments higher up the river !;
one at the confluence of the Okenegan
with The north branch Of the Columbia; a.
bout six bundled miles above its mouth;
and the other Oh the Spohan, a steam fall
a., IL, Il,
above.
These posts passed into the possession of
Great Britain during The war which was de-
clared the next year; bat It was provided by
the frs; article Of the treaty of GAcut, which
terminated it, that call territories, places,
and possessions whatever taken by either
party ftom the other during the war, or
which may be taken after the signing ofthc
treaty excepting the islands here flcr men
toned lin the Bay of Fundy) shall be re-
stored withou: delay" uuder this provis-
ion, which embraces all the establishments
Of the American company Oh the Columbia,
Astoria was formally restored, on the 9th Of
October, 1918, by agents duly authorized
on the part Of the British government to re-
store the possession, and to an agent duly
authorized Oh the part of the government
ofthc United States TO receive (which
placed our possession where it was before
it passed into the hanls Of British sub
iects.
Such arc the facts on Which we Fest our
claims TO priority Of discovery and priority
Of exploration and settlement, as against
Great Britain, TO the region drained Ly the
Columbia river. 50 much for the claims
VIC have, in our own proper right, to that
region.
To these we la re added the claims of
France and Spain. The former we obtain
ed by the treaty Of Louisiana, ratified in
1903; and the latter by the treaty Of Florida
ratified in 1919. BY the former, was ac-
quiyed al! the rights which France had to
Louisiana "to the extent ii now has (ISb3)
in the hands OF Spain, and that it had when
France possessed it, and such as il should
be after the treaties subsequently entered
into by Spain and other States" BY the
latter, his Catholic NJ Jest; seeded 10 the
United States all his rights, claims, and
professions" 10 the county lying west Of
The Rocky mountains, aud north Of line
drawn on the IL parallel latitude, from a
pom, on the south bahk of the Arkansas, in
that parallel, TO the South sea; that is, to
the whole region claimed by Spain west of
those mountAins and north ofthat line.
The cession OF Louisiana gave us unds
puted title west Of tie Mississippi, extend
ing to the summit Of The Rocky mountains,
and stretching south between that river and
those mountains to the possessions ofSplin,
the line between which land & ours was ai-
forwards, determined by the neliy ofFlori-
d.. Ii also added much 10 the strength oil
our title 10 the region beyond the Rocky
mountains, by restoring TO Us the important
link Of continuity westward to the Pacific,
which had been surrendered by the treaty
of I763-as will be hereafter shown.
That continuity furnishes jus, founda-
ton for a cl,im of territory, in colnexiOn
with those ofdjscorery and occupation, would
seem unquesiionablc. his admitted by all
that neither of,hem IS limited BY the precise
spot discovered or occupied. Il is evident
that in order 10 make either available it
must extend at least same distance beyond
that actually discovered OF occuPied; but
how far, as an abstract question, IS mat
Ter Of uncertainty. Il is subject in each
case to be influenced by variety ofconsid-
eraiions In the case OF IN island, il has