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

anu Oldfk, VINO explored the Columbia H. |
yer from its sources to its entrance into !
the sea. In 1911, John Jacob Astor, of
New York, established factory near the
mouth of the Columbia, and fort was
erected there by our citizens, called Asto-
ria. In 1913, during the last war, this !
place fell into the hands of the British. In |
pursuance of the first article OF the treaty
of Client, in which it was stipulated that
"all 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, 1918; and at that time,
"Lord Cas:lereagh admitted, in the most
ample extent, our right to be reinstated,
and to be the party in possession, while
treating of the title"
From this condensed recapitulation 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 IT.
revocable REIMBURSEMENT of England to
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
knowedged, not only our possession, but
our night of possession. This was the
condition of our relations, when our min
listers proposed the 18th degree of north
latitude as our northern boundary line
This proposition was rejected and then
Withdrawn.
But when we take a 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-
: lions 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 APP
plication of steam as the propelling power
Iof boats was almost nnwholy unknown,
and it required six months TO make trip
from the up-country to the city of New
Orleans. Settlements in Oregon seemed
TO be an impossipility; and the only inte-
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 ad.
: vantages secured, this government was
: content with allowing the same CONNER
7 cal facilities to the subjects of Great Bri
; tain. This was evidently the meaning
and purpose of the treaty Of 1918, ant
D nothing more.
By the treaty of 1919 with Spain, known
: as the Florida treaty, we acquired the Ii
$ lie of that government 10 the northwest
S ern territory north OF 40 degrees of nortl
: latitude; and as early as 1900, Count d
S Fernan Nunez, the Spanish ambassador
$ at Paris, made this statement TO the Sec
rotary of the Foreign Department o
) France:
"That by the treaties, demarkations, taking
q of possession, and the most decided acts Of SO
It vereignty exercised by the Spaniards on thes
!. stations, from the reign of Charles III, and au
thorized by that monarch in 1892,
8 all the coast to the north of the western Amer
s lea, on the side of the South sea, as far be
If yond what is called Prince Williams sound
which is IN the 6lst degree, is acknowledged t
If belong exclusively to Spain"
= Now, whatever pretentions TO title t
Oregon may have been set up by the I
id States and Great Britain in 1918, iFb
le no means follows that Spain did not, a
N that time, possess a title paramount to Ell
iher or both. But in 1919. the SPANS
E right and claim of exclusive soyereignt
I'd were transferred to this government.
ed 1918, we had agreed to joint occupancy
ty in 1919, we acquired from third party
re title to exclusive sovereignty, and const
g. quenty right 10 exclusive possession
il unless that possession al the time had ~
it. on il some incumbrance. After that dat'
ly our first conflict was with the Russian g
vernment; and in April, 1924, In col
e. yention between the United States an
n, Russia, signed at st. Petersburg, it We
e. agreed that no settlement should be mad
We in the Northwest Territory, by citizens
ill the United States, north Of 81 degree
by and 40 minutes of north latitude; and I
ed establishment was TO made by sublec
e. of Russia, or by her authority, south
of the same parallel. This was our positie
be when we entered upon the negotiation
RI 1926 with Great Britain. We claimed Il
he country between the parallels Of AZ d
IS. grees and 81 degrees aud 40 minut
8, north latitude, by discovery and occupa
is cy, in Difference to which England bad a
a. know!edged The United States 10 be
70, possession; BY the French cession Of l60
al (which embraced, BY the express acknoy
ed Iedgment Of the same government. all d