Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1847-06-30
W HOLE NUMBER 100.

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but there was prnclical difficulty. There
were many rivers IN the. United States, and
of many sizes, and all could not be seas.
| The pinch was to assert them, and tho
genius Of the convention was equal to the
difficulty Of the task. A rule was given
a general rule nothing like generalizas
tion. 1t was laid down, and accepted, that
where river washed three States or morey
| it became a sea-an inland sea- and
entitled to the benefits Of the constitution:
and where not. This was the rule; and
now for the application. Applied TO the
litlle States il New Ensland and 4 a.ri.sts -
of geo beeurs,e sou, and receiss=
ed constitutional Improvement: applied to
the Great West, and river 5000 miles
long (the Missouri, remained only a river:
/ It was no sea, by the rule, for it hao bus
one State upon it; and, consequently, could
have no constitutional improvement.
This was an awkward exenfpli6cation Of
the rule: but, it was not q case OF despair,
and no hope or consolation. There was
Light ahead, and, nous rerrons. Other States
Knight grow up on tho Missouri; in factj
another has already come Iowa )-and, in
time, there may be third. Then this great
triyer which comes from the setting sum- and
washes the base of this capitol, and goes on
towards the rising sun, may complete its
growth, and become sea-an lnland-=and
be entitled 10 constitutional improvement.
Col. B. said the idea of the growth of riy-
| er was not new, and not original to the
Memphis convention-only borrower for
the occasion by that illustrious body: 1t was
| an old ideo, and often stadowed forth in
the exclamation Of the astonshed traveller
/ at finding large river, like the Mississiip;
lpi, or the Missouri, in new tountry; this
is large rirer for a ne,o cousstry. In this
exclamation was the seminal conception IF
the idea Of the growth of riversl so felicI.
ltiously developed in the proceedings ofthe
| M emphis Convention. Oh, metaphysics!
political metaphysics! thy name shall
henceforth be Memphis Convention.
Col. B. congratulated his constituents on
another prospect-one which had opened
to their view about thirty years ago. He
spoke of the East India trade, and its en-
trance into the valley of the Mississippi BY
the Columbia and Missouri rivers, and tho
short portage of about 500 miles between
their steamboat navigable waters, to be o.
vercome with steam. Some of the great OBJ
lstacles to the commencement of this trade
were now removed--=among them the disl
] pute oftitle with Great Brltain. and the rs.
fnoval of British settlements from the mouth
of the Columbia, TO give place to AnIeri-<
can. A custom house, and a territorial gov.
ernment were wanting; and in thot point
of view the loss of the Oregon bill at the
! last session Of Congress, became source
of new regret. 'Ehe federal government
was doing what it could 10 facilitate the in.
tercourse with Oregon. Troops we're going
on the route, for the protection of ennis
grants, and to establish block houses, to be-
come points Of rest ana refreshment for
travellers, and the nucleus Of future settle
ments. The explorations Of Col. Fremont
make the way familiar to all-his journal
and typographical map, at once so minute
and general that farmer could move his
family, or general march his armies up.
on it his natural history so full that ge-
ologist or botanist Nigh there pursue his
favorite study-his observations on the
heavens so accurate, that the astronomer
in Europe may read the skies in his book
and the meteorology so ample that the
almanac maker ''down east'' may make ON
almanac of all the climates from Missouri
to Oregon, with better ''guesses'' at the
little more time, and some work, and that
commerce will begin. The principal OBJ
structions are the falls inthe Columbia, but
the twenty or thirty feet falls in that river
can be no obstacle in the eyes of those who
have seen the falls Of Niagara surmounted
by ship canal. At the Upper Fall, where
the railroad would leave to come To- the
Great Falls of Missouri, ,belUw which there
is no obstruction, the Columbia is 700 yards
wide-near half d mile-and Of ample
depth. The time is coming when the COM
rnerce of eastern Asia will pour down that
river! {pointing to the Missouri
The vast expansion of the Americas
branch of the white race, was briefly touch
&C upon by Col. B. He said the man had
but lately died in England who heard
heard without believing g-the fervid Burke
say that the English colonists on the At
lantic would one day cross the Alleghanies,
and come down in the valley of the Mis-
sissippi. The man is alive now who saw
some Struggling hunters crawling over the
Alleghanies, creeping down the Kentucky
and the Cumberland, and hiding themselves
in cane brakes to avoid detection and death.
And what does that man see now2 The
Mississippi verify teeming with populations:
their gigantic progeny scaling the Rocky
Mountains, decending to, the Pacific, and
launching the ship and steamboat ON that
remote sea. Great is the destiny which
leads on this van guard Of the master race
Of the human family. Barbarinns conquer
to destroy: civilized man TO improve and
exalt: the Anglo-Saxon will carry his civil.
ization wherever he goes. Standing now
upon all the SUBMITS of the Cordiflsras
from the Aztec empire to the sources of
Oregon, he has field before him, such as
man never contemplated before. Fabulous
mythology tells of giants who climed to the
tops of mountains to hurl rocks at the gods;
and, it must be admitted, such gods as they
had in those days deserve to be stoned
Our young giants climb lpflier mountains
than ever mythology conceived OF, even
after piling Peleon on Ossa, and Ossa upon
Olympus, and not for the purpose Of throw
ing stones at gods, nor even at people, o91