Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1861-07-09
1861.

t1re of New Orleans, when tie treaty OF
San Lorenzo 81 Real in 1895 ebtsined 4 +
them prerarous right of navigating the
noble river TO the sea. With right of de-
post ut New Orleans. This subject was
for years tue turning point Of the politics
OF the West, and il WAS perfectly well uu-
derstood that sooner or later she would be
content with nothing less than the soSer-
eign control of the mighty stream, from
its head spring 10 its outlet in the gulf !
aud that is us true now as 1t was then.
So stood affairs Mt the close of the last
century, when the colossal power of the
First Napoleon burst upon the world In
the vast recesscs of his Titanic ambition
he cherished Hs II leading object of ; pois
icy u acquire for France u colouiul empire
which should balance that of ELgland.-
In pursuit oil this policy he fixed his eye
ou the ancient regal COLONY which Louis
NV. had founded IN the heart of North
Americu, and he tempted Spain, by the
:paltry bribe of creating a kingdom of Et-
rurin for Bourbon prince, TO give back to
Fra:ce the then boundless wastes Of the
terriIory of Louisiana. The cession was
made by tue secret treaty of San lllefonso
on the lst of October, 1900. tof which one
-entenve only has ever been published, but
thnt sentence gave away half u continent
rud the youthful conqueror concentrated
Ill the resources of his mighty genius ON
The Accomplishment of the vast project =
Ii successful, it would have established the
French power on the mnuth and on THE
ght bank of the Mississippi, and would
nave opposed the most formidable bnrrier
to the expansion of the Quilted Sthtes.-
The peace of Amiens, at this junrture, re-
lieved Napoleon from the pressure Of the
war with England, aud everything seemed
'propitious to the success of the greH: en-
terprize. The fate of America trenbled for
a moment in II doubtful balance, and five
hundred thousand citizens in that region
felt the danger aud sounded the alarm
'TSpeech of MIR. Rus in the Senate of the
United States, l4th February, 1913
Bnt in another moment the aspect of
aGttirs WAS changed, by stroke of policy
grand, unexpected aud fruitful of conse
quences, perhaps, without parallel in
history The shOrt-lived truce of Amiens
was about 20 end. the renewal of war WAS
inevitable. Napoleon saw that before he
could take possession of Louisiana IL
would be wrestcd from him by England,
who commanded the seas, aud he deter
mined at once, not merely to deprive her
of this magnificent conquest, hut to con-
tribute as far rs in him lay to build up
great rival maritime power in the West.
The government of the United States, not
less sagacious, seized the golden moment
a moment such as does not happen twice
in thousand years. Mr.. Jefferson per-
ceived that, unless acquired By the United
States, Louisiana would in short time
belong to France or to England, aud with
equal wisdom and courage he determined
that it should belong to neither. True he
held the acquisition to be uncOnstitutiOn-
al, but he threw to the wiiids the re-olu-
tiOns of 1898, which had just brought him
into power; he broke the constitution and
he saved an empire. Mr. Monroe WAS sent
to France to conduct the negotiation, in
conjunction with Chancellor Livingston,
the resident mi lister, contemplating At; that
time only the acquisition of New Orleans
and the adjacent territory.
Bat they were dealing with man that
did nothing by halves. Napoleon knew
and we knOw-thHt to give up the mouth
of the river was to give up its course. On
Easter-Suuday OF 1903. he amazed his
council with the announcement that he had
TO cede the whole of Louisiana
to the United States. Not less to tie AS
touishment of the American ENJOYS, they
were told by the French uegotintVrs mt the
first interview, that their muster was pre-
pared to treat with them not merely tor
the Isle OF New Orleans. but for the whole
vast province IS ich bore the name ofb Lou
isiaua whose boundaries, then unsettled,
have since been carried GU the north to the
British line; on the west 10 the Pacific
Ocenn-a territory half MS big MS Europe
a NLfan nf iNn
eight years have elapsed since the acqui-
sition was made. The States OF Louisiana,
Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Mlnuesota and
Kansas, the Territories OF Nebraska, Da-
culah and j fIersuur have been established
within its limits. ON this side of the Rocky
tue State of Oregon and the
Territory Of Washington OH their western
slope; while tide Of population is annu-
ally pouring into The region destined in
addition TO the uatuTa! increHse, before the
close of the century, TO double the number
OF the States and Territories. For the en-
tire region west OF the Allrghanies and
east of the Rocky Mountains, the Mis-
souri, aud the Mississippi form the nat
urnl outlet TO the sea. Without even
the population of the sece-
dug States, there are ten millions of the
free citizens OF the country, between
and Fort Union who Claim the
course aud the mouth of the Mis- .issippi,
as belonging to the United States 1t is
theirs by transfer of truly imperial origin
and magnitude; theirs by sixty years
title; theirs by occupation and settlement;
theirs by the law OF Nature and of God.
Lousiana, n fragment of this colonial em-
pire, detached from its main portion and
first organized as u state, undertakes to
secede from the Union, aad thipks by so
doing that she will be allowed by the gov
erument and the people of the United
States TO revoke this imperial transfer, to
disregard this possession and occupation
of sixty years, 10 repeal this Law of-nhture
and of Cod; aud she fondly believes that
ten millions of the free people OF the Union
will allow her aud her seeding brethren
to open and shut the portals of this nigh
ty region at their pleasure. They may DO
so, and the swarming millions which