The Portage County Democrat. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1863-10-07

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: THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE.
Early in the 18th century the Mississippi
River was discovered by the Spaniards, who
crossed it several hundred miles from the sea;
soon afterwards the companions of the un
fortunate De Soto navigated its waters from
tt e junction of the Red River to the Gulf
Its upper waters were first explored by Faith
FER Marquette, French Jesuit, in the latter
half of the succeeding century. The next
addition to our knowledge of the great river
was made by the chivalrous La Sale, who,
in 1882, sailed from the Falls of St. Anthony
to the sea, and gave to the whole vast region
watered by the river and its tributaries, the
name of Louisiana, after his master, Louis
XIV of France. Thus it happened that, al
though the Spaniards first penetrated this
magnificent Valley of the Mississippi, that
gathers It's waters from the slopes of two vast
mountain ranges--the gardenaof the North
American Continent-the French first ex-
plored, and for a time possessed it. 1t is said
the imagination of La Sale was as boundless
dS Ills II HSil pO SuSoslOll-
ed whether even in his forecast, he foresaw
the future of the Valley he did SO much to
lay open to the sight of the civilized world.
It is difficult to fix the age of the villages
through the wilderness from the Lakes to
the Gulf, but the era of the most important,
New Orleans, is sknown-1718. The English
disputed the Eastern boundaries of Louisiana
with The French, who claimed as part of
the province the entire country draining west
ward to the river, together with the basin Of
the lakes T he history of their collisions on
the head-waters of the Ohio is too we'll known
to need more than a passing allusion. The
question of boundaries was never settled un-
til the treaty of November, 1868, that put an
end to the seven years war, and at the same
time to the Colonial pretensions of France.
Unable to match the genius and vigor ofgthe
elder Pitt, Louis XIV. yielded to England all
of his American possessions North of the
lakes and the St. Lawrence, and East of the
Mississippi, except the island of Orleans By
the same treaty. all of hisremaining territory
the island of Orleans, and the vast region
Westsof Mississippi-was ceded to Spain
Thus Louisiana, though with boundaries
greatly circumscribed, passed into the hands
of the Spaniards, the original discoverers of
the river. But this cession to Spain was so
repulsive to the people, that she never got
possession until six years later, 1863. Hav-
ing once obtained possession, she did not re-
hnquish it until the beginning of the present
century. After the consolidation of the gov
ernment of United States under our present
constitution, Spain, controlling the navigation
of the Mississippi attempted to detach the
| people living West of the Alleghanies from
/ the Union. She seld out the free navigation
of the river as an inducement. She had her
regular pensioners in Kentucky, as was fully
proved in the time of Burr's conspiracy
The apprehension that some such secession
! would take place was at least as great as the
apprehension that the Cotton States would
secede, was at any time prior to their actual
secession. There was, in consequence, con-
slant i'll feeling between the government Of
Spain and the United States Finally, ir
1895, by tie treaty of Madrid, Spain conced-
ed the free navigation of the river for term
of three years, with the right of deposit al
Orleans, pledging herself to grant continu-
alton of this last privilege, or to concede sons
other depot for that purpose. g
+ Even for Spain, weak internally, and pos
/ scssing little international influence, to com
mand the mouth of the river that afforded
the natural outlet to the marketsof the world
to the rapidly rising societies beyond tn,
mountains, was esteemed great and increas
ing inconvenience. Butsoon the matter pre-
sented itself III more startling and serious
form. By secret treaty, only one article o
which has ever. been published, Spain CAV,
up to France in 1900 the territory of Louis
gained in Europe. If the curb that so i'm
potent power. as Spain held upon the rive
: was thought so great an inconvenience, wha
i might be expected from the rigorous rule 0
: Bonaparte as First Consul of France? hi
! question stirred the American mindrto it
) depths. Said Mr. ,Jefferson: Every eye il
4 the United States is now fixed NJ on the af
: fairs of Louisiana. Perhaps nothing sine
the Revolutionary war has produced NOR
!. |. uneasy sensations throughout the body'of tn
nation.n Here was a national easergeney,an,
E no one saw it more clearly, or felt it NOR
: forcibly than the President. In letter t
our Minister to France, R. R. Livingston, da
ted Washington, April 18th, 1900, he ex
pressed his views Of the emergency in tn
following forcible language: ,vw
There is on the globe one single spot, tn
possessor of which is our natural and habitu
al enemy. It's New Orleans, through whic
the produce of three-eights of our territor
must pass to Market and from its fertility,
will ere long yield more than half of on
whole produce, snd contain more than ha
Iof eur inhabitants. France, placing herse
in that door, assumes to us the attitude
3 defiance Spain might have retained it gu
city for years" = y ~ "Not SO Gas
y was in the hands of Spain) can it ever be
q Z the hands of France; the impetuosity ofsh'
temper, the energy and restlessness of h'
character, placed in a point of eternal frictio
with us, and our character, which, thong
quiet. and loving peace and the pursuit !
! wealth, is high-minded, despising wealth
! competion with insult or injury, enterprisir
and energetic any nation on earth, the
;, circumstances render it impossible that Fran
and the United States can continue lol