Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1870-12-09


The river constitutes a natural outlet of
the lakes to the ocean, for eight States
with an aggregate population of about
II, 600 600 inhabitants, and with an ag-
gTegate tonnage of 66I, ,367 tons upon the
waters which discharge into It The for
eign commerce Of our ports on these Wa
tiers IS open TO British competition, and the
major part of It is done in British bot
toms. If the American seamen be ex-
Guided from this natural avenue to the
ocean, the monopoly of the direct COM
merce of the lake ports with the Allan
tic would be IN foreign hands; their
vessels on traaas-A Atlantic voyages, hav-
ing an access to our lake ports which
would be denied to American yes
sels on similar voyages. To state
such a proposition IS to refute It's
| Justice. During the administration Of
Mr.. John Quincy Adams, Mr.. Clay
unquestionably demonstrates the natu-
raj right of the citizens of the United
States to the navigation of this river.
claiming that the act of the Congress of
| Vienna, in opening the Rhine and
other rivers to all nations, showed the
| Judgment Of European jurists and states
men that the inhabitants of a country
Through which navigable river passes
| have natural right TO enjoy the navi-
| CATION of that river to and into the sea,
even though passing through the terrific
| ~ of another power. This right does
not include the coequal right Of the SOW
ereign possessing the territory through
" hich the river debouches into the sea to
make such regulations relative to the
policy Of navigation as may be really
necessary. but these regulations should
| be framed in a liberal spirit of comfy,
and should not impose needless burdens
upon the commerce which has the right
of transit. 1t has been found in practice
more advantageous to arrange these
requirements by mutual agreement.
The United States are ready to make
| any reasonable arrangement as to the
police of the St. Lawrence which may be
suggested by Great Britain If the claim
by Mr.. Clay was just, when the popula-
ton of the States bordering on the
shores of the lakes was only 3,4OO, 900, it
now derives greater force and equity
from the increased population, wealth,
production and tonnage of the States on
the Canadian frontier. Since Mr.. Clay
advanced his argument in behalf of our
rights, the principle for which he con-
tended has been frequently and by vari-
Gus nations recognized by law or by
treaty, has been extended to several
other rivers. By the treaty concluded
at Mayence, in 1881, the Rhine was
declared free from the point where it is
first navigable into the sea. By the
convention between Spain and Portugal
concluded in 1885, the navigation Of the
Dours throughout its whole extent was
made free for the subjects of both
crowns. In 1883 the Argentine confed-
Grafton by treaty threw open the free
navigation of the Parana and Uruguay
to the merchant vessels of all nations
In 1886 the Crimean war was closed by
a treaty which provided for the free nav
igation of the Danube. In 1858 Bolivia
by treaty, declared that it regarded the
rivers Amazon and La Plata, in accord
ance with the fixed principles of natura
law, as highways or channels opened by
: nature for the commerce of all nations
j In 1850 the Paraguay was made free by
: treaty, and in December, 1866, the En-
peror of Brazil, by Imperial decree, de
! cIared the Amazon to be open along al
: the frontier of Brazil to the merchant ship:
of all nations.
, The greatest living British authority
: on the subject, while asserting the alb
t stract right of the British claims, says i
} seems difficult to deny that Great Britain
may ground her refusal on strict law
r but it is equally difficult to deny, first
t that in so doing she exercises harshly ar
5 extreme and hard law secondly, tha
: her conduct with respect to the naviga
/ ton of the st. Lawrence is in glaring
: and discreditable inconsistency with he
conduct with respect to the navigation o
the Mississippi. On the ground that sh'
: possessed a small domain in which thC
Mississippi took its rise, she insisted OF
this right to navigate the entire volume
, of its waters On the ground tina
she possessed both banks of the St
Lawrence where Il disembogues into th'
sea, she denies to the United States tht
right of naviga5on through about one
; Ihalf of the waters of the Lakes. On
, tario, Erie, Huron and Superior, and th'
j whole of Lake Michigan, through which
: the river flows, are the property of tn,
United States
l The whole nation is interested in Sc
curing cheap transportation from the ag
ricultural States of the West to the At
, Iantic seaboard. To the citizens of thos
States it secures a greater return for thei
labor to the inhabitants of the sea
) board it offers cheaper food, and to tn,
: nation an increase in the annual surplu
! of wealth. 1t is hoped that the gov
, ernment of Great Britain will see tn
: Justice of abandoning the narrow anC
inconsistent claims to which her Ca
5 madam Provinces have urged her adhe
renee.
RELIEF OF COMMERCE.
Our depressed commerce is a subjec
to which l called your special attention
+, at the last session. 1 suggest that W,
we will, in the future, have to look NOR,
to the countries south of us, and to CHM
and Japan, for its revival. Our repre-
sentatives to all these governments havt
5 exerted their influence to encourage
2 trade between the United States and tht
: countries to which they are accredited
5 but the fact exists that the carrying /
: done almost entirely in foreign bottoms
: ana while this state of affairs exists, w
4 cannot control our due share of the com
$ merce of the world. That between tn
: Pacific States and China and Japan
I about all the carrying trade now con
: Quoted in American vessels. | woult
I ! recommend a liberal policy toward tina
4 line of American steamers, one that wi
I insure its success and even increase II
L usefulness. The cost of building irol
: vessels, the only ones that compete wit
$ foreign ships in the carrying trade, is S
0 much greater in the United States thai
2 in foreign countries, that without som
E assistance from the government they ca
I not successfully be built here. Their
will be several propositions laid befor
g | Congress in the course of the presen
: session, looking to a remedy for thi
E evil. Even if it should be at some COS
: to the National Treasury, l hope sue
E encouragement will be given as will Sc
: cure American shipping on the hig
c seas, and American ship building a
{ home.
DEPARTMENT MATTERS.
n The condition of the archives at tn
Y Department of State calls for the earl
r, action of Congress. The building nov
e rented by that Department is a fra
n structure, at an inconvenient distanc
If from the Executive Mansion and fror
l. the other Departments. 1t is i'll adapte
/, to the purpose for which it is used, ha
r not capacity to accommodate the al