Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1870-12-15

tory of another power. This right does not
exclude the co-equal right Of the sovereign
possessing the territory through which the
river debouches into the sea, to make such
regulations relative to the policy Of the
navigation as may be reasonably necessary.
But those regulations should be framed in
liberal spirit of comfy, and should i'm
pose no needless burdens upon the com
merce which has the right of transit. 1t
has been found in practice more advan-
tageous to arrange these regulations by
mutual agreement. The United States are
ready to make any reasonable arrange
ment as to the navigation of the st. Law
renee which may be suggested by Great
Britain. If the claim made by Mr.. Clay
was just when the population Of the States
bordering on the shores of the lakes was
only 4, 400 900, 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 right. the principles for
which he contended have been frequently
and by various nations recognized by law
or by treaty, and have been extended to
several other great 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 con-
vention between Spain and Portugal, con-
cluded in 1885, the navigation of the
Dourse throughout its whole extent was
made free for the subjects of both crowns.
In 1853 the Argentine Confederation,
by treaty, threw open the free navi-
CATION Of the Parana and Uruguay
to the merchant vessels of all ma
lions. In 1855 the Crimean war
was closed by treaty which provided for
the free navigation Of the Danube. In
1853 Bolivia, by treaty, declared it regard
ed the rivers Amazon and La Plata, in
accordance with fixed principles of nation
al law, as highways or channels opened by
nature for the commerce Of all nations.
In 1859 the Paraguay was made free by
treaty, and in December, 1866, the EN-
peror of Brazil, by imperial decree, de-
clared the Amazon to be open to the from
tier of Brazil to the merchant ships Of all
nations.
The greatest living British authority on
this subject while asserting the abstract
right of the British claim, says it seems
difficult to deny that Great Britain may
ground her refusal upon strict law. But
it is equally difficult to deny, first, that in
SO doing she exercises harshly an extreme
and hard law; second, that her conduct
with respect to the navigation of the St.
Lawrence is in glazing and discreditable
inconsistency with her conduct with re
spect to the navigation of the Mississippi
on the ground that she possesses a small
domain in which the Mississippi took its
rise. She insisted on the right to navi-
gate the entire volume of its waters, on
the ground that she possesses both banks
of the st. Lawrence where it disembouch-
es itself into the sea. She denies to the
United States the right of navigation,
though about one half of the waters of
Lakes Ontario, Erie, Huron and Superior
and the whole of Lake Michigan, through
which the river flows, are the property OF
the United States.
The whole nation is interested in secur-
ing cheap transportation from the agricul-
tural States Of the West to the Atlantic
seaboard To the citizens of those States
it secures greater return for their labor.
To the inhabitants of the seaboard it offers
cheaper food; to the nation an increase in
the annual surplus of wealth. 1t is hoped
that the Government of Great Britain
will see the justice of abandoning the mar
row and inconsistent claim to which her
Canadian provinces have urged her ad-
herence.
OCEAN NAVIGATION.
Our depressed commerce is subject to
which | called your special attention at
the last session, and suggested that we
will in the future have to look more to
the countries south Of us, and to China
and Japan, for its revival.
Our representatives to all these Gov
ernments have exerted their influence to
encourage trade between the United States
and the countries to which they are ac-
credited but the fact exists that the car
rying is done almost entirely in foreign
bottoms; and while this state Of affairs
exists we cannot control our due share OF
the commerce of the world That between
the Pacific States and China and Japan is
about all the carrying trade now conduct
ed i'm American vessels. would recon-
mend liberal policy toward that line of
American steamers; one that will insure
its success and even increased usefulness.
The cost of building iron vessels, the
only ones that can compete with foreign
ships in the carrying trade, is so much
greater in the United States than in foreign
countries that, without some assistance
from the Government, they cannot be sue
cessfully built here. There will be several
propositions laid before Congress in the
course of the present session looking to a
remedy for this evil Even if it should be
at some cost to the National Treasury, l
hope such encouragement will be given as
will secure American shipping on the high
seas, and American ship building al home,
4stttDrNG FOR DEPARTMENT OF STATE
The condition of the archives at the
Department of State calls for the early
action of Congress. The building now
rented by that Department is frail struct-
ure at best, and at an inconvenient dis
lance from the Executive Mansion and
from the other Departments 1t is ill
adapted to the purposes for which it is
used, has not capacity to accommodate the
archives, and is not fire proof. Its remote
situation, its slender construction, and the
absence Of supply Of water in the neigh
borhood, leaves but little hope Of safety
for either building or its contents in case
of the accident of fire. Its destruction
would involve the loss Of the rolls con-
tanning the original acts and resolutions of
Congress, of the historic records of the
revolution, of the confederation Of the
whole series of diplomatic and consular