Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1870-12-07

va 3 aA1 AaANAAIAH EAe@A@ oAk4 81 -
IRENE measure become necessary, to
suspend the operation Of any law
whereby the vessels Of the dominion
Of Canada are permitted to enter the
waters Of the United States.
NAVIGATION OF THE 81. LAWRENCE.
A like unfriendly disposition has
been manifested, on the part of Can
ada, in the maintenance Of a claim Of
right to exclude citizens of the United
States from the navigation of the =.
Lawrence. This river constitutes q
natural highway to the ocean, with
an aggregate population Of seventeen
millions Inhabitants, and an aSgre-
gate tonnage OF 661, 347 tons upon the
waters which discharge into II. N
foreign commerce Of our ports, II
these waters, Is open to British COM
petition, and the major part OF II
Is done in British bottoms. II the
American seamen be excluded from
this natural avenue to the ocean, the
monopoly OF the direct commerce
Of the lake ports with the Atlantic
would be in foreign hands, their YES
sells on transatlantic voyages having
an access to our lake ports which
would be denied to American vessels
on similar voyages. To state such a
proposition Is to refute its Justice
During the administration OF MI.
John Quincy Adams, MI. Clay I'M
! q~uestionably demonstrated h natu-
raj right Of the citizens Of the United
States to the navigation OF this rivers
claiming that the act Of the Congress
OF Vienna, in opening the Rhine ana
other rivers to all nations, showed the
judgment OF European Iurlsts and
statesmen that the inhabitants OF a
country through which n navlgabIe
river passes have q natural rlght 10
enjoy the navigation Of that river TO
and into the sea, even though pass
ing through the territory 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 a lib
eral spirit Of comfy, and should not
impose needless burdens upon the
commerce which has the right Of
transit. 1t has been found in prae-
tice more advantageous to arrange
these regulations by mutual agree
ment.
The United States are ready 10 make any
reasonable arrangement as 70 the police OF
the St. Lawrence which may be suggested hy
Just when the population OF the States Dor
dering on the shore OF the lakes was only
10000, IL now derives greater force and
equity from the increased population,
wealth, production, and tonnage Of the
States on the Canadian frontier. Since hr.
I Clay advanced his argumentin behalf OF
right, the principle, for which he commended.
has been frequently and by various nations
recognized by law or by treaty, andhas been
extended 70 several other great rivers by
] Rhine was declared free from the point
where Il is inst navigable into the sea. By
theconyentton between spain n Portqgal.
l concluded miss, the navigation ofthe Dou-
/ 70 throughout the whole extent was made
L free for the subjects Of both crowns. In 1873
| the Argentine confederatiOnby treaty threw
open the free navigation OF the Parana and
/ Uruguay 20 the merchant vessels OF all ma
I tons. In 1855 the Crimean war was closed
by a treaty which PROVIDED ior ths nee nav
igafion OF the Danube. In 1855 Bolivia, by
treaty, declared that Il regarded the rivers
| Amazon and Ia Plata, in accordance with
the Fixed principles OF nationAl law, as high
ways or channels opened by nature for the
commerce OF all nations. In lS9 the Para
/ quay was made free by treaty, and in De-
eember, 1850, the Emperor OF Brazil, by an
imperial decree. declared the Amazon TO be
open 70 all the frontier OF Brazil, and 70 the
merchant ships Of all nations. The greatest
living British aIthoriy On ms so9leSs
British claims saws it is dimeuit to deny
that Great Britain may ground her refusal
upon strict law, but IL is equally dincnlt 70
deny hrHt, that in so doing she exercises
harshly an extremeand hard law secondly,
that her conduct with respect to the naYiga-
ton OF the ST. Lawrence Is in glazing and
discreditable Inconsistency with her con-
duct with respect TO the navigation OF the
Mississippi.
on the ground that she possessed a
small domain, in which the Mississippi
1 e--T- IA -. - $1,000 -, NkFa -s-hW -
navigate the entire volume Of its waters.
On tho ground that she possessed both
banks Of the St Lawrence where It de-
benches into the sea, she denies to the
United States the right Of navigation,
through about one-half OF b waters Of
lakes Ontario, Erie, Huron Sud SrPsrt-
/ or, aud the whole OF Lake Michigan,
through which the river flows, are the
property of the United States. The
whole nation iI interested in securing
cheap transportation from the agricultur-
al States Of the West to the Atlantic sea-
board, 70 the citizens Of those States. 1t
secures a greater return for their labor;
to the inhabitants of the scabOard it offers
cheaper food; to the nation an increase
in the annual surplus Of wealth. It is TO
be hoped that the government Of Great
Britain will see the justice OF abandOn-
ing the narrow and inconsistent claim to
which her Canadian provinces nave
urged her adherence.
THE DECLINE OF AMERICAN COMMERCE.
Our depressed commerce is 4 subject
TO which / called -FOUR 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 repre-
sentatives to all these governments have
exerted their influence to encourage
trade between the United States and the
countries to which they are accredited,
but the fact exists that the carrying is
done almost entirely in foreign bottoms,
and while this state Of Affairs exists we
cannot control our due share OF the COM
merce OF the world. That between the
Pacific states and China and Japan is
about all the Carrying trade now con-
Quoted in American vessels. 1 would
recommend a liberal policy toward that
line Of American steamers, one that will
insure its success and more 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
thew cannot be successfully built here
There will be several propositions laid
before Congress in the course Of the pres
ent session looking to a remedy for this
evil. Even If / should be at some cost
to the National Treasury, 1 hope such
encouragementWU be given as will Sc
cure American shipping on the high seas
and American s~hip-building at home.
| CARE OF THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES.
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 a
frail structure, at an incOnvenient dis
lance from the Executive Mansion
and from the other departments. 1t
is illy-adapted to the purpose for
which it is used, has not the capacity
to accommodate the archives, and is
not fire-prOOf. Its remote situation,
its slender construction and the alb
sence Of a supply Of water in the
] neighborhOOd leaves but little hope Of
safety for either the building or its
contents in case of the accident OF
a fire. It's destruction would involve
the loss of the rolls containing the
original acts and resolutions OF
| Congress, of the historic records
of the revolution and Of the Confed-
Grafton, of he whole series Of
the diplomatic and consular archives
since the adoption Of the Constitu-
ton, and Of the many other valuable
records and papers LETT with that de-
partment when it was the prin-
eipal depository Of the gov