The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-12-18
THE DEMOCRAT WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 49, 1878

) these uaos, dependent On them, created ~
p them. have no such national character and
-, may properly he repndiated. The duties arG
I national but thn Correlativa responsibilities
consequent on the discharge OF those duties
are local.
Can this he true Mr. President Does not
such proposition carry refutation On It's
face Is not its simple statement It's dis
proof submit sir that If the Juitnd States
had never acquired tho possession aud the
sovereignty ct the lower mississippi. had
That possession and that sovereignty re
manned ~ tho hands Of q foreign power, the
right Of free navigation and the right If de-
post at New Orleans being cnncntled to this
country as they We're uiiginal conceded by
treaty with Spain all damages acciuing from
such use of the river by American vessels
would have constituted q valid basis for rnna-
nation against this government And shall
It now he said that while our duties have he
como enlarged. while orr control has been ey-
tended. while or powers have been augment
cd, our responsibilities have become lesseued
until they have completely Disappeared
tan IT he asserted that we owe less to orr own
citizens under these new conditions than we
should have owed to the subjects II foreign
power under the conditions which prevailed
before we took possession 1T the country ?
Can II he maintained that our obligations to
ward the people Of Missouri and Arkansas
and Louisiana are not at least as binding il .
national point Of view as the obligations
| which would have been due ~ he subjects pf
| Spain in an international point If view No
senator o. This oor, sir seriously believe,
will maintain a paradox SO gross.
| When Mr. Jefferson. IN his mcssagn t. Con
gress a Am. State papers, 414r. communicated
| the information of the acouIsition of I,alis-
| lana he used these words.
| While the property and sovereignty II Tho
| Mississippi pnd its waters secure m indapand-
ent outlet for the produce n the Western
| States and an uncontrolled navigation
/ N
with other powers aud the dangers to our peace
| from that source, the fertility # the country.
1 Its climate and agt"nt. promise in due ssason
| important aids 10 our treasury. an ample pro
| vision for our pusterlty. aud wide srfeai for
the blessings Of freedom and equal laws
| IT is plain that the sagacnus mind Of Mr.
| Jefferson foresaw In the acquisition Of louis
| lana and il was 10 that part of Louisiana
| lying south Of the Missouri to which he par
| ticularly referred advantages lar more i'm
poftant than those simply attendant ON
| the uncontrolled navigation Of the river
and the unimpeded transportation to n mar
! ket Of the products of the Ohio Valley. His
| faI reaching mental vision furesaw the time
when that vast alluvion lying hetween tho
Missouri and the sea should he reclaimed and
| dedicated to the purposes 1T industry. when
| its waste Of sterile waters. It's forests ~
| cypress, It's thickets of cane. should he con
veried Into broad and fertile fields tnarninp
with wealth and popnIous with toiling mil
lions. Perhaps, even his ardent and patriotic
fancy saw ''the argosies Of magic sails pilots
Of tie purple twilight, dropping down with
hv Tho hiessinf,s ~ f,nolon, and ~ e,,oi
In us'' frnm tho dnmini,n ~ tha ,o,,tiI,t ,n
| the beast and the empire Of the waters
| " was In such q condition Of things,
hava haItorol H. IL .o,, H., d;st,nt WIKI
NJ Ionar,,,, gar,s.1u ,i,,a,,ont oiI ',i '',
traosurv,, and IN "aunin n,,,ini"n - - v,'
terity" But. Sir. three quarters Of n century
ut,,,od and ,ha ,,vnrrtant III ill, W., WE
~, ho, lin ni, : da,ial ~ - ~, IL
MINI" ,i,or n,ainto a., a,,,iro IT.. VIZ
amino nroviainn whie,, Mr. Jefrorrann ,rol
dinfI 800, ;,,ii ~, 49, ir "
nwing wainra !. yiaho IN, NM, Il, ~ ~, i, s,a
anI n,e,,nIoi ~ a. ar tl ~ Ill.,
This Mr. preaidont voc not Inc anto,t,i,
mont ~ Witch IN ,,l - w ,,i,,a ,,.',
invitod when this np,,,,, voc a.,,,,iroI h'
Tho Tfnitad Siatea Thev i,,atIv and natnraiiy
hnd other lamentations and nihor hnnon Nv
noctotinns ond hnnns .IostinoI th,,n ~ I !,
pret to say to litter Observation-Disclosures t,av
SlIoibnrne or I ,ouiaiana in hid fret addross
IL tha nonple If the Tarritorv dated Dnne,n
her ~. 1goi, q Am, state raners, n ~ savs.
, 1''
!, You may, with equal certainty. rest assured
ma, your commerce WI he protected ana your
un'HishNt III ~ WORD mat your rue
WI na among we primary objects 81
"'''''"''' 'eE 'e'e''p'
II was natural that Gov. Claiborne and the
people IT, whom he addressed himself should
y
TO believe that all the phenomena Of tho great
river which had long been the object of inter |
national dispute which had just been the Oh |
jeet of international treaty and national ne |
QUESTION. would be similarly and equally i'm |
pressed with the national character 1t never
occurred to them to suppose that concur
rently with the national duties and the ma
tional control which were assumed, tho equal |
" national obligations would be repudiated
or evaded.
Sir, the people Of Louisiana and | include
in this tho people Of the other alluyal States.
had no reason. then to anticipate this repu-
dation or this evasion of national obligations
and they have no reason but that which ID
furnished by a long and sad experience to
suspect it now Is 1t still maintained that tho
government has no power to undertake this
great work: that It has no power to expend
money for the fufillment of these obligations.
and for the proper administration and execu
ton Of the trust implied in the possession. the
control, and the use of the river Mississippi?