Weekly commercial herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1884-18??, 1885-12-11
BIG BLUFF.
THE GAME BY WHICH OREGON AND
IDAHO WERE WON.
Some Interesting Facts Unsarthed Con-
corning tbs "LOuisiaus Purchase" -
Text Of the Original Grant-Mak-
ing a Successful Territorial Grab.
IwashlngtOn Cor. Globe emocrat.l

Washington Cor. Globe Democrat
In the course of his researches, Chief
Geographer Gannett, of the geological
bureau, has unearthed some interesting
facts not generally known about the re.
gion once described as the territory of
Louisiana. AS early as the beginning of
the eighteenth century an official attempt
was made to change the names Of several
OF the rivers. In 1713 france made o
grant TO Antoine de Crozat of the ex-
elusive right to trade in the territory.
This graft made the first and only state
ment of the general limits of the vast re-
glon. france at that time claimed much
more than is usually understood by the
territory of Louisiana The grant reads:
"All the territories by US possessed and
bounded by New Mexico and by those of
the English in Carolina, all the establish
menls, ports, harbors, rivers and especially
the port and harbor of Dauphin island,
formerly called Massacre island, the
river st Louis, formerly called the
Mississippi. from the seashore to the
Illinois, together with the river st.
Philip, formerly called the Missouries
river, and the st. jerome, formerly called
the Wabash now the Ohio, with all the
countries, territories, lakes inland, and the
rivers emptying directly or indirectly into
that part of the river st. Louis,
A GAME OF BLUFF.
In tracing the transfers of the various
portions OF the western country until the
present limits OF the United ctates were
determined, Mr.. Garnett finds that this
government anne into possession of the
region now divided into Wash ngton,
Oregon, and Idaho through q pure game
Of bluff. 1t is certain, he says, that the
territory of Louisiana, as first and subse-
quently defined, never included that Sec
ton.
France transferred the territory of
Louisiana to Spain in 1869. a few
months later, in q treaty, the western
boundary If Great Eritain's possessions
was made the center of the Mississippi,
and thus the territory of Louisiana lost
all the land east OF the Mississippi.
By the treaty Of San lldefonso in 1900,
Spain transferred the territory of Louisi-
ana to France.
In 1905 ~Bonararte sold the territory of
Louisiana to the United States in con
sideration of 60, 900, 900 francs and the
assumption by this government of the
French spOliation claims" supposed to
amount to about So. 100000. The treaty
of cession defined the boundaries as the
same as those specified in the treaty of
San Ildefonso.
MI. Garnett reaches this conclusion:
"From this it appears that the territory
sold to the United States comprised that
part of the drainage basin Of the Missis-
sippi which lies west of the course of the
river with the exception of such parts as
were then held by Spain. The want of
was not objected to by the American
commissioners, as they probably foresaw
that this very indefinitencss might prove
of service to the United States in future
negotiations with other powers. In fact,
the claim of the United States to the area
now comprised in Oregon, Washington,
and Idaho in the negotiations with Great
Britain regarding the northwestern
boundary was ostensibly based not only
upon prior occupation and upon purchase
from spain, but also upon the alleged fact
that this area formed part Of the Louisi-
ana purchase.
A BASELESS CLAIM.
THAT this claim was baseless is shown
not only by what has been already de.
tailed regarding the limits of the purchase,
but also by the direct testimony of the
French plenipotentiary. NJ. Barbe Mar.
bois. Some twenty years after the pur-
chase he published a work upon Louisi
ana in which he detailed at some length
the negotiation which preceded the pur-
chase, and, referring to the question.
said: The shores of the western ocean
were certainly not comprised in the
cession, but already the United States is
established there.
there is also contained in this work a
map Of the country between the Missis.
sippi and the Pacific, IN which the extent
Of Louisiana to the westward is indicated
by Il line drawn on the 10th meridian,
which is not far from the western limit
Of the drainage basis OF the Mississippi in
Wyoming and Montana That part of
the country now comprised in Oregon,
Washington and Idaho, which, it has
been C aimed, formed part of the pur.
chase, bears the following legend: Terri
tories and countries occupied by the
United States. following the treaty Of ces-
sion Of Louisiana.