The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-09-14
THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE.
How 1t Furnished the Basis for Big Bluff by
the United States.

Washington Letter in st. Louis Globe Democrat
In the course of his researches, Chief Geog-
rapher Gannett, of the Geological Bureau, has
unearthed some interesting facts not generally
known about the region once known as the Ter
rtory 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 l712 France made grant to Antoine
de Crozat of the exclusive right to trade in the
Territory This grant made the first and only
statement of the general limits of the vast re-
gion. 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 establishments
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, for
merly called the Missouries river, and the St
Jerome, formerly called the Wabash (now the
Ohio), with all the countries, territories, lakes
islands and the rivers emptying directly or in
directly into that part of the river St Louis"
In tracing the transfers of the various portions
of the Western country until the present limits
of the United States were determined, Mr.. Gan
nett finds that this government came into pos
session of the region now divided into Washing
ton. Oregon and Idaho, through pure game of
bluff. 1t is certain. he says. that the Territory
of Louisiana, as first and subsequently defined
never included that section.
France transferred the Territory of Louisiana
to Spain in l762 A few months later, in a treaty,
the western boundary of Great Britains posses
sions 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 Lousiona to
France.
In 1903 Bonaparte sold the Territory of Lou
isiana to the United States in consideration of
60. 900, 900 francs. and the assumption by this
government of the French spoliation claims"
supposed to amount to about So $50 900. The
treaty Of cession defined the boundaries as the
same as those specified in the treaty of San Ilde
fonSo.
Mr.. Gannett reaches this conclusion:
From this it appears that the territory sold
to the United States comprised that part of the
drainage basin of the Mississippi which lies west
of the course of the river, with the exception of
such parts as were then held by Spain The
want of the precise definition of limits in the
treaty was not objected to by the American COM
! missioners, as they probably foresaw that this
very Indebtedness 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, Washing
ton and Idaho in the negotiations with Great
Britain regarding the northwestern boundary
was ostensibly based not only on prior occupa-
ton and upon purchase from Spain, but also
upon the alleged fact that this area formed part
of the Louisiana purchase. That this claim was
baseless is shown not only by what has been
already detailed regarding the limits of the pur-
chase but also by the direct testimony of the
French plenpotentiary, NJ. Barbe Marbois
Some twenty years after the purchase he pub
lished work upon Louisiana. in which he de-
tailed at some length the negotiations which
preceded the purchase, and, referring to this
question, said The shores of the Western ocean
were certainly not comprised in the cession, but
already the United States are established there
There is also contained in this work a man
of the country between rhe Mississippi and the
Pacific. on which the extent of Louisiana to the
westward is indicated by line drawn On the
10th meridian. which is not far from the
western limit of the drainage basin of the Mis-
sissppi in Wyoming and Montana. That part of
the country now comprised in Oregon, Washing.
ton and Idaho, which, it has been claimed,
formed part of the purchase, bears the following
legend: Territories and countries occupied by
the United States following the treaty of cession
of Louisiana -