New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-05-04

n &
troll OF the fur trade. They kept the lho'nne
in a mood for fighting. disputed the possession
o. the country north Of the Ohio and secured
the profits Of a trade which exceeded what 'hey
would have gained by the possession OF Ne"
York" and larger than the loss would nave
been II all American private debts to Engish
merchants had been repudiated. The Enshsn
force required In this case was a merely nominal
one American merchants were making money
IN other directions The Western country was
filing up with settlers who were busy on 'he''
farms Nobody seems TO have thought earnestly
about those posts. except when an lndiah ioi"y
turned suspicion toward them Inere "a'
something tangible about this business nut
the trade Of the far South. compared win 'he
huge territorial claims made by France anu
SPAIN was a mere trfe. Much OF what 'hero
was was absorbed by English merchants IL
was said that one English hrm PAID Sl@'VVo 10
the Spanish for the privilege OF trading Win the
exceptionally populous Indian cou"-.y mat
stretched along the foot Of the Tennessee plateau
from the white settlements In the east 10 the MIS-
s,s,ippi This is only one instance to show that
the Standards holding TO the country
merely for the profit OF others. The treacherous
Wilkinson when he was still a mere trader ana
not an American general selling the secrets OK
hts Government 10 Spain. Is said 10 have SOLO
cargo Of tobacco In New-Orleans for hve nun
dred fold what II cost him in Kentucky. EN~
on the supposition that this kind or trace WAS
mart Of the intrigue for retaining the Mississippi
against the wishes OF the farmers cro"ulne
into the great valley from the mountain siues.
II was Improbable. II the Spanish had "a'cneu
their own pioneers. and much more those Oh
the United States. they would have known that
the first wave Of unruly and la"less porue'
rufians who could be brib'i was always io'-
lowed by a population thai knew us own HI
terests and maintained them soperiy ana NON
estlv. The outlaws would have sold out TO
Snajn and then robbed her that In the enc
the Bourbon power would have been turned out
~ Louisiana IN anv case. In the whole history |
Of Latin aggression in the South there Is only
one example Of thrifty craftsmanship, and that
wac NOT the work OF a Bourbon. but or the
bourgeois NAPOLEON But this Is not reached IN
this volume.
II there had been no interference from Euro
pean cabinets the affair as between the IN
dams and the settlers would have been settieo
with no more bloodshed. and perhaps less Inc
Indians would have followed their game 10 the
West. and they would have stood a chance OF
escaping the worst degradations that fell upon !
Thorn as the unconscious tools Of international
notifies They would have had time TO learn |
by observation the meaning Of the change that |
came over American life by revolt from Eng |
land One Of their grievances was the arbitrary |
change ~ allegiance The grievance was
founded on a much deeper reason than mere
preference for Englshmen or French or
Standards The Indians understood perfectly |
system Of government in which poh'icai
mower was handed down In the same family |
from generation to generation. 1t was their !
own system except that they were far more
rational about the matter than Europeans We're
since they could always choose the best man
out Of given stock. instead or being cohnneo
n the eldest son. They could in certain well
trovn cases trace their ruling families back IN
rnhroken lines for a period Of centuries. They !
understood the claims Of King George. but what
tho tribal organization was Of these people VINO
chose chiefs and councillors apparently at ran
dom was beyond their comprehension Yet
they were quick TO learn. They could discern
no law in the scattered movements Of the Ken
tuckian Long Knives. but they commented on
the compact and orderly settlement OF Revoiu-
.iorarv soldiers at Marietta as II II were rev
e,at,on 10 them And when Wayne went among |
them after giving them one terrific whipping, |
,hey we're drawn 10 him ny real aHectlon' |
They knew a man and a soldier when they saw
The effort to win over the pioneer was more
ra.,ona, ~ not more honest. than tampering |
u,,b tho Indians on the surface there was |
every chance that II might succeed. states
men OF the Bourbon rule in Europe controlled
neoples OF diverse speech and manners the /
earlier adventurers from the East in the Mis-
sissippi valley were men upon whom allegiance
sat lightly. They left behind them conf-d-
eracv which was more like anarchy than /
legitimate government Some Of them had been |
Tories IN the Revolution and were still un- |
friendly TO the United States. In general the
Keen traders who sought the Mississippi were
not the men TO let politics stand in the way OF
business. But as the country hHed UP THESE
Adventures fell into hopeless minority. Ihey |
talked Of alliances and Independence. but the
neonlo moved on toward Statehood and con- |
stitutional government But the confusion Of
,bings was never better shown than in the case |
NJ wilkinson who throughout most q his life |
drew pay from both Spain and the United |
States and betrayed both The disasters that |
must come upon man who attempted 10 sud-
vert the American system after It had really |
taken form were exemplifed in the case OF
Aaron Burr In less than twenty years Ameri- |
can noIicv attained a growth which neither
foreign statesmen nor domestic plotters could |
control and already foresaw the age OF
steam and devices Of navigation which were 10 |
give boundless activity to western commerce.
The mere anticipation Of what was to be.
true as Il was in general way. indirectly pro-
cured the Americans bad name. which was |
deserved and which they have not yet enaced. |
They had suffered enough from the meddling OF |
rurope 10 learn the wisdom OF letting nature |
alone But the "boomer' raised his voice early |
on the new lands He got vast tracts from the |
Government. and then he cried their sylvan |
beauty in the OF deluded Parisians These |
Paris.ans had been reading Rousseau. They had |
learned that the primitive condition OF man |
was the best SO they bought lands and fed |
from the well-pavcd streets OF Paris and from |
the sunny slopes and well-kept parks OF France |
70 The valley OF the Ohio. where the land was |