The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1900-10-13
mouth, including the island of New

':In 1895 a treaty of friendship, lin
its and navigation was entered into by
this country and Spain after long and
tedious negotiations, by which the
Spanish king granted to the American
people the right of navigation by the
Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.
The fourth article of that treaty pro-
vided: And his Catholic majesty like
wise agreed that the navigation of the
said river in it's whole breadth from
it's source to the ocean shall be free
only to the subjects and the citizens OF
the United States, unless he should eX-
tend that privilege to the subjects of
other powers by special convention.
"Now, in addition to that, by the
twenty second article Of the treaty, the
king of Spain granted what was
called a right of deposit in the island
of New Orleans to the merchants of
the United States. 1t simply provided
that they should have the right to de-
post their merchandise without pay
ing any custom duties or any manner
of toll except the ordinary rates for
warehouses.
"Now, in 1900 Louisiana was coded
back to France, but no notice Of the
cession was given to the United States.
The Spanish officers remained in con-
troll and no visible ownership had
taken place. In 1902, without any no.
tice, this mighty deposit was sum-
marily removed on the ground that the
three years for which it had been
granted under the twenty-second ar
ticle of the treaty had expired, and the
Spanish king had not designated any
new place Of deposit On that the
people Of the United States rose as one
man and demanded that the right of
navigation to the gulf should be vindi-
Gated and the right Of deposit sus-
tanned.
1.-The first action toward taking the
island Of New Orleans was taken in
the senate of the United States when
Ross, Il senator from Pennsylvania,
ing the circumstances of the with
drawal of the right of deposit, directed
that the president be authorized to
take immediate possession of such
place or places in said island or the
adjacent territories as he may deem
fit and convenient for the purpose
aforesaid, and to adopt such other
measures for obtaining their complete
security as to him in his wisdom shall
seem meet
Cross was the leader of the OPPOSE
ton. breckenridge, the representa-
tive and spokesman of the administra-
ton, offered as an amendment a reso-
luton providing that the president Of
the United States be and he is hereby
authorized whenever he shall judge it
eXpedicnt to require of the executives
of the sovereign states to take effective
measures to organize and equip ac-
coriling to law and held in readiness to
march at Il moments warning $4,000
effective militia, officers Included
"The difference between these two
resolutions was that the opposition
called for immediate forcible seizure,
while jefferson insisted upon attempt
ing to acquire the islands by peaceful
negotiations before having recourse to
force.
"Breckenridgc's resolutions were
adopted and thereupon Jefferson sent
Il message to the house of representa-
tives, asking them to appropriate the
sum of $2,OOOOOO, which should he
nomnally for the purpose OF maintain
ing the diplomatic service of the Uni
ted States, but which should be under
stood as authorizing him to enter into
negotiations for the purchase of New
Orleans, and that measure was passed
by the house behind closed doors, sent
over to the senate, passed there on the
ODD of February, and that was the au-
thority given by the congress in adj
vance to Mr. Jefferson to purchase
New Orleans and the eastern territory
Of the Mississippi
when the negotiations were opened
it was found that the French govern
ment would not sell New Orleans un-
less this government agreed to pur-
chase the whole Of the Louisiana ter
ritory. That jefferson agreed to do
for the sum of 6O,O0O,O00. Now when
the treaty came before the senate and
when the bill came before the house of
representatives to appropriate the
money for the purchase an opposition
developed, not to taking the mouth Of
the Mississippi and the island of New
Orleans, but an opposition to taking all
this northwest territory that ran from
the west bank into some place that
was not specified in the territory and
had never been known, measured or
surveyed.
Ion that the division of opinion rose.
Jefferson was reduced to the alterna-
tive of taking Louisiana, of taking the
whole by peaceful means, or else of
taking New Orleans by forcible means.
He chose the pathway Of peace and it
was not the least of his contributions
to the greatness of this country of the
civilization of the world.
"When he took it he took it under
this provisions: The Inhabitants OF
Jo coiJ H.,