The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1901-09-29
rlNNsI An oRsooN NcLtnNn
Roth Held 10 Re Louisiana Territory nv
JeftsS5h. Benton ami other
American statesmen.

The following hl, Of Interesting his
Nry is published throug0 courtesy 81
Walter r. Stevens secretary " IN,
press committee ~ the ST Louis
Worlds fair The writer Captain sam
ucl Williams has devO,ed much ,In,e Z,
securing he Information, which can b,
Ir>giriei as authentic;
M periodical publication can And
room toy the carloads of official docU-
ments, c0rvgspondancc ana reS0ri'
which show how uniformly ami tcpaci.
OuSlv ;he government ~ the Cuilej
States and ;he representatives ~ ouy
people have coutaNied, sncV 1888, tina,
:ha territory bought from France IN
that ycir was bounded on the south hy
! tNe Guf ~ Mexico, crum the mouth 0j
The prr3.3a o. The mouth W the Rl0
Gnud'. hat The boundary further fNl.
IlAW'i this river grnm is mouth q tts
s5uuce, ;hepce due north 20 the parallel
iOf O. degrees; thence west along thl,
parallel ,o the Pacific: ana that th1
I ives 7rN boundary was the pAS,Ac from
i ~ degrees % q degrees a. minutes
Nor,h
France he'd occupied and explored bu,
INUs ~ ,N's territory Conflicting
/ claims {, parts % Il. NAsri tn discovery.
| ~ co1S. zines. Ctc,. had been asserted Nv
Iother ratiNts hat raj no mon, occupied
( ard explored IL .Aln France had 1,
was necessary % strengthen the ;itle
| W. bad obtained from France and the
work ~ Nplovi1g occupying and pas
| Sessing was PROMPTLY begun. So Mr.
/ JeNerSon sent out he Lewis and Clark
lexpAi:'a0 in 1904. which made he
4 first exploration ~ the Missouri river
I o. It's sources. .hen crossing over the
| divide" 6is soy red the Clearwater riv-
or hult holts on It's banks and navl-
gl:el &. o. ,1s Snlka river. the latter 20
( he Columbia river. and the Columbia
( q the pacld,. which they vea ,hed On
Z peceu,hsr. l>o5. This exploration COM
p,etad the work " Captain Robert
GRAY ~ Boston. chN frs, discOverer ~
tho mouth ~ TIE Columbia who hai
sailed up {, fifteen miles in lIes ami
named .Aa river at.er his ship Captain
Kandrick. an American navigator. had
sailed through the Straits ot FNca, the
Gull ~ Georgia and Queen Charlotte
sound 90 the Pacific In iiS9. and was
the first ~ make known the true
character ~ those wonderful Inland
wa.erS. Al ,his was Sc. forth as more
than cAun;a-vllljng any claim 80
the basin ~ The Columbia which Eng
larl might base on the prior discover
les ~ Drak1. Cook and Vancouver
Ths drs, house IN al thl; country
was bull, On the Columbia IN 1910 by
Captain W7nShlN. a New Epglander
and In 1911 John jacob Astor establish
ed his .r8iing post at Astoria fifteen
miles from the ocean. his men getting
there Just ahead ~ the expedition sent
ou, f,- the same purpose by the British
Northwestern Fur Trading Company.
In 1918 his agent sold out % this COM
pany on acc,u1t Of the war. and the
name Astoria was changed 10 F1r'
George Though the site was restored
30 the Uaitad Stl;es after the war, the
fur company held the properly TN 1,
sold out 10 the Hudson's Ray COM
plny in 1881. The operations Of these
FUR companies not only afforded n basis
sor England's claim ot occupancy, but
were held responsible FOR the many
Indian oCtrages that warned back I'M
migrants 10 Oregon from the United
States.
England claimed the whole country,
hpt offered 20 compromise on the line
ot tne Columbia, giving US wha; Is now
the stare ~ oregon as our only 0utle,
to the Pacific This We steadily refused
but IN ISIS entered into a convention
s1r the join, occupancy OF the whole
country by English and Americans
leaving the claims of both nations for
future settlement without prejudice to
either. Ta,s Join. occupation continued
20 b. denounced by our Western
statesmen. iii the cry "Fifty-four. forty
or Fight In lS4i-5, brought Us TO che
verge o. wl- with England war
which was averjei mainly by our an
usNl-ian ~ Texas. which meant war
with Mexico. and not wishing to fight
England AMI Mexico both a once on
territorial QC-s.i ms. We compromised on ,
fha lIns n the 18th degree In 1916. and
the back l1wn from "Fif.-tour forty
or Fight had a great deal 20 do vita
The i-f.a. NJ the Democrats by the cleo
Sion q Taylor ov-- Cass In lSiS.
Tn. a.a -N-May0r and eX-GOverhor, .
r. N Bishop. II Cincinnati, was run
ming q store IN Kentucky village In I
1855 and rha writer remembers mat the I.
dry goods advert sem snts Of Bishop
W 20 all headed "FifJy-four. forty or
Fight"
In 1919 he year after the Join, oc- .
cuplncy 1nven.ion with England. We
We're So eager % obtain Florida from
Spain mat We surrendered 20 her the .
whole v Texas. This SURF nder was .
denounced then ana thereafter by Thos. .
w. Benton az "a paTicidal act But .
the swap lii Spain no good. Mexico .
r=Iei from Spain and gained her lnie-
leni me-. with Texas. settled by Am /
arirans. az one ~ her states. The au-
.0nomy " the Mexican states was
abolished by the degree OF a usurping
and Texas, thereuD'n Sc
'=a3rI from Mexico. gained her lnde-
DeHdence and annexed herself to the
United States.
A very few extracts from the message
u President Polk. the speeches OF
presli-n, Buchaaln and Thos. II. Ben
ln, win show he Gains upon which
Jur government has always stood with
'efer-ace % these boundary and title
luesti0ns.
THE GULF BOUNDARY.
In a speech for the annexation OF
Texas UNITED States senate. June 10,
si4. Senator Benton Is thus reported
~ himself In his abridgement:
Texas and the country between the
Red river. and the Arkansas had been
LsWf!hDrI"l lTJm me Dni'Su o'A''' -,
he year 1919, and had since remained
indsr foreign dominion. He had de-
bounced that parricidal act in the mo-
nent Of It's preparation and had sought
0 undo Il ever since"
From President Polk's annual mes-
age December, 1876:
Texas constituted a portion Of ihe
.uci-nt provision Of Louisiana cede1 70
he Until states by France In 1903. In
he year 1919 the United States, By the
'l1rila treaty.. ceded to Spain all that
art " Louisiana WITHIN the present
mits NJ Texas. Texas. as ced-
d 10 the United States by France In
SOB. had been always claimed as ex-
ending west to the Rio Grande or Rio