The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-09-19
FIRST ACROSS THE CONTINENT
Effect the Lewis and Clark Upon the Westward
..i~ #T sion of the United States.


petition gives strong support to the
great man theory of history. Explorations
Of a route to the Pacific in the latitude of
the United States was a long cherished
project, promoted by Jefferson alone, just
as the sale Of Louisiana to the United
States resulted from the sudden impulse
OF one man--Napoleon Bonaparte. There
was an interval Of twenty years between
Jefrerson's first effort for such an expe-
dition and his success in sending out
Lewis and Clark. AS early as Dec. 4,
1888, he wrote 5as follows to General
George Rogers Clark. the virtual savior OF
the old northwest to the United States
and brother of the William Clark who
afterwards was associated with MeriWeth-
or Lewis in the exploration:
find they have subscribed very large sum
OF money IN England for exploring the country
from the Mississippi to California, They pre-,
tend 1t Is only to promote knowledge.
afraid they have thoughts of colonizng into
that quarter. Some Of It's have heen talking
here In a feeble way OF making the attempt to
search that country. But doubt whether
have enough of that kind of spirit to raise
the money. How would YOU like to lead such
a party? Though I am afraid our prospect Is
not worth asking the question
Nothing seems to have come of this eff
fort. But only about two years later JEFF
ferson was enlisting other services for the
accomplishment of this pet project Of his.
In his memoir Of Meriwether Lewis he
says:
While resided in Paris Q7s6}. John Led.
yard. OF Connecticut arrived there, we'll known
IN the United States for energy of body and
mind He had accompanied Captain Cook on
his voyage to the Pacific ocean. and distin-
guished himself on that voyage by his in,
trepidtty. Being Of roaming disposition, no
His immediate object Mt Paris was to engage
mercantile company in the trade of the west
ern coast OF America. in which, however. he
failed. then proposed to him to go by land
kamtSChatka,
vessels to Nortka Sound. fall down into the
latitude Of the Missouri and penetrate to and
through that to the United States. He eagerly
seized the idea, and only asked to be assured
Of the permission OF the Russian government.
Ledyard set out by way of st. Peters
burg, and penetrated to within 200 miles
OF Kamtschatka, where he was obliged to
take UP his winter quarters. He was
preparing to resume his journey In the
spring when he was arrested by an officer
OF the empress, put into a CLOSE carriage
and conveyed back to Poland. There he
was set down and left to himself. The
the project. Jefferson soon had Ledyard
under another promise to make tho trip
across the American continent, July 10,
1888, he wrote Madison that Ledyard had
left Paris a few days before. en- route to
Alexandria. In Egypt, thence to explore
the Nile to its source: across to the head
Of the Niger and descend that to its
mouth. He promises me, If he escapes
through his journey, he will go to Ken
tuoky and endeayeor to penetrate west
: wardly to the South sea-" But Ledyard
I persisted In the very beginning Of his Az
rican exploration.
A few years later, in 1892, Jefferson was
again promoting scheme to achieve this
end Funds were raised by subscriptions
~ he had proposed to the American. Phil
osophiqal Society Of Philadelphia Two
' men we're to be equipped to ascend the
Missouri. Cross the Rocky mountains and
descend the nearest river to, the Pacific
Mertvether Lewis and the French bota-
mist, Andre Michaux. were selected to ex-
ecub this project. But the Frenchman
became involved in Comets plottings to
pre'ipitate the west in an attack upon
louisiana. then Spanish possession. So
tn expedition of exploration failed to
na.terialize.
Jefferson's repeated efforts as private
ctizen in the promotion OF westward ex-
xoration had resulted only In failure But
ne exploration Of the water courses az
ording a route to. the Pacific could be
regarded as a, matter of national concern,
and we might expect that Jefferson as
president would point this out and urge
the organization Of an expedition under
national auspices A government explor-
ling expedition. however. was, In Jeffer-
sons time, an innovation. His political
; principle did not admit of such. But po-
his heart was set on a, project as a patri-
ietie measure. The confidential message
sent to congress Jan. 10, 1903, proposing
a transeontinental exploration, betrays a
lurking sense Of inconsistency with his
political professions. The Louisiana pur-
chase, however. few months later re-
vealed a startling boldness in cutting
free from political professions. This lat
ter step, since it involved the payment OF
millions of dollars and the immediate
doubling Of our national area would nat
urally be challenged In congress, when
an expedition costing only few thou
sand and promising nothing revolutionary
would be Endorsed without question. That
confidential message, asking for an appro-
pration by congress for the equipment OF
this expedition, exhibits wonderful adroit-
ness.
4 The government was then maintaining
trading houses among the northwestern
indians. Through these agencies goods
were sold to the Indians on terms as lib.
eral as possible without diminishing the
capital stock employed. The good will Of
the Indians was thus secured and unde-
sirable private traders were eliminated
AS the act under which these public trad
ing houses were established was about tt
expire and the question of the continu
nnee Of the system would come up before
congress, Jefferson naturally took occa
sion to explain his policy in the admins
JIdtlOIl VI IA5 law dilu u punt out now
through these government establishments
the Indians could be induced to provid,
themselves with the implements Of 1lus
bandry and gradually be brought to
state OF civilization. The substitution O
agriculture for hunting would also reliev
feeling becoming intense among then
that their lands were to restricted TO
their needs, But private traders would
by such a system, be debarred from for
mer opportunities. To make amends 70
this, Jefferson proposed that the tribe
on the upper Missouri should be visite
for the purpose Of getting our traders ad
mitted among them. Thus most cautious
1y and ingeniously did he lead up to hi
real designs In proposing this expedition
Almost at the close of his message h
comes out with them:
While other civilized nations have encour
tered great expense to enlarge the boundarie
Of knowledge by undertaking voyages Of dis
covery, and for other literary purposes in Va
rious parts and directions, our nation seem
to owe to its own interests to explore this tn
only line Of easy communication across the cor
ttnent. and 30 directly traversing our own par
of 1t. The interests Of commerce place til
principal object within the constitutional pow
ers Of congress. and that it should incidental
nent can not but be an additional qualification
Organized as Literary Project.
That permission might be the nor
readily gained to traverse the Louisian
territory the expedition was presented ur
der the guise of literary project to til
a nY, fhnt, Lei afr,oe hot ~