Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1903-10-22


Mississippi river, and from the great
lakes on the north to the Spanish and
French dominions on Inc south. The
people of the United States owned only
one-half of the Mississippi river from
its source, in what is now Minnesota,
to where it entered the French prov.
ince of Louisiana, but while they pos
sessed the right to navigate this vast
interior waterway through the greatest
part of its length, they could not reach
its outlet into the Gulf Of Mexico ex.
cept by passing through foreign terri.
tory.
at was at once seen that the people
of the western portion of United States
territory were placed at most griev-
GUS disadvantage in having their com
merce on the river at the mercy OF
foreign country. President Jefferson
must have been extremely anxious to
secure for his countrymen a right to
the free use of the Mississippi river
from its source to the sea.
"Of all national questions besetting
the statesmen of that day the control
of the mouth of the Mississippi was the
most pressing. At first 1t was sought
to secure by treaty the right to navi-
gate the mouth of the river, but finally
it was seen that the desired result
could only be consummated by the
purchase of territory, and it was first
proposed to secure only limited area
around the mouth of the river.
"The negotiations, however, which
were started on that basis were eu'
larged until when the treaty of cessioL
was concluded 1t embraced the Whole
of the French possessions in North
America. This accession to the do
main of the United States was in i'm
portance beyond all computation, anil
as a factor in the development OF the
great republic, it is beyond all limita
ton, and it passes the bounds of the
conception of the most brilliant and
far-reaching imagination.
But if the Mississippi river forced
the American people to seek and Sc
cure control of it throughout its entire
extent, it also enabled the United
States in the civil war to prevent the
secession of the Southern States and
thereby save the Union. II the great
river had flowed from west to east, fol
lowing the course of the Missouri, the
Ohio and the Potomac, it is easily seen
that it would furnish a most formid
able obstacle to the Northern invaders
while it would have left the Southern
people a united country from the
Rocky mountains to the Atlantic ocean
But unfortunately for the Confederates
it cut their country in half and en-
ahJad tho FaderaI p1InbOatS to come
down from the North, and the Federal
naval t.eets to come up from the sea
and so sever the Confederacy into two
sections that were so completely dis
connected that communication between
the two was rendered extremely diff
cult
"The Mississippi river is an inland
sea that perpetually guarantees the
solidarity of the Union as far as the
northern and southern sections OF the
country are concerned, although ii
would facilitate division into eas'
and west sections.
Enough has been said to show thai
from every point of view, whether prac
tical or sentimental, the Mississippi
river is a great national interest, from
which no part of the country can sepa
rate itself It's floods, as well as its
nayigability as great highway ol
commerce, profoundly concern the en-
tire population of the United States
and therefore the New Orleans conven
ton merits the fullest consideration
from the people of every State in the
Union"