The National tribune., 1903-05-14
THE LOUISIANA CEssroy.

'The treaty was signed in May. 1903.
The definition of the exact boundaries of
the ceded territory was purposely left very
loose by Napoleon. On the east the
Spanish Government of the F'lOridas still
kept possession of what are now several
parishes in the State of Louisiana. In the
far west the boundary lines which divided
upper Louisiana from the possessions Of
Britain on the north and of Spain on the
south led through a wilderness where no
white man had ever trod and they were
of course unmapped, and only vaguely
guessed at.
There was one singular feature of this
bargain. which showed. as nothing else
could have shown. how little American di-
plomacy had to do with obtaining Lousi-
ana, and how impossible it was for any
European power, even the greatest, to hold
the territory in the face of the steady
westward growth of the American people.
Napoleon forced Livingston and Monroe to
become the reluctant purchasers not mere
" of New Orleans. but of all the immense
territory which stretched vaguely north
westward to the Pacific. Jefferson at mo-
ments felt a desire to get all this Western
territory; but he was too timid and too
vacillating to insist strenuously upon any
thing which he feared Napoleon would not
grant. Madison felt Il strong disinclination
to see the National domain extend west Of
the Mississippi; and he so instructed Mon
roe and Livingston. In their turn the
American ENJOYS. with solemn fatuity. be-
lieved it might impress Napoleon favor
ably if they made much show of modera-
tion. and they spent no small part of their
time in explaining that they only wished q
little bit of Louisiana. including New Or
leans and the east bank of the lower Mis-
sisSippi. Livingston indeed went so far as
to express very positive disincination to
take the territory west of the Mississippi
at any price. stating that he should much
prefer to see 1t remain in the hands of
France or Spain. and suggesting, by way
of apology for its acquisition. that it might
be resold to some EuroDean powerl But
Napoleon saw clearly that if the French
ceded New Orleans it was simple phySi-
cal inpossibility for them to hold the rest
of the Louisiana Territory. If his fierce
and irritable vanity had been touched he
might, through mere wayward anger, have
dared the Americans to Il contest which.
however disastrous to them. would ulti-
mately have been more so to him: but
he was a great statesman. and 4 still
greater soldier and he did not need 70 be
told that it would be worse than folly to
try to keep n country when he had given
up the key-DOsition.
"The region west of the Mississippi
could become the heritage of no other peo-
pie save that which had planted its popu-
lous communities along the eastern bank
of the river. 1t was quite possible for Il
powerful Europeon nation to hold New
Orleans for some time, even though all
upper Louisiana fell into the hands of the
Americans: but it was entirely impossible
for any European nation to hold upper
Louisiana if New Orleans became city
of the United States. The WeSternsrs,
wiser than their rulers. hut no wiser than
Napoleon at the last. felt this. and We're
not i'll the least disturbed over the fate OF
louisiana provided they were given the
control of the mouth of the Mississippi
AS a matter Of fact. it is improbable that
the fate of the great territory lying west
of the upper Mississippi would even have
been seriously delayed had it been NOM
inaily under the control of France or
Spain. With the mouth Of the Mississippi
once in American hands it was Il physical
in any way to retard the
westward movement of the men who We're
settling Ohio. Kentucky. and Tennessee