Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1906-11-30

all this land west OF the Ohio river TO
stay under British control. Why, only
the other day the Count d'Aranda sug-
geSted that our western boundary line
should be the oil river and the Mis-
sissippi river" But. Mr.. Jay, what
right have you to that land or the
northwest? What right" Indignantly
cries the great American diplomat.
"By the right of conquest. Have you
not read how George Rogers Clark led
his troops through that region and
compelled the British general at De
trolt TO surrender to himf" Well. Mr..
Jay, what do you intend to do? at In
tend TO thwart the hostile machina-
lions OF the French king. I shall first
sign a treaty with the English COM
misSioners without consulting the
French ministers. Then l shall take
that treaty TO the French kings hire
lings and say: Sign. You must sign or
be branded as our nations enemies I"
And this is what John Jay, the great
American diplomat. induced the Amer
lean commissioners to do. Thus we
find that the great treaty OF Paris Of
1888 was principally the direct work
OF two great American heroes-George
Rogers Clark. the backwoods dreamer,
and John Jay. the astute diplomat,
who dared to defy the direct orders of
the Continental congress and who dar-
ed to thwart the plans of the French
minister yergennes.
My friends. on this glorious Thanks
giving Sabbath let us think for mo-
mani x.,haf o,tr- .v,voro,,o,,& xx,o,,l1 hox.<,
been had not these two American he
roes set forward the northwestern
boundary from the Ohio river to the
great lakes. Did you ever stop to
think what this government would be
IL we had been compelled to erect
| frowning fortreSSes at Buffalo and
Pittsburg and Cincinnati and Louisville
and Natchez aud custom house officials
had been set to patrol the eastern
shores of the Ohio to keep the goods OF
our western country from entering
New York and Philadelphia duty free
The Louisiana Purchase.
We must hurry in the discussion of
this interesting Thanksgiving theme.
The next great geographical expansion
to which ] would call your attention
is the Louisiana purchase. The in
direct cause of this purchace is almost
unknown to the majority of American
| citizens. And in order to give the his
torical setting TO this transaction !
shall first Introduce to you as strange
and as weird personality as George
Rogers Clark. This man Is not white
man, bat full blooded negro. He is
Il N IN, Al
United States. but in the island of
Santo Domingo. And yet this negro.
this ex-Slave. named Toussaint rOu-
venture, whom Napoleon betrayed by
false promises and brutally starved TO
/ death In the French dungeon of ST
Joux, had as much to do with the
Louisiana purchase as Robert Living
ston or Thomas Jefferson. the presi-
dent.
Santo Domingoisa an island OF the West
Indies northeast OF South America. II
Is more commonly known as Haiti OF
the "Island OF the Mountains" In geo.
graphical area il is about the size OF
South Carolina. IT is an island SC
beautiful that IL seems rs though the
goddess Flora had come there and
planted her most beautiful treasures
and that the garden of Eden had lift
cd itself out OF the green seas TO bS
kissed by the azure OF the blue skies
Here il was in the days of Robespierr,
and Marat and Danton. led on by thi.
modern Spartacus called Toussain
FOuverture, that the slaves OF tina
island rose in their might and Tough
for the honor of their manhood an,
womanhood and won their indepcnd
ence and called their brave leader
Toussaint rOuverture. their natlona
chief. That was in 1901. Under thi
new regime so great was the peac,
and prosperity OF the island that Wen
dell Phillips said: "A child with ba;
OF cold could 20 from Samona to Por
au Prince without risk. Peace was II
every household. The valleys glove,
with fertility; culture climbed tn
mountains; the commerce of the worl,
was represented in the harbors." And
thank God. there was no slave any
where. Every man. woman and chill,
was free.
Something 40 Fight About.
The scene again changes. We ar
now In the Tuilerles of Paris. Napo
leon. the young conqueror, is electc,
first consul OF France. Then came tn
treaty Of Amiens or 1902. when wa
between England and France was end
ed. The whole world was now at peace
and Napoleon had big army on hi
hands and nothing to fight Then tn
Little Corporal said TO himself: "
must have something to fight. I mus
keep my soldiers employed" So II,
looked over the map and said: "Aha.
have a solution. Here is Sapto Domingo
viii reconQuer IL and again enslavt
its negroes" The French soldiers die
not care what they were fighting n.
long as they Were fighting something
So the flower OF the French army Sc
sail for this faroff island. lie Cierc, the
great French general. the husband Of
Napoleon's sister. Pauline Bonaparte
was In command.
What happened? Toussaint rOuver
ture is treacherously betrayed and car
ried TO France prisoner. but his lieu
tenants of war continued his patriotic
work These disciples OF the Washing
ton or this southern island. aided by
the pestilence and disease which
fought for them. drove the French
troops step by step until within a few
months six-sevenths Of all the unprin.
eipled French invaders were dead. The
veteran French soldiers. whose tread
Ike the tramp OF Roman leglons
struck the world with terror. were
moved down almost as quickly as the
ripened grain falls before the hiss OF
the scythe. What now happened? Ma.
poieon, the great Napoleon. the mighty
conqueror Napoleon. who had his
/ dreams n n limo tho III oh fa~,t4o...