The herald., 1912-05-23
BELLEVILLE NOTES.
Louisiana AS a State.

who in 1852, followed the long water
trail from the st. Lawrence through
the Great Lakes, and down the Missis-
sippi to the Gulf of Mexico.
The first settlement in what is now
Louisiana was at Natchitoches, found
ed about in 1912 by st. Denis. Bien-
vile found New Orleans in 171S; its
history shows his wisdom in the seiec-
ton of that site for a settlement. Set
tiers came slowly and numerous In
dian wars and get rich-easy' schemes
retarded the growth of the colony. In
1862, France, burdened with serious
troubles nearer home and loath to
see the colony fall into the hands Of
the hated English, ceded the territory
to Spain, to the sorrow of the colon'sts.
1t never became Spanish in interest
or intent, and was coded back to
France in 1900. At about this time
the English-speaking settlers of the
Mississippi valley began to demand the
opening of the great river to COM
merce. President jefferson aided by
the peculiar conditions in Europe,
found little difficulty in buying the
magnificent territory of unknown eX-
tent, then known as Louisiana. The
purchase was made in 1903 for $751;
OOO,OO Territorial government was
soon established in the part now form
ing the state west of the Mississippi.
In 1910 that part of the state east of
the river called the Florida Parishes"
was united to the western portion and
in 1912 was admitted into the Union
with W. c. c. Claiborne as Governor.
When Louisiana asked for admission
as a state, a hot debate arose imme-
diately. Some of the members did not
believe the Creoles would ever become
desirable citizens of the United States,
for they did not think the Creoles
would be true to any country but
France or Spain. They could not see
how a territory so recently purchased
as Louisiana could be fit for state
hood.
The members of the South and West
had long associated in business with
the Louisianians and felt kindly to-
ward them. They favored making a
State of the Territory of Orleans.
Josiah Quincy, a member of Con-
gress, was the most bitter in opposi-
ton to Louisiana becoming a state. He
said, Should Louisiana be admitted
as a state, he thought the Americans
should fight. He declared that their
forefathers had fought for rights and
liberties to Americans, not to the
mixed race in Louisiana" He ended
his speech by declaring that if Con-
gress could so far forget its duty as to
permit Louisiana to become a state,
any other state in the Union had a
right to secede; but in spite of all the
opposition the Territory of Orleans
was admitted in 1912, as the State of
Louisiana.
In the year of the admission, 1912,
the population of Louisiana did not
exceed $4,000, but it has increased to
100000 to the year of 1900, when
the last census was taken, but no doubt
is larger now.
In 1912 Louisiana had but three i'm
portant cities, Baton Rouge, New Or
leans and Natchitoches. Now we have
the great cities of New Orleans,
Shreveport, Baton Rouge, Monroe,
Lake Charles, Alexandria, Natchi-
toches, Ruston, Lafayette and New Ibe-
ria.
In 1912 the most settled parts of
Louisiana were along the Mississippi
river and eastern part of the state.
Now the country from north to south
and from east to west is vastly set
tied.
The products of 1912 were cotton,
sugar, indigo and tobacco, now Lou
isiana produces sugar cane, rice, cot
ton, radishes, tobacco, alfalfa, wheat, |
peas, corn and forage crops.
The manufactures of Louisiana in
1912 were sugar and lumber. Now the
making and refining of sugar is first
in Importance among the manufactur-
ing industries of the state. Louisiana
manufactures lumber, timber products,
quantities of cypress, pine and oak,
doors, blinds, barrels and boxes, oil
meal, and machinery. There are brew
cries, ice factories and a few cotton
factories.
Louisiana has 4,794 miles Of navi-
gable streams, in commercial respect
exceeding any other state of the Union:
The commercial activity of her man.
ufactured products were worth SILL
100000 in 1900, s1S6, 4OO, 900 in 1905. In
1896 individual deposits in banks were
s25, 000,0 900; in 1906, sS6,600,O0O.
The commerce of the state consists
in the export of cotton, sugar, lumber
and fruit. The navigable rivers ena-
BILE almost all narts of the state to ha