The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1913-07-04

beiond the Ohio. But for many year
settlers had been crossing the noun
tains into those fertile valleys, and
both this region and that which Vir-
ginia still kept showed many a clear
ing now and many rude hamlet
where hardy frontiersmen were max
! ing a new home for civilization.
! Rather than be handed over to con-
! gress, to be disposed of by an author
ity which no one else was bound to
obey, North Cardinals western set
! tiers declared they would form a
state of their own, and North Carolina
had to recall her gift of their lands to
! the confederation before their plans
Of defiance could be checked and de-
/ feated
! Virginia found her own frontiers
men no less ready to take the initia-
tive in whatever affair touched their
terest.
, Spain Closes Lower Mississippi.
Spain offered the United States
grant them the use of the lower
! courses of the Mississippi, lest terri
torial aggression should be pushed too
shrewdly in that quarter; and news
reached the settlers beyond the noun
tains, in the far counties of North
Carolina and Virginia, that Mr. Jay,
the Confederation secretary for for
eign affairs, had proposed to the
congress to yield the navigation of the
Mississippi for generation in ex-
change for trade On the seas. They
fatty declared they would give them
selves, and their lands 100, into the
/ hands of England again rather than
submit to be so robbed, cramped and
deserted
The New England states, on their
part. threatened to withdraw from the
/ Confederation If treaties were to be
made to wait upon the assent of
frOntiersmen on the far Mississippi.
The situation was full of menace of
no ordinary sort.
It could profit the Confederation lit
tie that great states like Virginia and
New York had grown magnanimous,
and were endowing the Confederation
with vast gifts of territory in the west.
if such gifts were but to loosen still
further the already slackened bonds of
the common government, leaving set
tiers in the unclaimed lands no ale
glance they could respect.
Without a national government spir-
tied and strong enough to frame poll
cies and command obedience, I'VE
shall never establish a national char
acter or be considered as on a respect
able footing by the powers of Europe" /
Washington had said from the first
Washington Urges Union.
He had made a most solemn appeal
to the states in his last circular to
them, ere he resigned his commission,
urging them to strengthen the powers
of congress, put faction and jealousy
away, and make sure of IAN indis !
soluble union under one federal head"
"An option is still left to the United
States of America" he had told them, !
with all his plain and stately elo
quence; sit is in their choice, and de- !
Ponds upon their conduct whether |
they will be respectable and prosper
Gus, or contemplate and miserable, !
as nation This is the time of their !
political probation"
The hazards of that probation had !
been burden upon his heart through |
all the toll of the Revolution. and now
it seemed as If the states must needs |
make every evil choice in meeting !
them. Congress could not so much as
carry out the provisions of the treaty {
of peace, for it's commissioners had /
made promises in the name of the !
states which the states would not re- /
deem
England Breaks Her Agreement.
England consequently refused to
keep her part of the agreement and /.
relinquish the western posts. She |
levied commercial war against the !
country, besides, without fear of re-
prisal; for congress had no power to /
regulate trade, and the states were too /
jealous of each other to cooperate |
in this or any other matter.
English statesmen had consented to |
give up the colonies, and recognize |
their independence as a nation, rather |
than face any longer the world in |
arms; but they now looked to see
them presently drop back into their !
hands again, out of sheer helplessness !
and hopeless division in counsel: and |
there were Observant men in America /
who deemed the thing possible, though |
it brought an intolerable fire into |
their blood to think of it.
In Financial Straits.
Other nations, too, were fast con- |
ceiving a like contempt for the Con-
federation
1t was making no provision for the |
payment of the vast sums of money it !
had borrowed abroad, in France and
Holland and Spain; and it could not
make any. 1t could only ask the |
states for money, and must count it. /
self fortunate to get enough to pay
even the interest on it's debts.