The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1916-10-12
(ey w. w. EmMERsoN)

AZ VIC" VI tIt liouDlSS
being experienced by the American
government along tie Mexican bor-
der at the present time it may not
be uninteresting to the readers of
The Daily Record to know something
of the vicissitudes thru which the
country between the Mississippi riv-
er and the Pacific ocean. particularly
Texas, comprising two thirds of the
area of the United States, has un-
dergone during the last hundred and
ten years.
Altho this vast territory contains
more than 20.000,000 of highly civil
lied people whose material wealth
and industrial energy probably sur
passes that of any equal number of
human beings anywhere else ON
earth, this great domain was once
the shuttlecock of European rulers,
being banded back and forth be-
tween the kings of Spain and France
as a thing of little consequence. The
wisest and most astute statesmen of
the time, were incapable of reading
ITS horoscope, or of computing its
real Importance to mankind; other
wise they would have held on to it
as the brightest jewel in the diadem
of European monarchs.
The province of Louisiana, which
embraced all the country from the
Father of Waters westward to the
crest of the Rocky Mountains, except
Texas. which belonged to Spain at
that time, was purchased by Presi-
dent jefferson from Napoleon Bona
parte in 1903 for the sum of s12,-
100000 only part of which was ever
paid by this government, a portion of
il, known as the French Spoilation
GNlafr1nc 10 nnndinU in tho
gress of the United States. having
been before that body for adjudica-
eion for more than a century.
In extent the Louisiana Purchase
is almost as great as the territory
claimed by the original thirteen colo
MES and recognized by Great Britain
at the close of the Revolutionary
war in 1888, and now contains three
times the population and almost inf
nitely greater resources of all kinds
than that possessed by the American
colonies when they rebelled against
the tyranny of King George III.
From it has been carved no fewer
than twelve states and two territor-
les. viz; Missouri Iowa, Minnesota.
North and South Dakota, Kansas.
Nebraska. Colorado, Arkansas, Wyom
ing. Montana, Oklahoma and Indian
ltIIllOTys as well dS pOTllOHS Ol
Idaho, Oregon and Washington. Loui-
>siana became a French province thru
she explorations of Marquette and
La Sale in 1873 and 1852 and the
settlements of Iberville and Bienville
twenty years later. 1t reverted to
the French crown in 1853. but was re-
sroceded TO France in 1900. from
which it dropped into the capacious
maw of your Uncle Samuel, like a
ripe apple, three years subsequently.
The celebrated John Law was once
the governor of Louisiana and his
financial schemes awakened an inter
est in France, indeed, in all of West
ern Europe, such as had never been
known before; thousands of people
becoming rich and other thousands
proportionately poorer thru the specu-
1atiye measures he set on foot Law
was the pioneer of the get-rich-quick
scheme; his theory being that the
poor would become opulent and the
Tich richer by investing in lands in
Louisiana. His bubble burst in the
course of time and scores of the great.
est financial concerns of France went
down in the crash which followed.
Napoleon Bonaparte won the graft
tude of the American people when
he sold the province of Louisiana to
the United States, as il was general.
Sy realized in this country that we
must possess it sooner or later, peace.
ably if possible, but by war if neces.
sary. With the mouth of the Mississ.
ippi river in foreign territory. Presi-
dent Jefferson forsaw perpetual
menace to the country and made
Overtures to the French government
for its purchase.
SpraEfhanf RnnGnvn1f n hig hnnIy
-'The Winning of the West" shows
that the French emperor was shrewd
enough to know that he could not hold
Louisiana against the Americans and
they would take II sooner or later in
spite of anything he could do. and
he wisely sold it for s12,000.000 on
the theory that "a bird in hand is
worth two in the bush" Recent re-
searches among the records of the
French government has revealed the
fact that King Louis XIV once offered
the province of Louisiana to his cou-
sin, the king of Spain, as "a gift. but
ii was refused. Louis XIV appears to
have wanted to get rid of it pretty
badly and offered it to the English.
lbut they also declined it with thanks.
n is generally believed that Ma
poleon sold it to us to keep it from
falling into the hands of the English,
whom he hated with all the rancor
and vindictiveness of the Latin ma.
0ure. Napoleon did not love us very
sardently either, but of the two he
schose what he considered the lesser
evil; and he is not entitled to credit
for any great amount of benevolence
IN the transaction. as he drove pret-
ay good bargain with President Jeffer-
son. altho in the light of present con-
s@iitions he did not get a thousandth