East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1917-09-22

| ty of Paris in 1868. made vast changes
in the ownership of the North Am
erican continent England was COM
pletely successful, practically driving
! the French from North America. She
secured possession of Canada and al
so of the region once claimed by
France east of the Mississippi river.
The French about the same time ced-
, ed their territory west of the Mississ-
ippi to Spain. This remained the
condition of things until the Revolu-
tionary war closed. Then the terri
tory east of the Mississippi became
the United States, as We have seen.
The Louisiana Purchase.
After the treaty of 1853, the name
Louisiana, once applied to all terri
tory between the Alleghenies and the
! Rockies, came to be applied ex-
clusively to the territory west of the
/ Mississippi to the crest Of the Rocky
mountains. This territory was nomi-
nally in the hands of Spain, but it was
little used by the people of that ma
ton. During the time that Napoleon
controlled the government of France
he induced Spain to restore Louisiana
to France, for he at that time had
some thought of colonizing the coun-
Z
tober, 1900. BY the opening OF the
year 1903, Napoleon. having abandon
ed his notion of planting colonies in
Louisiana, and becoming hard pressed
for funds with which to carry on his
wars, was prepared to sell the terri
tory and in April. 1903, the whole
vast region passed 10 the American
government for the insignificant sum
of about $4,000, 5000.
The Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Thomas Jefferson was president OF
the United States when this purchase
was made, and to him more than to
any other man, except Napoleon. IS
due the fact that Louisiana was added
to the United States. Jefferson had
long been interested in the country
west of the ALLEGHENY mountains, and
as early as 1893, before the treaty
with Great Britain was ratified. he
suggested to George Rogers Clark an
exploring expedition from the Mis-
sissippi river to the Pacific ocean. |
jefferson had also entered upon other
plans which promised to afford infor-
nation concerning the western half of
North Aemrica- All OF these proved
fruitless. Shortly before the purchase
Of Louisiana, however. he proposed
tn the United States congress the fitt-
ing out of an expedition headed by |
army officers who should traverse the !
line of the Missouri river, find their |
way to the heads of other rivers flow
ing westward or southwark, and by |
exploring these discover the most |
practicable route for commerce to the |
Pacific ocean.
Captain Meriwether Lewis and Cap |
tain William Clark were to be at the |
head of this party when it was or !
ganized in accordance with Jefferson's |
suggestion. They set out in the spring I
of 1904, passed up the Missouri river /
to its source, and crossed over to the !
head of the Columbia river, explored it /
to its mouth, which they reached on /
the seventh of November. 1905. Loui- |
siana had come into the American
union before the expedition set out, |
and the Lewis and Clark party were |
able to bring back much valuable in
formation about our new possession.
The Oregon Question.
Lewis and Clarks exploration of
the Columbia aroused a deep interest
in the Pacific northwest among the
commercial people Of the United
States. 1t also strengthened the claim
of our nation to the territory drained
by the Columbia. But the beginning
of that claim lies farther back, for,
on the eleventh day of May, 1892. Cap
tain Robert Cray, of Boston, who was
trading with the Indians along the
Pacific coast for furs sailed across the
bar into a great river in about lati-
tude forty-six degrees, and passed
thirty miles up the stream. Gray's
vessel was named THE Columbia"
This name he bestowed upon the
beautiful river which he was the first ]
among white men to enter, so far az
is known. Gray's discovery was first
published to the world by Captain
George Vancouver, an English nayi-
gator who had been sent out to eX-
plore the coast, but who had failed in
his researches to find the great river.
A good many years later It was made
the basis Of a claim to the Oregon
territory on the part of tho United
States.
Several European nations also as
serted rights in this territory. The
claim Of Spain was the oldest Of all.
for when Balboa, in September, 1913.
beheld from "Darien Peak" tho wa
ters Of the south sea, he dramatically
claimed possession Of all ft- coasts in
behalf Of the Spanish SOVEREIGN. This
shadowy claim was later strengthened
by the Spanish occupation OF Cen
trail America. Mexico, Lower CaIfor-
MIA. Upper California. and by explor-
ng expeditions sent northward from
California as far as the fIfty-eghth !
iegree Of north latitude. prior 10 the
exploration Of the north Pacific D.,
.oast Nv tho RrifIgh Than came =