The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1933-12-07


other side of the fagpole were Spanish troops
and few French officers
A few hours before, Pierre Clement Laussat
French project OF Louisiana, Gen. James Wikin-
son Of the United States army, and William q.
c. Claiborne, former governor or MISSISSIPPI Ter
ritory had met In the famous old Cabildo, which
faces on the square There the credentials OF the
two Americans were read. as was the authority
OF the Frenchman to hand over to them official
possession OF certain tract OF land. the keys OF
the city OF New Orleans were given to Claiborne
and he, dissolving the allegiance OF the inhabi-
tants OF New Orleans to France, welcomed them
as citizens of the United States.
Then the three men stepped out into the
Place d, Armes At signal the Tricolor OF
France began to descend and the Stars and
STRIPES of the United States to ascend. Midway
on the flagstaff the two banners met and were
saluted And when the American flag had
reached the top of the staff and the French BAN
ner the bottom, 1t meant that the Louisiana Ter
rItory had changed hands for the sixth and last
time and was henceforth American soil.
Thus the fitting climax to this biggest real
estate deal In history" In which Napoleon Bona
parte, the First Consul OF France, had sold to
Thomas Jefferson, President OF the United States
for $15,OOOOOO vertabe empire OF 1,17193l
square miles 1t doubled the original area OF the
new Republic and gave to that Republic the land
which In the future was to be the following
states: Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, the
part of Minnesota west of the Mississippi, North
Dakota South Dakota. Nebraska, and most OF
Oklahoma Kansas, Montana Wyoming and
large part OF Colorado. 1t extended our boun-
dares from the Canadian border to the Gulf OF
Mexico and from the Rocky mountains to the
Mississippi river. which henceforth was to be
ours freed forever from the menace OF foreign
power holding one OF our most important gate
ways to the sea-New Orleans.
Like so many important events In American
history, the Louisiana Purchase had Its origins
In European politics and intrigue. The Louisi-
ana Territory had first been claimed for France
by the explorer La Sale who In 1882 had taken
possession OF 1t tn the name Of Louis XIV. In
1712 the Grand Monarch had Harmed" Louisiana
to Antoine Crozat the greatest merchant monop-
ost OF his day but Crozat, unable to make use
of It had turned 1t over Ave years later to John
Law the Scotch adventurer, whose bursted Mis-
sssippi Bubble had almost overnight trans
formed him from hero In France to the most
hated man In that country. So In 1871 the Lou
isana Territory went back to the French crown
again and In 1862 Louis XIV had coded 1t to Spain.
Spanish territory 1t had remained all the time
the English colonies on the Atlantic seaboard
were winning their freedom from Great Britain
and taxing LneT HTst ldileIluE steps Nd q uch
nation In the meantime stirring events had been
taking place In France. The Bourbons had been
dethroned the horrors of the French Revolution
had run their course and new world figure had
risen above the horizon--Napoleon Bonaparte,
the First Consul OF France.
Within year after. he had become virtually
the master OF Europe. He had crushed Austria
and the states of the italian peninsula Peace
with England was In sight and six weeks after
his victory at Marengo Napoleon sent demand
to Spain to cede Louisiana back to France The
main reason back of that demand was bis de-
sire, along with his other plans to dominate the
world, to rebuild the French commercial power
In America and begin upon policy Of colonial
expansion
The treaty by which Spain ceded Louisiana
back to France In 1902 was kept secret but soon
after Thomas Jefferson became President In 1901
he suspected what was going on across the At
lantIc French control OF New Orleans and
French domination OF the Mississippi would have
serious meaning for the United States espe-
cially to the settlers OF Ohio, Kentucky and Ten
nessee AS early as 1900 they were sending down
the river 10000 pounds Of tobacco, 10000 bar
rels of flour. $4,000 pounds Of hemp. 500 bar
rels of cider and as many more OF whisky for
shipment abroad
So long as the Spanish were liz control. this
commerce would not be seriously affected for,
even though there had been matters OF annoy
ance between American commercial interests and
the Spanish authorities In general the Ameri-