USA > Illinois > Cook County > Chicago > Discovery and conquests of the Northwest, with the history of Chicago, Vol. II > Part 27
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between Great Britain on one side and Spain and France on the other, the forty ninth parallel was as- sumed to be the dividing line between the French province of Louisiana and the British possessions to the north. Some historians have denied the binding force of that treaty in establishing the line of the forty-ninth parallel, but that this demarkation began here, no one who studies the intricate meshes of this question can doubt. In the debates at the ratification, in the British house of commons, on the Ashburton treaty, mention was made of a map which had belonged to the late King George III, made by Mr. Faden, the king's geographer, after the peace of 1783. This map had hung in the king's library during his lifetime, and subsequently in the foreign office; but it had disap- peared about the time of the Ashburton treaty. On it was written, in the handwriting of King George III, "This is Oswald's line," referring to a red line on the forty-ninth parallel, immediately above these words. Mr. Richard Oswald was one of the British commission- ers who negotiated the provisional treaty of peace of 1782 between England and America. In 1843 Sir Rob- ert Peel and Lord Aberdeen showed this map to Ed- ward Everett, United States minister to the court of St. James. On it was the red line, as fixed at the treaty of Utrecht in 1713.
Mr. Rush and Mr. Gallatin acted on the part of the United States, and Mr. Goulburn and Mr. Robin- son, on the part of Great Britain, at the first English and American negotiations on the forty-ninth parallel. The American plenipotentiaries proposed that a line should be drawn from the northwestern extremity of the Lake of the Woods, thence to the forty-ninth parallel, which might be to the north or the south of that point, and that a dividing line between the two nations should be on this parallel to the Pacific ocean. Subsequently, in running a line from this point on the Lake of the Woods to the forty-ninth parallel, it was
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found that this parallel was about a degree to the southward, hence that tangent point running into the Lake of the Woods on all accurate maps of the United States, showing its northern boundary. This line ran substantially along the ridge dividing the northern watershed from the Mississippi watershed. It was a natural boundary, never questioned by either nation, as far as the Rocky mountains.
When the issue as to the ultimate ownership of Oregon became a matter of discussion between Great Britain and the United States, certain principles in our political and financial statecraft hinged upon these final negotiations.
The Hudson Bay company had been chartered by King Charles II in 1669, whose limits on the south had never been defined; but whose ambitions in that direction were in rivalry not only with the American Fur company, but with American settlements as they tended westwardly. This opulent company had a strong influence with the British cabinet ; on the other side, American emigrants to this country had an equally strong influence with the American congress. Here was a collision of interests that must be settled by diplomacy to prevent violence between the emigrants of the two respective countries. According to Gray's history of Oregon, some emigrants from America had already been killed by agents from the Hudson Bay company. Under this strain, the two governments con- cluded a treaty October 20, 1818,agreeing that emigrants from each country should be allowed to settle in the disputed territory for the space of ten years. Pending this joint occupation, the Hudson Bay company, through their advantages of wealth and a large force of fur hunters, gained almost complete possession of the dis- puted territory, to the exclusion of the American fur hunters and trappers. The first object at which they aimed was to convince the outside world, and especially the people of the United States, that this country was
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useless for agricultural purposes, a task which contin- ued to grow more and more hopeless in proportion as American settlers emigrated to the country.
Mr. Rush, when minister to England, in 1824, received a proposition from the British government that the line of separation between the two govern- ments should be on the forty-ninth parallel, from the Lake of the Woods westward to the northeasternmost branch of the Columbia; thence down that river to the sea, substantially the same line as had been considered by Mr. Rush and the British commissioners in 1814, but not agreed to. In reply to this proposition the Amer- icans demanded the line of the forty-ninth parallel through to the Pacific coast. Mr. Gallatin, plenipo- tentiary to the British court, under instructions from his government, did not accept this proposition, although the British declared they would not settle the boundary on any other line. Under these circum- stances, after much diplomatic caviling on the part of the British, both nations, by convention, August 6, 1827, agreed to extend the terms of the joint occupation indefinitely, with a proviso that either nation should be at liberty to abrogate the agreement by giving one year's notice. As there was at this time an increasing disposition on the part of the American people to emi- grate to Oregon for the purpose of permanent settle- ment, this temporary compromise of the issue was considered to be prudential and wise, as the sequel proved. The Americans, through their minister, Mr. Rush, had made no claim north of the parallel 49°, which line had already been conceded by the British. The plenipotentiary from the United States, Mr. Gallatin, had substantially acceded to this line, but denied the claim of the British, of the Columbia river as the boundary from its termination to the sea.
And now came the real tug of war, the issue being divided in responsibility between the people and the government on the American side, while on the British
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side the responsibility was shared, practically, between the Court of St. James and the Hudson Bay company. These conditions augmented the interest felt by each nation, and from this time onward the Americans had the advantage, inasmuch as the strong hold they had on the territorial question grew out of the desire of the American pioneer to advance into the western wilds for the purpose of farming, while the Hudson Bay company's strongest incentive was to reap a harvest of furs, with but a remote prospect tending toward agricultural development. Political conditions, the missionary spirit in harmony with the pioneer spirit, had deep root in the destiny of Oregon. Greenhow, in his "History of Oregon," page 361, says: "In 1835, Mr. Parker, a Pres- byterian minister from Ithaca, N. Y., proceeded by way of the Platt and the South Pass to the mouth of the Columbia, and thence returned to the United States; and from his reports, Messrs. Spalding, Gray and Whit- man were sent by the American Board of Foreign Mis- sions to prosecute the objects of that society in the Oregon regions. Other missionaries, with their fami- lies and friends, soon followed them, and formed settle- ments at various points, in all of which schools for the education of the natives were opened; and a printing press was erected at Walla Walla, on which were struck off the first sheets ever printed west of the upper Meantime congress con-
Missouri, north of Mexico.
tinued to discuss the Oregon question, especially as to the necessity of abrogating the treaty of joint occupa- tion. From this discussion those wishing to emigrate to Oregon felt confident of the protection of their gov- ernment; and under this assurance nearly 1,000 men, women and children formed a caravan, consisting of about 200 wagons and a large number of horses and cattle, at Westport, Mo., June, 1843. From this point they started up the Platte river, thence through the South Pass across the Rocky mountains, their destina-
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tion being the Willamet valley, where they arrived with slight loss the following October."
April 3, 1842, Lord Ashburton arrived at Washington, as plenipotentiary from Great Britain, to settle the boundary line between British America and the United States. Mr. Webster, secretary of state, acted in be- half of the United States on this question. Although it was generally expected by the people of the United States that they were to define the boundary westward to the Pacific, they did nothing more than to establish a boundary between the two countries, starting from where the forty-ninth parallel intersected the Lake of the Woods, thence southeastwardly by the waters con- necting this lake with Lake Superior, thence east- wardly through the center of the entire chain of lakes and their connections, till the source of the St. Law- rence river was reached, thence down that stream to where it intersects the northern line of the state of New York. From this point the present northern boundaries of New York, Vermont and New Hampshire had already been established; but the boundary be- tween Maine and New Brunswick, in Canada, which had remained in doubt ever since the treaty of 1783, was now defined by the Ashburton-Webster treaty, made at Washington August 9, 1842, and ratified by Great Britain October 13, and proclaimed at Washington by the president of the United States, November 10, same year.
Congress now no longer hesitated to give the required year's notice of abrogation of the treaty of
To show the English opinion at that time on the Oregon ques- tion, it is pertinent to quote from the Edinburgh Review, of July, 1843, which says: "However the political questions between England and America as to the ownership of Oregon may be decided, Oregon will never be colonized overland from the United States. *
* * The world must assume a new face, before the American wagons make
plain the road to the Columbia, as they have done to the Ohio. *
* * Whoever, therefore, is to be the future owner of Oregon, its people will come from Europe."
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1827, which was done April 27, 1846, as a necessary link in the chain of negotiations. The American peo- ple were always sensitive on great national issues. The purchase of Louisiana had whetted their appetite for more territory to the west, and it cannot be said that this appetite was morbid, as it had international law as well as justice back of it. The time had now come when the arts of diplomacy were exhausted. No more evidence could be brought to bear upon the question, and it must be apparent to every judicial mind that the British had none on which to base a claim for territory south of the forty-ninth parallel. Mr. Polk, then president of the United States, had de- manded 54° 40' as the line. The English had never demanded anything south of the Columbia river. Negotiations had progressed by piecemeal, and now seemed to culminate on the forty-ninth parallel. On the part of America the line of 54° 40' was relinquished by the advice of Mr. Benton, Mr. Calhoun and Mr. Webster, each of whom took strong ground in favor of negotiation to prevent war. Although Mr. Polk agreed to this concession, it was done with apparent reluctance. It was an abandonment of the ground on which the presidential canvass that had elected him had been conducted. It was a proof that partisan ties must give way to patriotism; for, when we examine the evidence on both sides, it must be confessed that the claims of America north of the forty-ninth parallel were not superior to those of Great Britain, and per- haps not equal. In the settlement of this question, England, having yielded up her claim of the Columbia river, the issue between the two nations had been hon- orably negotiated to the satisfaction of the representa- tive men of each nation. The final treaty was executed at Washington, June 15, 1846. No former treaty between the United States and any foreign power had ever been negotiated under such a crucial test as to international rights as this, and none, since the days
-
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of the American revolution, in which the people had taken so much interest.
James Buchanan acted on the part of the United States, and Richard Pakinham on the part of England. It was ratified at London, July 17, 1846, and officially proclaimed at Washington, August 5, 1846.
THE TREATY,
"The United States of America and her majesty the queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, deeming it to be desirable for the future wel- fare of both countries, that the state of doubt and uncertainty which has hitherto prevailed respecting the sovereignty and government of the territory on the northwest coast of America lying westward of the Rocky or Stony mountains, should be finally termi- nated by an amicable compromise of the rights mutu- ally asserted by the two parties over said territory, have respectively named plenipotentiaries to treat and agree, concerning the terms of such settlement ; that is to say, the president of the United States of America has, on his part, furnished with full powers James Buchanan, secretary of state of the United States, and her majesty the queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland has, on her part, appointed Right Honorable Richard Pakenham, a member of her majesty's most honorable privy council, and her majesty's envoy extraordinary and minister plenipoten- tiary to the United States, who, after having communi- cated to each other their respective full powers, framed in good and due form, have agreed upon and concluded the following articles :
ARTICLE I.
"From the point on the forty-ninth parallel of north latitude, where the boundary laid down in existing treaties and conventions between Great Britain and the United States terminates, the line of boundary be- tween the territories of her Britannic majesty and those
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of the United States shall be continued westward along the forty-ninth parallel of north latitude to the middle of the channel which separates the continent from Van- couver's island, and thence southerly through the mid- dle of said channel and of Fuca straits to the Pacific ocean; provided, however, that the navigation of the said channel and straits, south of the forty-ninth parallel of north latitude, remain free and open to both parties.
ARTICLE II.
"From the point at which the forty-ninth parallel of north latitude shall be found to intersect the Great Northern branch of the Columbia river the navigation of the said branch shall be free and open to the Hud- son's Bay Company, and to all British subjects trading with the same, to the point where the said branch meets the main stream of the Columbia, and thence down the said main stream to the ocean, with free access into and through the said river or rivers; it being understood that all the usual portages along the line thus described shall in like manner be free and open. In navigating the said river or rivers, British subjects, with their goods and produce, shall be treated on the same footing as citizens of the United States; it being, however, always understood that nothing in this article shall be construed as preventing, or intended to prevent, the government of the United States from making any reg- ulations respecting the navigation of the said river or rivers not inconsistent with the present treaty.
ARTICLE III.
"In the future appropriations of the territory south of the forty-ninth parallel of north latitude, as provided in the first article of this treaty, the possessory rights of the Hudson's Bay Company, and of all British sub- jects who may be already in the occupation of land or other property lawfully acquired within the said ter- ritory, shall be respected.
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Oregon.
ARTICLE IV.
"The farms, lands and other property of every description belonging to the Puget's Sound Agricul- tural Co., on the north side of the Columbia river, shall be confirmed to the said company. In case, however, the situation of those farms and lands should be con- sidered by the United States to be of public and polit- ical importance, and the United States government should signify a desire to obtain possession of the whole, or any part thereof, the property so required shall be transferred to the said government at a proper valua- tion, to be agreed upon between the parties.
ARTICLE V.
"The present treaty shall be ratified by the presi- dent of the United States, by and with the advice and consent of the senate thereof, and by Her Britannic Majesty; and the ratifications shall be exchanged at London, at the expiration of six months from the date hereof, or sooner if possible.
"In witness thereof, the respective plenipotentia- ries have signed the same, and have affixed thereto the seals of their arms.
"Done at Washington, the fifteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty-six. JAMES BUCHANAN.
RICHARD PAKENHAM."
It is claimed by some historians that Marcus Whit- man visited Washington while the consideration of the final treaty as to the national boundary line was pend- ing ; and, furthermore, that in an interview with Mr. Tyler, then president of the United States, and Daniel Webster, secretary of state, it was agreed that if Mr. Whitman would lead a caravan of wagons, as he pro- posed to do, across the Rocky mountains, it would be good evidence that this chain of mountains was not that great insurmountable barrier of nature which would make Oregon valueless to the United States. Consist-
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ent with this premise, the signing of the treaty was to be held in suspense till this feat was accomplished; and that Mr. Whitman was the promoter and leader of that caravan which started from Westport, Mo., June, 1843, and that the success of the caravan deter- mined the president to demand the forty-ninth parallel as the boundary.
Oliver W. Nixon, editor of the Chicago Inter Ocean, in his book entitled, "How Marcus Whitman Saved Oregon," has given an exhaustive account of every circumstance pertaining to this theory. It is written in his graphic style, and imparts great interest to the record of events on which it treats.
The peaceful settlement of the Oregon question was a grand example of the candor which marked the diplomacy of both the nations interested, from 1818 to 1846. Much animadversion had been ventilated through the newspapers of both countries; but the spirit of justice shown by the diplomats of each was equal to the occasion. Had either nation been aware of the immense value of the country in dispute, the issue might have had a different termination. It was fortu- nate they were not, otherwise blood and carnage might have tarnished the pages of Anglo-American history for the third time. The conclusion of the Oregon treaty was the last link in the chain that had, step by step, brought under the stars and stripes the fairest portions of North America. The power of Spain had vanished as America had advanced westward, the reason for which was that her political tyranny, as well as religious intolerance, were not suited to the wants of the pioneer spirit, so jealous of liberty, and so able to maintain it, as were the American people.
The transfer of Louisiana from France to the United States was the result of the most fortuitous political conditions, prevailing with the powers inter- ested, that history ever recorded. No expectation had ever been entertained of the possibility of acquir-
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ing this province, except the portion of it below the thirty-first parallel which included New Orleans, until the opportunity of doing so was sprung upon Robert R. Livingston, our envoy to France. Barbe Marbois, Napoleon's minister of the treasury, had been author- ized by Napoleon to make a direct proposition to Mr. Livingston, our envoy to France, to purchase Louisiana in its entirety, which meant to include the whole province.
For years much buncombe talk had been venti- lated among the people of Kentucky, of seizing New Orleans by force, for the purpose of insuring the
ROBERT R. LIVINGSTON.'
free navigation of the Mississippi river. Now that Napoleon was entirely willing to sell it, the strained relations between Spain and the United States would be dispelled at a single stroke of the pen, and an empire acquired. Mr. Livingston had no authority from his government to make this purchase; but James Monroe had been appointed by Jefferson to assist him in any negotiations pending between France, Spain
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and the United States. The negotiations were con- ducted on the part of Napoleon by Marbois, and on the part of the United States by Mr. Livingston, till Mr. Monroe arrived, when the bargain was consummated. This bargain, though humiliating to Spain, placed an embargo on any further action on her part. Even after this, there were unusual conditions attending the transfer of the province.
As already stated, Spain had sold Louisiana to France, but the transfer of authority had not yet been made, and the whole province was still under the Span- ish crown. In this exigency, the French government gave orders that both transfers of authority should take place at New Orleans at the same time, so as to expedite the surrender to the United States before England could intervene. Accordingly, on November 23, 1803, at a conference between the French and Span- ish officials at New Orleans, the transfer of authority, in form, was agreed upon. The Spanish troops were drawn up in solemn lines, and in presence of the public, the commissioners representing France and Spain for- mally proclaimed the transfer. The Spanish colors were lowered, and the French colors were raised. This French authority continued only twenty days, when their colors were lowered, and the stars and stripes took their place. December 20, 1803, the American troops marched into New Orleans, and the French pre- fect sadly announced :
"In conformity with the treaty I put the United States in possession of Louisiana and its dependencies. The citizens and inhabitants who wish to remain here and obey the laws are from this moment exonerated from the oath of fidelity to the French republic."
The last hope of Spain on the continent of North America vanished. France was satisfied, because she had done a friendly act to the United States at the ex- pense of England. England accepted the situation with disguised tranquillity.
4
WORLD'S COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION.
Geology formed the land, the ocean, the seas and the lakes. It is the father of geography, which is in turn, the father of history. Rivers have the same heritage, physically, but the stream of time has a sublimer one. A higher thought cast upon it is immor- tal. Columbus cast a thought upon this stream, and a new world was mirrored before the old. Our nation confronts it to day, as we may say, with a single bound over the four centuries that intervene. No wonder that this nation was quickened into a sense of venera- tion for the name of Columbus when the fourth century came around since his discovery, without which it could not have existed. Instead of North and South Amer- ica, the western continents, in justice to the memory of Columbus, should have been named North and South Columbia. Let us here review the causes and conditions which led to this misnomer :
NAMING AMERICA.
During the reign of Henry VII of England, John Cabot, an Italian, and Sebastian, his son, sailed under direction of the English court from Bristol, and on June 24, 1497, came upon a coast of the continent of North America, between 56° and 58°. He named it Prima Vista (first sight, of the western continent, it may be inferred, was his belief, as it was well known to him that Columbus had discovered islands in the western hemisphere). The above date precedes that of Colum- bus' discovery of South America, and whether it was an island or a continent that was first seen is a matter
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World's Columbian Exposition.
of indifference, as to the merit of the originality in the principle involved.
Cabot did not stain his record by unjust preten- sions, and magnanimously acknowledged this truth by claiming only a secondary place to Columbus, who, as he wrote, "had done a thing more divine than human, to saile by the west into the easte where spices grow, by a map that was never knowne before."
He was the first to express doubts as to the lands discovered being the Asiatic coast. Others might have speculated and doubted, but all the theories on the sub- ject, and all the maps published previous to 1515, and many later than that, were based on the supposition that the newly discovered lands belonged to the Asian coast.
Western discoveries had four classifications, Quat- tuor Navigationes. Those of Columbus consisted of the West India islands, of which was Cuba, at first sup- posed to be a part of the Asian coast, and the northern coast of South America.
But Americus claimed to have discovered it also, and among the various accounts of discovery, real and pretended, at that time, it is fair to assume that Amer- icus' discovery of this coast, or at least his report of it, was regarded by many as original.
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