Chapter XIII

_Captains of American Expansion always to be found in the
National Legislature.--Great National Advance in the Second and
Third Decades of the Nineteenth Century.--Definition of "The
American System."--The Doctrine that Public Surplus should be
used for Internal Improvements held for only a Short Time.--Party
Struggles regarding Cumberland Road Legislation.--Inconsistent
Resolutions of Congress on this Matter.--The Drift of Public
Sentiment toward putting Works of Improvement under the Care of
the Government.--Numerous Competitors for National Aid toward
Local Improvements.--Mutual Jealousy of Various Localities with
Regard to the Distribution of Government Aid.--Disputes as to
the Comparative Usefulness of Canals and Railroads.--Polk's
Sarcasm on the Abuse of the Word "National" as applied to the
Route of a Proposed Road from the Lakes to the Gulf.--Several
Beneficial Measures passed by Congress in Spite of Strong
Opposition.--Sums granted for Education, Road-building, and
Canal-building.--Beneficial Influence of the Government's Liberal
Gifts as Encouragement to States and to Private Investors._

PILOTS OF "THE AMERICAN SYSTEM"

AS we have reviewed from a more or less personal standpoint some of the exploits which definitely made for the growth and expansion of the young American Republic, it may have occurred to the reader that here was another great power at work helping, encouraging, and guiding the movement,--Pilots of the Republic in the halls of national legislation at Washington.

Not that we refer specifically to any one man; some men, like Henry Clay and Daniel Webster, can be pointed to at certain periods as men who occupied this position, who in a sense fathered, against all opposition, great measures that we see now were of tremendous advantage; if the position was abdicated by one man it was filled by another; and so down through the century and a quarter of our national existence there has been a power at work in our councils that has been optimistic, and at the same time true to the genius of America's geographical position and her high calling among the nations of the earth. It is not because this has been marvellously illustrated since the outbreak of the Spanish-American War that reference is made to it here, though the illustration is apposite and fair; but if we look back down the decades from the day that Congress signed that contract with Rufus Putnam and his Revolutionary patriots, or the day when Jefferson dared to effect the Louisiana Purchase, we shall continually find men sitting in the Congressional seats at the capital who had the courage to try new paths, to assume common-sense views of the Constitution, and who believed in their country and wished to see it shirk no great responsibility. Such men as these were as truly captains of our expansion as was Putnam or Henderson or Astor.

The age in our history to which our attention is turned on this subject is more particularly that lying between the beginning of the second and the ending of the third decade of last century. Much that was proposed before the opening of the nineteenth century, in the way of material national advance, was forgotten in the taxing days of 1811-1815. Chief among these was the Erie Canal proposition, and it is perhaps not too much to say that had the war with England not come as it did, possibly the Government would, by means of the money accruing from the sale of Michigan lands, have invested in the Erie Canal project; the Cumberland Road was one of the great works that went on despite the war. The moral effect of the victories of Perry and Jackson, one to the north and the other to the south, was very great; with the triumphant ending of the war the little victorious nation sprang into a strength and a passion for power that well-nigh frightened those acquainted with the policy and conservatism of the ante-bellum days.

We have touched slightly on one of the great questions of this most wonderful period of American history, that of the constitutionality of the appropriations for the Cumberland Road, and Henry Clay's championship of the measure. But this was only one of a score of propositions in a campaign of internal improvements, and Clay was but one of a hundred champions who assisted a weak nation to take on the elements of strength by encouraging agriculture and manufactures, and binding a far-flung land by means of communication and intercourse.

At the beginning of the second generation in the century the problem of internal improvements came to the fore as on no previous occasion, backed by the strongest men then in the public eye,--Clay, Calhoun, Adams, and Webster. The Cumberland Road had been making its way westward, but had not yet thrown its tawny length over the Ohio River and into the States beyond. But the argument for this great national work was not to be gainsaid, for the original compact with Ohio had been reiterated on the admission of Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri, respectively, and a part of the sales of the public lands in those States was already pledged to this object. As one of the fruits of the much discussed "American System," championed by Henry Clay, the Cumberland Road was a popular success, though there was never a time when any measure concerning it could not secure a strong following in the House and the Senate.

The American System stood for a use of the public surplus for works of internal improvement; it was not a popular policy for a long time, but while in vogue it was of immeasurable benefit to the expanding country, its champions being veritable captains of the country's advance. The most interesting features of the history of this doctrine are the vehemence with which it was advocated for a few critical years when nothing else would have equally aided the national advance, the questionable basis on which the doctrine rested, and the readiness with which it was abandoned when its providential mission was effected. Even before the real internal improvement era came it was foreshadowed by the historic position of the two parties toward the object, as shown in Cumberland Road legislation. The bitterness of the struggle could not be shown better than by the repudiations of Congress in 1817 in its votes on this subject. In that year Congress passed the following inconsistent resolutions: (1) Congress has the power to build public roads and military roads, and to improve waterways; (2) Congress has _not_ power to construct post roads or military roads; (3) Congress has _not_ power to construct roads or canals to carry commerce between the States; (4) Congress has _not_ power to construct military roads. "Thus we see," said a triumphant enemy of the so-called American System, "by the solemn decision of this House in 1817, all power over this subject was repudiated in every form and shape." Despite these inconsistencies the movement was ever a forward movement, until at last, in 1824, it assumed gigantic proportions, alarming to some degree the very men who had urged it forward.

The revenue of the Government at this time was about twenty-five millions, and the running expenses--including interest on the slight remaining debt--about half that sum. To what better use could the ten or twelve surplus million dollars be devoted than to the internal improvement of the land, as Gallatin and Jefferson had advocated twenty years before? Here the contest shifted to the tariff, a reduction of which would do away with the necessity of finding a way to employ a surplus. The drift of public sentiment, however, was largely in favor of turning the fostering care of the Government to works of improvement, either by direct appropriation, or by taking stock in local companies, or by devoting to their use the proceeds of the sale of public lands; in any way the result would be the same, and the nation as a whole would feel the benefit.

The policy swept a large part of the country like wildfire, and ten thousand dreams, many of them chimerical to the last degree, were conceived. As a rule the result was, without question, bitter disappointment; but amid all the dangers that were in the way, and all the possibilities of untold harm, an influence was put to work that did more for the awakening of the young land than anything that had ever preceded it. Over a hundred and twenty-five claimants for national aid were considered by squads of engineers sent out by the Government. In the sarcastic words of one of the opposers of the system (and on this subject there was a chance for sarcasm that seldom came to Congressmen) every creek and mill-race in the United States was being surveyed by engineers sent out by the chief executive. It was asserted, and not without some plausibility, that such surveying expeditions were used very craftily to influence votes, being sent to view rivers and roads in disputed regions where the information was circulated that, unless the champions of internal improvement were put in power, great local blessings would be lost to these districts.

But this was not by any means the chief danger in the campaign. As was most forcefully argued by the opposition, the influence of this paternal policy on the part of the Government would be to awaken hostility and set one part of the nation against the other, for in no way could the division of the surplus be made equal. It could not be made on the basis of population even if this were admitted to be constitutional, for some parts of the country needed help far more than others; a naturally impregnable harbor did not need a fourth of the money expended on it that a comparatively defenceless harbor did. Again, the division could not, for the same reason, be made on the basis of receipts; the States of the seaboard, in which the great part of the Government's revenue was raised, would then be almost the only beneficiaries; the West would receive nothing. The accusation of favoritism came with piercing force. Suppose, for instance, New York and Mississippi should come at the same time to Congress, the one asking for the improvement of the Erie Canal, and the other for the improvement of the Mississippi River. Which party would Congress listen to if the public treasury was not in a position to satisfy both applicants? It was urged that this procedure destroyed the whole principle of representative responsibility. Take the case of New York and her great canal,--the most important material improvement in the fifty years of the nation's life; New York came to the Government when the project was first broached, asking for aid. The cause was a good one; in peace it would be a benefit to at least six States, and in war it would be a national advantage of untold moment; in fact, as we have seen, the possibility of another war with England along the Lakes was the very argument that turned the scale and caused the canal to be built. The project was discouraged at Washington, and not a cent of Government treasure went into the undertaking. Why now, a score of years later, should New York representatives vote money from the national treasury for objects no less national or needful than the Erie Canal? Several neighboring States (Ohio, for instance) had declined to invest funds in the Erie Canal venture when it was first promoted; why now should New York representatives vote national funds (such a large part of which came from New York ports) for improvements in these States, whose delegates in Congress refused aid to the Erie Canal in its dark hours? On the other hand it was urged that even the Erie Canal, the most famous work of internal improvement promoted by any of the States, had done "nothing toward the extinguishment of its debt," up to 1830; if this great work did not reimburse the treasury which built it, though operated by a purely local authority well acquainted with all conditions and able to take advantage of all circumstances, how would it be with works promoted by the national Government, in distant parts of the country, with little or no knowledge of local circumstances or conditions? Another argument, more powerful than was realized at the time, was that which prophesied the swift advance of the locomotive and the railroad, and the consequent decay and disuse of the common road and the canal. Said a member of Congress in debate on the floor of the House, "The honorable gentleman from Virginia [Mr. Mercer, the father of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal], Sir, must hear the appalling, the heartrending fact, that this mighty monument [the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal] which, for years, he has been laboring with zeal and exertion to erect to his memory, and which, no doubt, he had fondly hoped would transmit his name down to the latest posterity, must fall, and must give place to the superior improvement of railroads."

On the proposed national road from Buffalo to New Orleans by way of Washington the opposition poured out its vials of sarcasm and ridicule. To the arguments of the friends of the measure, that the road was needed as a commercial and military avenue and for the use of the Post-office department, the reply was a denial so sweeping, from such reliable and informed parties, that there was no hope for the measure. Perhaps the strongest argument for the negative was advanced by James K. Polk, who was little less than withering in his fire, piling up ridicule on top of sarcasm to a degree seldom seen in Congress. Polk found that twenty-one routes between Washington and Buffalo had been outlined by engineers for this road "in the rage for engineering, surveying, reconnoitring, and electioneering." He alleged that the entire population in a space of territory one hundred miles in width between the two cities had been made to expect the road, and the surveys had been conducted in the heat of a political campaign. "The certain effect of this system, as exemplified by this road, is, first, to excite hopes; second, to produce conflicts of section arrayed against section; and lastly, dissatisfaction and heart-burnings amongst all who are not accommodated." The speaker exhausted his keen-edged sarcasm on the word "national" and the uses to which the word was put by the defenders of the improvement bills. He affirmed that he was sure a number of men who proposed to support the Buffalo-New Orleans Road Bill would not consider it sufficiently "national" if it were known that it was not to pass through their districts; he affirmed that every catfish in the Ohio River was a "national" catfish as truly as the Cumberland Road was a national road; he challenged the friends of the bill to decide definitely upon a route for the proposed road from the Lakes to the Gulf, and then hold true to the measure representatives from districts through which the road was not to pass. Polk affirmed that the many various surveys were made merely to ally with the friends of the measure the representatives of all districts touched by these alternative courses. "This same national road was mounted as a political hobby in my district," said the Tennessean; "for a time the people seemed to be carried away with the prospect of having millions of public money expended among them. We were to have a main route and cross routes intersecting the district in every direction. It was to run down every creek, and pass through almost every neighborhood in the district. As soon as there was time for reason to assume her seat the delusion passed off."

These points of opposition to the improvement campaign have been outlined at some length to show the strength of the opposition and the ground it took. No measure went through Congress for any kind of Government aid without the strongest kind of opposition; in fact, the Virginia delegates worked and voted against the Dismal Swamp Canal in their own State in order to be consistent with their oft-expressed views on such questions. Yet, one by one, a considerable number of important measures of internal improvement went through Congress and received the signatures of the different Presidents; the effect of these measures was inestimably beneficial, giving a marked impetus to national development, and awakening in men's minds a dim conception of the growth that was to be the one great wonder of the century.

From the adoption of the Constitution to the year 1828 the following sums were granted by the general Government for purposes either of education or road-building or canal-building: Maine, $9,500; New York, $4,156; Tennessee, $254,000; Arkansas, $45,000; Michigan, $45,000; Florida, $83,417; Ohio, $2,527,404; Illinois, $1,725,959; Indiana, $1,513,161; Missouri, $1,462,471; Mississippi, $600,667; Alabama, $1,534,727; Louisiana, $1,166,361. In addition to this the Government built, or assisted in building, five great works of improvement from among the scores that were proposed. For the Delaware and Chesapeake Canal $300,000 was advanced; for the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, $10,000; for the Dismal Swamp Canal, $150,000; for the Louisville and Portland Canal, $90,000; for the Cumberland Road, $2,230,903; for western and southwestern State roads, $76,595, making a total appropriation of $13,838,886.

The danger of the system was in making the national purse an object of plunder for Congressmen, and the consequent danger of unholy alliances and combinations for looting the public treasury. It is interesting that for so long a period as it was in vogue there were so slight symptoms of this sort of thing; and men little knew that, by acting on liberal lines at the time, despite the dangers and risks, they were exerting a power to shape the new nation, to incite private investment, to encourage State and private works of promotion, and to aid the commercial awakening of a people to an activity and an enterprise whose possibilities cannot at the present day be estimated. Take the Portland Canal around the historic "falls of the Ohio" at Louisville; this was a work for no one State in particular to perform, not even Kentucky; it was a detriment to Louisville itself, for it destroyed the old portage business, as the Erie Canal ruined the overland carrying trade between Schenectady and Albany. All the States bordering on the Ohio were benefited by this improvement, as was equally true respecting the Government's improvement of the Ohio River itself, which began in 1825. The Portland Canal was one of the important investments which tended to prove the financial benefit of such investments. The Government's total subscription of stock was $233,500; when the affairs of the Company were closed in 1874 by the purchase of the canal by the Government, it was found that the national profit (in mere interest) had been $257,778. This was due to exorbitant tolls charged by the Company, which resulted, finally, in the purchase of the canal and throwing it open toll-free.

The men who labored for this era of improvement are practically unknown, with the exception of two or three who became prominent because of special ability or renown gained in other lines of activity, like Clay and Calhoun. It is not important here to attempt to catalogue them; the work they did by voting for the so-called American System was of critical importance; but, still greater, in so doing they were showing a braver, more optimistic, more American spirit and a high faith in the fundamental good judgment of the people. It was, without doubt, a dangerous extreme to approach, possible of wanton violation in unprincipled hands, and a precedent of very questionable tendencies. But it was of immeasurable importance that such moral support as just such acts as these afforded should have come at just this time; and, could we read the result aright, it would be seen, possibly, that much of our commercial success found its origin at this very moment, and came into being because a number of men at this crucial time gave an impetus to private adventure and private investment that was almost providential in its ultimate effect on our national life. Losing their individual identity in the common promotion of temporary measures of infinite national advantage, they will be remembered only in a vague, impersonal way as men who honored their country by trusting in its destiny and believing in the genius of its growth.

INDEX

"ADAMS," 295

Adams, Herbert B., 78

Adams, John Quincy, 244, 344

"Adventure Galley," 119

Alleghany Portage Railway, 251-255

American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, 304, 317,
318, 329

American Fur Company, 310, 311

_American Historical Review_, 320

"American System," 345-358

Ashburton Treaty, 330

Ashley, --, 311

Astor, John Jacob, 282-297, 343

Astoria, 282, 289-296

BACON, James H., 201

Baltimore, 36, 241-244, 248, 255

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, 36, 77, 243-245, 248

Bartleson, Colonel, 331

Bartlett, --, 189

"Beautiful Spring" (Schönbrunn), 141

"Beaver," 294, 295

Bensons, The, in Oregon, 333

Bethlehem, Pa., 133, 134

Bliss, --, 189

Block, Captain, 296

Bonneville, --, 311

Boone, Daniel, 29, 30, 89-101

Boonesborough, Ky., 96, 101, 116

Bouquet, --, 284

Bourne, Prof. E. G., 320

Bradford County, Pa., 138

Bridger, James, 311, 335

Brown, George, 242

Buffalo-New Orleans Road, 352-354

Bullock, Leonard Henley, 90

Bunch of Grapes Tavern, Boston, 112

Burnett, Peter H., 331

Bushnell, --, 206

Butterfield, --, 336

CALHOUN, John C., 322, 344, 358

Calk, William, 96

Canals, 35, 36, 209-232, 239-245, 247, 249-254

Carroll, Charles, 77, 244

Carter's Valley, 99

Cass, --, 189

Catholic missionaries in Oregon, 314, 319, 326, 333

Catlin, George, 304

Chastellux, Chevalier de, 62

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, 76, 215, 240, 243-245, 247-249, 352, 356

Clark, George Rogers, 100, 151-178, 261, 329

Clark, Jonathan, 153-157

Clark, William, 156, 157, 262-272, 281, 283, 287, 290, 303

Clarksville, 176

Clay, Henry, 184, 192, 205, 342, 344-346, 358

Claysville, Pa., 184

Cleaveland, Moses, 124

Cleveland, Ohio, 124

Clinton, Gov. De Witt, 35, 135-137, 218, 229, 230

"Clinton's Ditch," 218, 221

Coal, 54, 56

Colquit, --, 189

Colter, --, 270

_Commonwealth, The_ (Pittsburg), 216

Congregational missions to Indians, 304

Congress, Powers of, 346

Connellsville, Pa., 163

Coshocton, Ohio, 141

Crab Orchard, Ky., 97

Crawford, William, 45-47, 49-52, 55, 334

Cressap, Captain, 170

Cumberland Gap, 98

Cumberland Road, 35, 74, 77, 181-206, 228, 235, 343-345, 356

Cushing, Caleb, 321

Cutler, Rev. Manasseh, 111-115, 117;
his son, 120

"DEFIANCE" stage line, 200, 201

Delafield, --, 189

Delaware and Chesapeake Canal, 356

Devol, --, 120

DeWitt, Simeon, 211, 212, 218

Dickson, --, 270

Dismal Swamp Canal, 355, 356

Dunmore, Governor, 87

Dunmore's War, 91, 170

EAST India Company, 288

Eddy, Thomas, 218

Eells, Dr. Cushing, quoted, 319

English, William H., quoted, 171, 176

"Enterprise," 295

Erie Canal, 35, 74, 76, 209-232, 239, 249, 343, 350, 351, 357

Everett, Edward, 147, 196, 197

"FALLS of the Ohio" (Louisville), 97, 175, 176

Farnham, --, 333

"Father of Ohio," 124

Fearing, --, 120

Fife, William H., 201

Forbes's Road, 118

Forman, Joshua, 216

Fort Boone, 96, 99, 101

Fort Detroit, 139, 143

Fort Duquesne, 164, 315, 316

Fort Edward, N. Y., 210, 211

Fort Harmar, 116, 121

Fort Necessity, 163

Fort Pitt, 115, 139, 143, 164

Fort William, N. Y., 136

"Founders of Ohio," 118

Freeman, Thomas, 52

Fremont, John C., 311, 321, 332, 335

Fulton, Robert, 218

Fur trade, 281, 282, 284-296, 314, 315

GALLATIN, Albert, 184, 189, 284, 347

Gant, John, 331

Geddes, James, 211, 212

_Genesee Messenger, The_, 216

Gilmans, The, 120

Gnadenhütten, Ohio, 141, 146, 336

"Good Intent" stage line, 200

Goodale, --, 120

Government ownership, 191, 198

Gratiot, --, 189

Gray, Captain, 268, 287

Gray, William H., 310

Great Meadows, 47, 163

Greene, --, 120

Greene, --, of American Board of Foreign Missions, 326, 329, 331, 337

Greenhow's "Memoir," 330

Grist-mill, First west of Alleghanies, 55

HANCOCK, --, 270

Hanks, Abraham, 96

Harrison, William Henry, 261

Harrodsburg, Ky., 97

Harrodstown, Ky., 173

Hart, David, 90, 93

Hartzell, --, 189

Hawley, Jesse, 215, 216

Hawley, M. S., 219

Heath, General, 108

Heckewelder, John, 31, 142

Henderson, Ky., 99

Henderson, Richard, 29, 30, 83-101, 172-174, 182, 260, 343

"Hercules" (Jesse Hawley), 215

Higgins, --, 167, 168

"Hit or Miss," 252, 253

Hoar, Senator, quoted, 107-110, 119, 120

Hogg, James, 90

Howard, Captain, 334

Hudson Bay Company, 287, 288, 312, 314

Hunt, Wilson Price, 291-295

ILLINOIS, 100, 105, 174, 175, 177

Independence Township, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, 145

Indiana, 100, 105

Indians, 31, 87, 121, 131-146, 164-166, 302, 303, 309

Irving, Washington, quoted, 286

JEFFERSON, Thomas, 79, 153, 215, 259, 262, 342, 347

Jeffersonville, Ky., 176

Johnson, Thomas, 59

Johnson, Sir William, 137

Johnston, Joseph E., 189

Johnstone, William, 90

Jones, Rev. David, 165-168

Jones, John Gabriel, 173

"June Bug" stage line, 200

KANSAS City (Westport), 322

Kent, Chancellor, 218-220

Ken-ta-kee, Kentucky, 117-175

Kentucky, 29, 30, 79, 91-100, 171-176, 183

LAMB, Mrs. Martha J., quoted, 307

Lancaster Turnpike, 187, 188

"Landlords" stage line, 200

Lands, Western, 28, 39-58, 66, 163

"Lark," 294

Lawrence County, Pa., 140

Lawyer's examination, 83-86

Lee, Capt. Hancock, 171

Lee, Rev. Jason, 304

Leestown, on Kentucky River, 171

"Legend of Whitman's Ride, The," 320

"Letter of John Zachrey," 323

Lewis and Clark Expedition, 79, 157, 262-272, 281, 283, 287, 290, 301

Lewis, Gen. Andrew, 87

Lewis, Meriwether, 262-272, 281, 283, 287, 290

Lewis, Gov. Morgan, 210, 211

Lichtenau, Ohio, 141

Linn, Lewis F., 321, 330

Livingston, Robert R., 218

Locomotives, 246

"Long Hunters," 87, 88

Louisiana Territory, 259-277, 281, 290

Louisville, Ky., 97, 175, 176

Louisville and Portland Canal, 356-358

Luttrell, John, 90, 93

MACKENZIE, Sir Alexander, 287

Macomb County, Mich., 145

Madison, James, 158

Mansfield, --, 189

Manufactures in Oregon, 333

Manypenny, Geo. W., 201

"Marcus Whitman," 337

Marietta, O., 116, 121-125

Marietta College, 125

Martin, Captain Joseph, 93, 97

Maryland, 239-248

Massie, --, 124

Mauch Chunk, Pa., 242

Maysville Road Bill, 74

McDougal, Duncan, 291, 296

McKee, --, 189

McKenzie, Donald, 291

"Meadow of Light" (Lichtenau), 31, 141, 313

Meigs, --, 119

"Memoir" (Greenhow), 330

Mercer, Colonel, 49

Mercer, --, of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, 352

Methodist missions to Indians, 304

Michigan, 105

Milan, Erie Co., Ohio, 145

Millstones from Alleghanies, 55

Missionaries to Indians, 304, 309-319, 326-328, 332, 333

Mohawk Valley route, 62, 76, 78, 214

Monroe, President, 191-193

Moravian Brethren, 31, 115, 131-146, 304, 305

Morris, Gouverneur, 35, 210-212, 218

Mounds in Ohio Valley, 170

Moundsville, W. Va., 170

Mowry, William A., 337

NATIONAL Road Stage Company, 199

Neville, Presley, 57

New Albany, Ky., 176

New Philadelphia, Ohio, 131

New York City, 241

North Carolina, 30, 87, 98-100

Northwest Company of Montreal, 282, 287, 288, 290, 294, 296

OCONOSTOTA, Cherokee chief, 90

Ohio, 30, 31, 76, 100, 105, 113-147, 243

Ohio Company, 48, 49, 92, 113-125

Ohio National Stage Company, 199

"Old Two-Horn," 125

Ordinance of 1787, 41, 79, 92, 112-115, 117, 123

"Oregon Emigrating Society," 331

Oregon Territory, 301-338

"Origin of the Erie Canal, The," 219

Owens, David, 166-168

PACIFIC Fur Company, 291, 292

Parker, Rev. Samuel, 308, 309

Parkersburg, W. Va., 167

Parsons, --, 120

Pennsylvania Canal, 249-254

Pennsylvania Railway, 249, 250, 254

Pennsylvania Road, 118

Perryopolis, Fayette Co., Pa., 55

Philadelphia, 241

Philadelphia and Columbia Railway, 253

Pickell, --, 189

Pike, Zebulon M., 272-277, 281

"Pilot" stage line, 200

"Pioneer" stage line, 200

Pittsburg, 115, 163, 168

Platt, Judge, 218, 219

Polk, James K., 353, 354

Porter, Hon. James M., 324, 325

Post, Frederick Christian, 134-137

Potomac Company, 74-76, 236-240, 245

Potomac River Improvements, 58-61, 65-68, 72, 75, 79, 213, 236-240, 297

Potter County, Pa., 140

Prentiss, Miss (Mrs. Whitman), 307, 310

Presbyterian missions to Indians, 304

Putnam, Gen. Rufus, 106-114, 118-127, 182, 260, 342, 343

"RACCOON," 296

Railroads, 242-246, 248-255

Read, Thomas B., author "Sheridan's Ride," 336

Rianhard, William, 201

Richardson, Judge, 224

Rickman, --, 331

River improvement, 237

Road-building, 35, 77, 181-206, 352-356

Robertson, Donald, 158

Robinson, Moncure, 252

Rome, N. Y., 136, 223

Roosevelt, Theodore, quoted, 264, 275

SANDUSKY, Ohio, 143

Sargent, Winthrop, 112, 115

Schönbrunn, Ohio, 141

Schuyler, Gen. Philip, 218

Schuylkill and Susquehanna Canal, 215

Scioto Company, 114

Sheridan, Philip, 336

"Sheridan's Ride," 336

Slavery, 123

Soldiers' lands, 48-52, 111, 112, 122

South Pass, 308, 322

Spaulding, Rev. Henry H., and wife, 310-313

Sproat, Col. Ebenezer, 118, 120

Stagecoach lines, 199-202

St. Clair, Gov. Arthur, 120, 122, 125, 126, 284

Steamboats, 72, 218

Steubenville, Ohio, 166

Stewart's Crossing (Connellsville, Pa.), 163, 171

St. Louis, 263, 270

Surplus for internal improvements, 347

Surveyors, 158-160

Swann, Thomas, 248

TAYLOR, Lieut.-Gov. John, 219

"Tents of Grace" (Gnadenhütten), 141

Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, 113

Thomas, Nathaniel, 90

Thomas, Philip Evan, 35, 241-243, 255

Thompson, Chief Justice, 219

Thorn, Captain, 292

Thornton, Col., 331

Todd, Col. John, 177

Toledo, Ohio, 261

"Tom Thumb," Peter Cooper's locomotive, 246

Tompkins, Governor, 219, 220

"Tonquin," 292-294

Transylvania Company, 88-91, 98-100, 116, 172, 173

Treaty of Fort Mclntosh, 121

Treaty of Fort Stanwix, 59, 87-89

Treaty of Fort Watauga, 90

Tupper, --, 120

UNIONTOWN, Pa., 199

VANCE, --, 189

Varnum, --, 119

Virginia, 30, 59, 79, 87-89, 98-100, 173, 176, 177, 239, 240

WALKER, Felix, 91

Walpole Grant, 49, 51

"Washington and the West" (Hulbert), 65, 80

Washington Coal and Coke Company, 56

Washington, George, 27-30, 39-80, 106-108, 126, 159, 160, 163, 182,
236, 238, 252, 253, 297, 334

Washington State, Settlement of, 312, 316

Washington's Bottoms, 47

Washington's Letter to Benjamin Harrison, 1784, 68-74, 236, 253

Washington's Run mill, 55

Watauga Settlement, 89-92

Watson, Elkanah, 211

Wayne, Anthony, 126, 261

Weaver, Jno. W. & Co., 201

Webster, Daniel, 123, 330, 342, 344

Welch, Sylvester, 252, 255

West Newton, Pa., 118

Westport (Kansas City), 322

Wheeling, W. Va., 166

Whipple, --, 119

White, Major Hatfield, 117

Whitman, Marcus, 305-338

Whitman, Mrs., 307, 310-312

Wilkes, Lieutenant, 330, 331

Wilkinson, General, 273

Williams, --, 189

Williams, Judge John, 90

"Winning of the West, The," 275

Winsor, Justin, quoted, 321

Wisconsin, 105

Women in the Northwest, 311, 312

Wright, F. M., 201

YATES, Judge, 218, 219

Yontz, Jno., 201

Young, Samuel, 224

ZEISBERGER, David, 31, 115, 131-147, 182, 284, 305, 336

_Uniform with "Pilots of the Republic"_

THE GLORY SEEKERS

THE ROMANCE OF WOULD-BE FOUNDERS OF EMPIRE IN THE EARLY DAYS OF THE SOUTHWEST

BY

WILLIAM HORACE BROWN

_Illustrated with portraits, and with original drawings by W. J. Enright. Price $1.50 net._

"Here is a history that reads like sheer romance. Mr. Brown tells in a delightful way the story of those who dreamed dreams of empire in the far West.... The book, typographically, is a fine sample of McClurg work. It is profusely illustrated."--_Toledo Times Bee._

"It is a pleasure to assure the reader that one may have as much fun reading 'The Glory Seekers' as William Horace Brown had writing it. Few historical books are written in such sprightly vein, and few informative books of any sort are so leavened with humor."--_St. Louis Post Dispatch._

"When romance and history, adventure and fact, are combined in readable style, and the history happens to be a field with which we are not all familiar, but in which we are much interested, a book is produced that will be irresistible to many.... Thrilling adventure is plentiful in these pages, and it has the added interest of its political significance. Written in a pleasant, familiar style, not without sharp and illuminating comment, 'The Glory Seekers' is a book to be read with keen delight by the student of history and the lover of romance."--_Des Moines Mail and Times._

"A volume which will find an honorable place among Americana.... Mr. Brown's style is detailed and explicit. He indulges in keen character delineation. He makes these hardy adventurers offer their specious apologies. They cease to be the dim and menacing figures of our national history and become comprehensible, if fatal, figures. The book is one which fills a vacancy in history."--_Chicago Tribune._

"His effort has been rather to scrape off the successive coats of whitewash which local historians have liberally applied to the darker side of their deeds, and, while giving the would-be empire builders full credit for their personal bravery and physical prowess, to show forth their ambitions and exploits in their true colors."--_New York Tribune._

"A book that reads like a novel.... It is not a story to make 'every American's cheek flush with pride,' but, 'The Glory Seekers' is a strong and vivid depiction of the true history of the Southwest, colored with incident and anecdote, and suffused with the enthusiastic Americanism which the most cynical attitude cannot hide."--_Butte Inter Mountain._

"A unique, interesting, and valuable story of the early days of the Southwest, when adventurous spirits tried at various times to establish an empire there. Mr. Brown has made an exhaustive study of his subject, and has the facts, which are presented with a cleverness of narration that makes them most delightful reading."--_Pittsburg Dispatch._

"Very unconventional in its style, lively and highly entertaining."--_The Churchman._

"The author of this excellent and exceedingly interesting work has made a thorough study of the various efforts to found local governments in Texas, independent of Mexico, at an early day.... He is to be congratulated for his excellent work in this historical summary of events in that great region."--_Salt Lake Tribune._

"The work is well done. The narratives are lively and well told, and while not highly important episodes, they are all worth preserving as correctives to the too partial story of the colonial patriots as served up in the usual United States histories, if for nothing else."--_New York American._

"The romantic story of conquest is brilliantly told."--_Portland Oregonian._

A. C. McCLURG & CO., _Publishers_

Volumes of Pioneer History

By REUBEN GOLD THWAITES

HOW GEORGE ROGERS CLARK WON THE NORTHWEST

AND OTHER ESSAYS IN WESTERN HISTORY

_With maps and illustrations_

The majority of the eight essays contained in the volume were first delivered as lectures, and were later accorded magazine publication. For the present publication they have been radically revised and brought down to date, and comprise an exceptionally interesting collection of papers covering a wide range of topics under the one general head. The titles of the essays are as follows: "How George Rogers Clark Won the Northwest," "The Division of the Northwest into States," "The Black Hawk War," "The Story of the Mackinac," "The Story of La Pointe," "A Day on Braddock's Road," "Early Lead Mining on the Upper Mississippi," "The Draper Manuscripts."

ON THE STORIED OHIO

_An Historical Pilgrimage of a Thousand Miles in a Skiff, from
Redstone to Cairo. With new Preface and full-page illustrations
from photographs._

This trip was undertaken by Mr. Thwaites some years ago, with the idea of gathering local color for his studies of Western history. The Ohio River was an important factor in the development of the West. The voyage is described with much charm and humor, and with a constant realization of the historical traditions on every side. For the better understanding of these references, the author has added a brief sketch of the settlement of the Ohio Valley. A selected list of journals of previous travellers has also been included.

DOWN HISTORIC WATERWAYS

_Six Hundred Miles of Canoeing upon Illinois and Wisconsin Rivers.
Second Edition, revised, with new Preface, and eight full-page
illustrations from photographs._

Mr. Thwaites' book is not only a charming account of a summer canoe trip, but an excellent guide for any one who is contemplating a similar "inland voyage." The course followed by the canoeist is described with a practical accuracy that makes it of great assistance, but in an engaging style that will appeal strongly to every lover of outdoor life. "It is a book to be read to get the spirit of the woods and rivers and streams and lakes."--_Worcester Spy._

_Uniform Binding. Each 12mo, $1.20 net._

A. C. McCLURG & CO., _Publishers_

MRS. DYE'S FAMOUS BOOKS ON THE NORTHWEST

McDONALD OF OREGON

By EVA EMERY DYE. A Tale of Two Shores. Illustrations by Walter J. Enright. 12mo, $1.50.

The chance casting away of a party of Japanese on the Oregon coast
many years ago inspired McDonald, a fully historical personage, to
enact a similar drama in his own proper self with the characters
and continents reversed. Landing on the shores of Japan he was
passed from governor to governor until he reached the capital.
There he was permitted to establish a school, and it was actually
his pupils who acted as interpreters during the negotiations with
Commodore Perry, generally supposed to be the first of Americans
to enter Japan. Mrs. Dye has long been aware of the facts in
McDonald's unusual career, having obtained them largely from his
own lips; but she deferred publication until his papers finally
reposed in her hands. It will be remembered that the hero of this
new book entered largely into her story of "McLoughlin and Old
Oregon," to which this later volume is in a sense a sequel.

THE CONQUEST

By EVA EMERY DYE. Being the True Story of Lewis and Clark. _Third Edition_, with frontispiece in full color by Charlotte Weber. 12mo, $1.50.

No book published in recent years has more of tremendous import
between its covers, and certainly no recent novel has in it more
of the elements of a permanent success. A historical romance which
tells with accuracy and inspiring style of the bravery of the
pioneers in winning the western continent should have a lasting
place in the esteem of every American.

"No one who wishes to know the true story of the conquest of the
greater part of this great nation can afford to pass by this
book."--_Cleveland Leader._

"A vivid picture of the Indian wars preceding the Louisiana
purchase, of the expedition of Lewis and Clark, and of events
following the occupation of Oregon."--_The Congregationalist._

"It may not be the great American novel we have been waiting for
so long, but it certainly looks as though it would be very near
it."--_Rochester Times._

"The characters that are assembled in 'The Conquest' belong to
the history of the United States; their story is a national
epic."--_Detroit Free Press._

McLOUGHLIN AND OLD OREGON

By EVA EMERY DYE. A Chronicle. _Fifth Edition._ 12mo, $1.50.

This is a most graphic and interesting chronicle of the movement
which added to the United States that vast territory, previously
a British possession, of which Oregon formed a part, and how Dr.
John McLoughlin, then chief factor of the Hudson's Bay Company
for the Northwest, by his fatherly interest in the settlers,
displeased the Hudson's Bay Company and aided in bringing this
about. The author has gathered her facts at first hand, and as a
result the work is vivid and picturesque and reads like a romance.

"A spirited narrative of what life in the wilderness meant
in the early days, a record of heroism, self-sacrifice, and
dogged persistence; a graphic page of the story of the American
pioneer."--_New York Mail and Express._

A. C. McCLURG & CO., _Publishers_

+----------------------------------------------------------------- +
| Transcriber's Note: |
| |
| Minor typographical errors have been corrected without note. |
| |
| Punctuation and spelling were made consistent when a predominant |
| form was found in this book; otherwise they were not changed. |
| |
| Ambiguous hyphens at the ends of lines were retained. |
| |
| Mid-paragraph illustrations have been moved between paragraphs |
| and some illustrations have been moved closer to the text that |
| references them. The List of Illustrations paginations were |
| changed accordingly. |
| |
| Italicized words are surrounded by underline characters, |
| _like this_. |
| |
| Superscripts are enclosed in brackets like this 2{nd}. |
| |
| Duplicated section headings have been omitted. |
| |
|Footnotes were moved to the end of chapters and numbered in one |
|continuous sequence. |
+------------------------------------------------------------------+

End of Project Gutenberg's Pilots of the Republic, by Archer Butler Hulbert