200 The Winning of the West 



river. 5 Even in Kentucky itself a few of the lead 

 ing men were of the opinion that the right of free 

 navigation would be of little real benefit during the 

 lifetime of the existing generation. 6 It was no dis 

 credit to Jay to hold the views he did when they 

 were shared by intelligent men of affairs who were 

 actually in the district most concerned. He was 

 merely somewhat slow in abandoning opinions which 

 half a dozen years before were held generally 

 throughout the Union. Nevertheless it was fortu 

 nate for the country that the Southern States, headed 

 by Virginia, were so resolute in their opposition, 

 and that Gardoqui, a fit representative of his gov 

 ernment, declined to agree to a treaty which if rati 

 fied would have benefited Spain, and would have 

 brought undreamed of evil upon the United States. 

 Jefferson, to his credit, was very hostile to the prop 

 osition. As a statesman Jefferson stood for many 

 ideas which in their actual working have proved per 

 nicious to our country, but he deserves well of all 

 Americans, in the first place because of his ser 

 vices to science, and in the next place, what was 

 of far more importance, because of his steadfast 

 friendship for the great West, and his appreciation 

 of its magnificent future. 



As soon as the Revolutionary War came to an 

 end adventurers in Kentucky began to trade down 

 the Mississippi. Often these men were merchants 



6 "The Spanish Conspiracy," Thos. Marshall Green, p. 31. 

 6 State Dept MSS., Madison Papers, Caleb Wallace to 

 Madison, Nov. 21, 1787. Wallace himself shared this view. 



