Louisiana and Aaron Burr 317 



it would be worse than folly to try to keep a coun- 

 try when he had given up the key-position. 



The region west of the Mississippi could become 

 the heritage of no other people save that which had 

 planted its populous communities along the eastern 

 bank of the river. It was quite possible for a pow- 

 erful European nation to hold New Orleans for 

 some time, even though all upper Louisiana fell 

 into the hands of the Americans; but it was entirely 

 impossible for any European nation to hold upper 

 Louisiana if New Orleans became a city of the 

 United States. The Westerners, wiser than their 

 rulers, but no wiser than Napoleon at the last, felt 

 this, and were not in the least disturbed over the 

 fate of Louisiana, provided they were given the 

 control of the mouth of the Mississippi. As a matter 

 of fact, it is improbable that the fate of the great 

 territory lying west of the upper Mississippi would 

 even have been seriously delayed had it been nom- 

 inally under the control of France or Spain. With 

 the ,mouth of the Mississippi once in American 

 hands it was a physical impossibility in any way 

 to retard the westward movement of the men who 

 were settling the Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee. 



The ratification of the treaty brought on some 

 sharp debates in Congress. Jefferson had led his 

 party into power as the special champion of State 

 Rights and the special opponent of national sover- 

 eignty. He and they rendered a very great service 

 to the nation by acquiring Louisiana; but it was at 

 the cost of violating every precept which they had 



