Richmond daily times. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1853, 1853-02-08

lication presents the following summary view of
the territorial progress of our country:
l. The original territory of the Uni ted States
ding to the treaty Of 1888 gave the amount of
celed limits, 100000 square miles or 64oooo 600 oil
p The extent fsquae miles added to the territory
of the United States by the treaty with France in lso3
was 100000 square miles.
J. BY the cesson of Florida to the United states In
1922 an acquisition made of $4,000 square miles
4 The additions of Texas New Mexico and Califor
mia, are estimated at 100000 square miles.
The recapitulatloni is thus:-
Squire miles
United States original. lo00,0o0
Louisiana l'o9o oooo
Florida ....---------, d aonoo
Texas New Mexico and California ...i'40o QUO
Amount of Territory of the United States, 3,4l3O0o
1t thus appears that the original area OF the
United States has been more than trebed in the
last seventy seven years. The purchase Of
Louisiana doubled our landed possessions. Tex
rs was ANNEXED about eight years ago, and
within that briefpe we have acquired with
comparative little trouble u territory surprising IN
extent that which we wrested from Great Britain
by successful revolution. Adopting $4,000
square miles the mean area, sixty eight
STATES might be formed out of the United States
territory. Itappears further that our average an
nua Increase of territory since 1898, has been
upwards of $4,000 square miles, or one medium
sized state year.
A glance at these facts, we think, should SUI
fee to satisfy the "fast men, of our oay-the
men whose restless craving for territorial acqui-
sitions would lead them to anticipate what they
hold to be our manifest destiny, and lay violent
hands on the unripeued fruit, which in its ma
1urity must surely fall into our lap. An average
of $4,000 square miles per annum, one would
suppose, ought to appease even Anglo-Saxon
cupidity, and make contented with the progress
we have thus far made. We can we'll afford to
wait a few years before adding Cuba or another
fragment of Mexico to our already immense do
main.
1t is not at all probable that the future history
of our country, for long time to come, will ex-
hibt any dimuuton in the ratio OF its territorial
increase. Acquisitions of new territory may
now be regarded as the fixed policy OF our 60
yernment and people, The arguments of those
who resisted this policy in its inception as being
at variance with the true interests of our country
and dangerous to the stability OF its Institutions
have it is true, never been satisfactorily answered,
but thew have nevertheless fallen uEheeeded on
the popular ear. The history of the Louisiana
purchase, of Texas annexation, and of our acqui-
sitions from Mexico, concusively shows that
whenever an opportunity is offered for extending
our domain, the people will peremptorily de-
1nand that it shall be DONE The question. there
FORE is no longer an open one. The people have
made their choice and whether for good or for evil
and they must now abide byit Having already
gone so far as to extend territorial possessions
to thrice their original dimensions, it is now too
late to raise warning voice againstthe evils and
dangers of wide spread empire. Such an en-
nj ire is already ours, and if like all other similar
political structures it bears in its bosom the
seeds of premature decay and dissolution, the
evil is already beyond the reach of remedy.
Since, then, the poll cy Of our government and
the impulses of our people, both so strongly tend
10 territorial acquisition, we may reasonably an
ticpate that our growth in this respect, will be
as great for the next it has been during the
last seventy years. A boundless field is spread
before us for the exercise OF rapacity and am
btion. From our Southern frontier to Cape
Horn an imbecile. disorgansed and semi civilized
race holds possession of the soil, and the GER
tanty of a successful issue, would attend every
effort to extend our power in that direction.
Too fast.
An article in recent British publication on