The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1867-05-15

p intrinsic value, be worth anything to an,
body !; but it has q political value in th
eyes Of the United States, and so Russi
: has taken her property to the deares
market, and sold it for $7,OOO,OOO. A
Il her title to the land was quite unimpeacb.
BILE, and as she had abperfect right TO Sc
and the United States aperfect fright t
a buy, it is evident that We have no bushes
to interfere. It does happen, however
that this ceded district borders upon terri
! tories Of our own, and, in fact, overlap
them, so that the change Of ownership i
f not altogether without interest for u.s.
Yet this part ofthe question can be dis
posed ofvery briefly. The utmost tina
could have been askedin the way even 0
special favor was that we should have tn
refusal Of the bargain. Suppose, now, tina
Russia had offered the country to us at tn,
price shown to be its market value Ell
I 100000 should We have bought itY Tn,
purchase-money, as it happens. would hay,
been just about provided By Mr. Disraeli'
: surplus hut is there the least probabilit,
that parliament wouldjhaye sanctioned til,
application of the investment? Would
apylpoliticiah of amy party have recon
mended the bargain
i 3 The case is different with the United
States. In making this purchase they yart
buying European proprietor ont of The
American continent, and promoting, at d
very cheap rate, their fayorite doctrine d
national destiny. tits within the present
century that they bought France out 81
Louisiana, at a cost of sixty-milions 81
francs. lin the case Of Russian America
soon, we suppose, to receive some new
designation--the vaiue received is almost
purely political, and that, no doubt, should
attract our notice. But, besides that we
have !, no title, to interfere, we, could allege
none bhtspeculatiye reasons forinterfering
We are not curtaiied by this transaction
OF single right, privilege or advantage
Our frontiers remain exactly as they were,
and have exactly the same access neither
more nor less-to the sea. The only real
difference is this, that our neighbors will
be OF different character. The Russians
held the countryso cheaply. and with such
little interest in it, that the whole of their
settlers did not at the last census number a
Thousand; they wouldlceftainly never bave
encroached upon US, or have been, in any
way our rivals. The Americans, on the
contrary, will represent On energetic, push
inc race, interchangeable in colonising, greedy
OF territory, and conscious of a great polit-
zeal mission. 1t is certain, in Short that
our colonies on the Pacific would never
b have been troubled by the Russians in
those parts it is by no. means so certain,
looking into the future, that, our new neigh
bors will be as inert OF, as inofensive, ~
But it's only ID the dim region of,spec-
ulation that we can descry any cause for
concern; It is probable enough that the
transaction was intended as q hint for us,
ifsnot Q warning but we may take it asyit
was meant, and yet not be very uneasy
We are said, indeed, to have provoked it,
though the provocationi was certainly never
contemplated. The Americans have taken
urnbrage at the confederacy Of our North
American colonies, though 4 people set
ting such an extraordinary value upon un-i
ion ought not to grudge the advantage of
the principle to others. They fancy they
can disco YER the germs Of an "empire" or .
great monarch in, the new confederation,
s and are jealous accordingly, though they
Know that it is oor business, and not theirs,
Just as the purchase Of Russian America is
theirs. and not ours. The actual offence,
probably, consists in the preparation made
not fora future empire, but for the perpet-
ual independence Of state which has been
expected to fall by gradual descent into the
great republic. The Monroe doctrine has
been brought to imply not only that 10
new European or rnonarchical government
shall be established On the North Ameri.
can continent, but that those actually es-
tablished shall not be put in repair, or.pre-
served by any means from the .disintegrra-
ton and absorption conceived to await
them. The Americans would not have a
regenerate Mexico, and they do not want
consolidated Canada. They know better
than to believe IN their hearts that any
union, Of the British provinces could ever
prove. a rival to their own, but the new
confederacy may well be stronger, than the
previous loose bundle, imbued with greater
vitality, and less likely to tumble into their
lap. They only looked with liberation on
the fabric as it stood, and theyare annoyed
at seeing 1t strengthened, repaired, and &c.
TED out fora new lease of independent life.
SO they reply, it is thought, by buying the
premises next door and shutting US up d
little in the fashion intended 10 be omi
nous l Nor has the purebsss been without
its effect, for telegraphs have been set in
motion, information required, questions
asked in parliament, and statements made
by ministers istt Iwith;all due gravity, reserve
and depreciation. u = - : sssf'S q
But for the ratification to be obtained
from the United States Senate, the trans
action has been actually completed. Rus
sic a has agreed to sell, and the executive
government at Washington has agreed to |
buy 50 that, unless the Senate should re-
fuse It's consent-Aan event not to be anti
cipated-the affair is at an end. IT has
certainly been unexpected, for nobody ever
gaye thought to such d contingency
Russian America was as nearly out of the
world as the land beyond the frozen ocean,
and even # anybody did remember that the
car was our neighbor on the north Pacific,
It was not to be- presumed that the BUS
SLAMS would be sellers of territory. But
now that the event has occurred, it cannot
be thought surprising. 1t is decidedly
good bargain for Russia, and not q bad one
for the United States The mere country
is dear, no doubt, at the money, but terri
tory has its political as well as its natural
value, and this is mhere the Americans viii
get their return. They have pot it already
at least SO they will think-in the sensa-
ton they have created over here; but that
will not be- long.Hved. "A very
short reflection will suffice to convince
Of the true nature and import
Of such q transaction as this this. There
is not the slightest reason why the Ameri-
cans should not acquire this country BY
lair purchase, If they please. Possibly the
acquisition may portend some trouble toJ
Us ia after times but that is more than
anybody can tell, and it will be soon
enough, at any rate, to detail with the
matter when those times arrive,
n