New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-03-23
Presider, Grant. Annexation Policy
From, the New York World


Accepting the inaugural address as an
outline chart of General Grants intentions
for the next four years, we may gather
| from it that he hopes 20 distinguish his
! second term by important acquisitions OF
foreign territory He docs not, indeed,
| make direct and explicit avOwai OF tins
! cherished purpose: but a great deal OF what
| he does not say, and says with most ltera-
ton and emphasis, ls misplaced and Dean-
| ingless unless il looks to an enlargement OF
| our territorial borders.
! He does rot tell with any clearness what
! the particular object is on which he has
| as'ened his covetous eyes. Ii Is not San
Domingo again. for he renOunces further
attempts IN that direction: it can not be
Canada. for there ia nothing 10 encourage
| the belief that Canada can be annexed
during his administration there is no
4. likelihood that he 10 casting Ndelong
chances at the Sandwich islands, which
would be too small a prize 20 satisfy his
an bition. 1t must be Cuba or Mexico, per
haps both II has long been known 20 the
public tina. Immediately after the close Of
our civil war General Grant favored the
marching of an army into Mexico 70 drive
out Ma ximilian and take possession OF the
country 1. is easy to understand how 2
dream o. ac.uirin. Mexico might arise in
his mind. In III. youthful and
most susceptible dave he served in
Mexico, during that brilliant and
victorious campaign by which General
Scott conquered the country. The acquisi-
ton Of California was a fruit OF that war,
and Captain Grant was stationed in Cali
fornia when che whole country was set
crazy by the discovery of the gold mines,
and when an uneXampled tide OF sudden
emigration pour ed into that Territory, and
q new State was created as II by magic.
The deepest and most lasting Impressions
ever made upon General Grant were prob
ably made in those early days when the
Mexican wax and its consequences were
moulding the mind Of a young man 10
whom all life outside OF the Military Acad
envy was new. There are some expressions
in the inaugural which seem to point rather
TO Mexico than 70 Cuba, bu: the general
drift is equally applicable 90 both. The
chronic iDsnrrection in Cuba and crippled
condition OF Spain would make the Queen
of the Antilles an easy acquisition II our
government could find a pretexs FOX var
with the mother country.
Two Of the longest passages IL the inau-
gUral address ERE gwen 10 that subject of
the extension o! territory which lies so
near the Presidents heart. What was the
necessity or pertinence OF his recurring
again and again 20 that subject, unlt S. lie
cOntemDlateS an extension vi our bOnnda-
RES within the nest four yearss Why did
he make this the capital topic of hi. ad-
dress and bestOw on i: :wice the space be
gave to any other. it he is not broodine
over schemes o. annexation to which he
wishes to reconcile the people! Again and
again. in i've different passages, the Pres-
dent calls attention 20 the facilities al
fUrded by steam and electricity for extend
IL g government over wider areas. lie eX-
presses the opinion that an enlargement of
our territory would ma Ike IL safe 20 diminish
our army and navy. He carries this theory
so far as to svOV the belief that things are
tending towards the union of the whole
world under one governments. and that
armies and navies will then be unn.c, ssarv
The purpose ii this train of thought is evi-
dent enough. He wishes to familiarize the
public mind with the idea that new enlarge
ments OF territory would be merely steps in
carrying us and the world forward in the
path marked ont by destiny. The promi-
nence and emphatic repetition given to this
idea in the inaugural address, are not peril
nent to the policy Of this government for
the next four years, unless General Grant
means to make his second tern al epoch OF
territorial aggrandiZement.