Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-07-15

| purchase Of Louisiana likewise made our own
ership OF Florida foregone conclusion In six
| teen more years the young ''pygmy" had grown
! too vigorous to longer tolerate such ueiphbor
as Florida was In the ownership Of Spain. That
portion west of the Perdido river had been
| claimed by the United States under the Louis.
lana purchase, and in 1911 our government
| took peaceable possession of the same.
| In our second war with Great Britain the
| Spanish government was unable or unwilling to
| preserve her neutrality, and British expedi-
| ton was fitted out against our country from
Pensacola, and Gen. jackson thereupon
marched against the place and captured it.
| In 1918 we had further trouble with the
country, when jackson again captured Pensa-
cola and also Fort st. Marks. 1t was in this
expedition that the pugnacious Tennessee gen.
/ erai caused the execution of the two British
subjects. Arbuthnot and Ambrister, proceed
ing which came near causing third war with
| Great Britain.
! The Spanish minister also demanded an
apology and indemnity from our country, but
never got either. and finally the country passed
into our possession by the treaty Of 1913, and
jackson, being appointed its first governor,
took formal possession Of the country July 10,
| 1921. By this same treaty we also acquired q
quit claim from Spain to the Oregon region and
| extending as far south as the present northern
| boundary Of California, and thence eastward
| to the summit of the Rocky mountains.
THE TEXAS ANNEXATION.
The story Of Texas is another romance. 1t
| independent national existence before it be-
came a part of the Union 1t is true the United
States had claimed the most Of her territory by
virtue of the Louisiana purchase, but Spain had
| resisted the claim, and in the Florida treaty Of
| 1919 the question had been finally settled by
the establishment Of the Sabine river as the
| boundary between the two countries Mean
| time, from almost the date of our acquisition
of Louisiana the unfortunate region Of Texas
| had been the Mecca Of every adventurous spirit
| of the southwest.
The ambitious schemes OF Aaron Burr con-
templated the capture and occupation of this
| sparsely settled and disputed territory; 1t was
leading factor In the schemes and plans with
which Gen Wilkinson of Kentucky was con-
cerned for some years; Col Kemper, Col
| Ellis P. Bean, Gen. Toledo, Col Perry aud
Gen. Xavier Nina were all leaders
with insurrectionary movements against the
| Spanish authorities. Guerrilla warfare,
battles, captures and butcheries almost equal
ing in atrocity that Of the famous Alamo
marked all those years up to the treaty Of 1919
In 1913 the Spanisrds were defeated with
| loss of 1000 killed. In another engagement
| nearly $500 Americans and Mexicans were
| killed and 700 peaceable inhabitants of San An
| tonic were murdered in cold blood. In 1917
Gen. Nina was defeated, captured and shot
| The celebrated pirate Laffite established his
! headquarters on Galveston Island, and was not
dislodged until 1921. In the very year Of the
| treaty settling the boundary DR.. James Long,
| a Tennesseean. organized a revolutionary ex-
petition, marched into Texas and proclaimed q
provisional government He sought the CO.
| operation of the pirates and was afterward cap
| tured then released and finally assassinated
| Meanwhile there had begun in Mexico that
series Of revolutions. which finally eliminated
| in her national independence; and with the adj
| vent OF Stephen +. Austin in Texas Affairs came
| a class Of American settlers who were home
| seekers and home-makers rather than adven-
| turers seeking the phantom of political empire.
The Austps were the men Of destiny for that Wild
| lawless and blood-stained region. They builded
better than they knew; they planted the germ
| which was destined within few years to grow
| into an American state.
| But the days OF her troubles were not ended.
Mexican rule over an Angio-Saxon popula-
ton meant only misrule, jealousy, OPP
| preston. wrongs unspeakable. Texas revolted.
and under the leadership of Gen. Sam Houston
won her independence at the battle Of San
| Jacinto April 81, 1886.
| On July the convention OF Texas met to con-
slider the act OF annexation, ratified the same
| and before il adjourned prepared q constitu-
| ton for admission as q state into the federal
| Union. The annexation was completed by
joint resolution Of Congress December 20. 1s45.
| But this was not accomplished without vio-
lent opposition. The whig party, then in the
zenith Of its power. saw in this acquisition Of
I empire only the expansion OF slave territory.
Great Britain and France looked askance at the
movement. because they were jealous Of our
| growth and they had hoped to take the young
republic under their own protection. With
Mexico ii meant war. Her pretext was the old
| subject Of disputed boundary-Texas claimed
/ to the Rio Grande, Mexico claimed to the
Nueces. But it would have been war had there
| been no dispute about the boundary Notwith-
/ oto fha Of fha NH 20, n.
measure they gave their vigorous aid to the
war; both in Congress and in the field. One Of
theSreat whig leaders, Clay. lost a son at the
battle Of Buena Vista, and it is a curious fact,
| if the annexation had a political significance,
/ that the war with Mexico gave one whig Presi-
dent to the country and another whig candidate
for the high office in the persons Of Taylor and
Scott
THE CALIFORNIA CONQUEST.
Our next acquisition Of territory comprised
the vast region lying west and northwest of
Texas, and stretching thence to the Pacific
| ocean, and it was the natural result Of the
Mexican war. This region comprised all OF
| what is now California, Nevada Utah aud part
of Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico. There
have beer people who thought it wrong on the
part Of the United States to take this territory
from Mexico aud keep it,
| This acquisition rounded out and gave sym.
metry to our possessions, and under the cir
| cumstances it would have been little short Of q
| national sin to have failed of its accomplish
ment Our government agreed to give Mexico
| S15.000.000 for this cession. and the purchase
was doubiy fortunate for our country, from the
fact that within very short time thereafter
came the world-famous gold discoveries, which
added many millions to our wealth, and within
little more than three years from the time when
| California was revoution-ridden Spanish
province gave her admission ss q state in the
federal Union.
| THE aADsDEN PURCHASE.
| Again the ever-recurring question Of dis
puted boundary came up between our country
and Mexico. The latter country claimed that
the boundary defining the southern line of what
| is now Arizona should be the ella river, while
the United States claimed considerable terri
| tory south of that stream. The matter was
finally settled by treaty with Mexico con-
cluded in 1853, by which we agreed to give
$4,000, 900 for the country south Of the Gils
river. The price would seem extravagsnt for
that patch of desert when we consider the two
empires which We bought for els, 000, 600 each.
| "FIFrY-FoUR-FoRTY OR FIGHT"
This historic campaign cry had its origin in
the agitation growing out of the disputed
boundary of the northwest 1t was one Of the
rallying cries OF the democrats in the presiden-
tial contest Of 1874, which resulted in the cleo
ton of James K. Polk. II is said that VIII