The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1893-06-17

tuition for making the purchase. MI
Jefferson saw very clearly the vast i'm
portance OF what he undertook to do. |
would add to the United States a grea
extent of territory which was already be
coming important in order to provide fo
the emigration going on from the existin,
states into the interior. It woul rid IL,
of an undesirable neighbor at the West
1t would give us the Mississippi ms ,
highway for the commerce of the interio,
with the outer world 1t would secure
its outlet rs the entrepot Of the trade OF
the world with our Western people: and
it would relieve us forever from the
danger that by and by the inhabitants OF
the western territories would sever their
connection with the Union and unite in
forming great republic upon the rivers
which would constitute their chief inter
national highways.
This was the prize to be attained but
the Constitution, in his view. had made
mo provision for our holding foreign ter
ritory and still less for incorporating for
eign nations into our union" Under the
circumstances he thought the emergency
should be met by first making the pur-
chase and then appealing to thu nation
FOR an additional article in the Constitu-
tion, approving AMI confirming an act
which tn nation h. not previously
authorized" H. w. I'D have had this
don' as quietly is possible, avoid
ing public discussion, but shutting up
the Constitution for some tima" until the
purchasn was made. The Federal politi-
clans OF the day took what advantage
they might of his sc-uplas and md, all
the opoosition they could; but statesmen
like Hlmilton and Gouverneur Morris
refused to max, this a more partisan
question. and while they m1de light of
Mr.. Jetf'rson's scruples, did all they
could to favor the purchase. That it WIS
an act of III" highest wisdom no one at this
day has tn slightest doubt, and we think
we my fairly assume TINT Mr.. Jaff,rson
after it had once been accomplish al, felt
but ligh ly the scruplas he Ind felt mt thu
outset. for when he found that his party
did no. share in them. h, celsad t. insist
upon III necessity for am,ndm mt to tn,
Constitution.
Every foot of the territory acquired in
the Louisiana ,purchaT was not only
needed to provid, for the natural and in
evitable expansion of the settlement then
going on in the territory of the United
States. but it also fitted perfectly into
the American system; and thu purchase
brought nothing of a discordant nature
into the existing Union. Tn, domlin
purchased would be formed into terri
tories with suitable governm ,nts as thu
needs OF its growing population should
require, and these territories would in
Tina become states. There was Mt the
mouth Of the Mississippi considerable
settlement of people of another race
from those who had colonized the exist
ing states. but they ware Europaa n, and
there wls no question TINT in tim, tn "
would become. as American citizens, an
element by no means homogeneous or un-
d nsirablp. There is no ground what
ever for question thu. HI Il tho condition
of things which confron Il Mr.. Jefer-
son at the Tina of the LDuisiana pu~-
chase been forcScHn VIII n thu ConSti-
tuition WIS formed TIA wisdom Of leaving
it to be dealt with hv tn government as
it was in fact derlt with would have been
doubted by no ona.
Whit has been said regarding thu ac-
QUESTION of Louisiana is equally applica-
bic to the treaty for the annexation of
| Florida Here again was case of terri
tory bordering upon that of thu Union.
in the hands Of Il foreign nation. but
needed to provide for tho gradual ex-
pansion of the population of the Union,
AMI certain in time to becDm, tn, pro-
party of tn, Union either paac ,ably o.
by tn lawless action of th1s, who would
covet it and who would s,am to the
people of tn United States to b, its natu-
raj and proper proprietnrs. 1t was pur-
chased for Incorporation into the Union
in the regular and ordinary way, AMI the
opportunity was also taken advantage of
to eytinguiIh claims on the Pacific Goa It
which were likely in time to become
troublesome. Everything that was done
in tn ,se two cases tend ed to perfect the
work Of thu founders of our institutions
inSt'nl of bringing in any element of
dis ord n incongruity.
Th'r of Texas in its main charac-
taristIci lifarad radically from those of
Louisiana IN | Florida. Texas had been
II part Of NJ ,xic) but had d ecarad its in
depend anca AMI was enl,avoring to
mlintain it by force of arms The
Unit II States had recognized its inle-
pend enc, AMI its title to place in the
family of nations. Mexico, however, was
still asserting dominion over il and a
state ~ Yursi wlr existed. In tn, claim
it m I'd to territory T .xas hal embraced
much over which it had never enforced
its authority. 81 that the war to establish
its claims would not be altogether a war
of indapnnl me, bit in part also war of
conquest. While this was tho condition
of things, ovarturas wara made for an
n,xation to the United States, and Mr..
Tyler, who WIS then President with Mr..
Calhoun for his S ,cretary of State, was
exc eadingly anxious that the Offer of an
nayation should b, acc opted, and enter
ed at one, into negotiations to that end.
The proposed ann exation was popular in
the United States, though bitterly OPP
posed by a strong party at the north be
cause it was believed to be movement
in thu interest of slavery and having for
its main purpose to aid in strength aning
and parp etulting that institution. There
were also many who opposed it as unjust
to Mexico and who said with entire JUS
tice that annexation would be equivalent
to tn making of war upon that country.
for if Texas was annexed. it must be
taken with the boundaries claimed bv it.
and those boundaries must be defended
The treaty of annexation was readily
made, and was submitted by thu Prasi-
dent to the Senate accompanied by a
message in which it was assumed that by
the mere entering into the treaty on his
part, it had devolved upon him to see
that the territory by which was under
stood not merely that which Texas had
subjected to its dominion, but all that it
claimed was to be protected in the inter
est of the United States; and he sent troops
forward for this purpose The forwarding
,,f A.,. t...,, l.,f. l.