Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1898-12-05
THE oFIAIDN OF HON. HENRY C.
IDE, AMERICAN CHIEF JUSTICE OF
SAMOA, ON THE PHILIPPINE
QUESTION.

Hon. Henry u. IQo, formerly Cn101
Justice of Samoa, gives the following
as his views upon the Philippine ques-
ton: "Inreply to your request to give
my views upon the policy of territorial
expansion Of the United States, l am OF
the opinion that the question is hardly
an open one at this late date. While
our public men have officially and
theoretically long declared that ZEN
tangling foreign alliances" and ex-
pansion of territory were alien to the
policy and theory of our government,
yet practically much of the marvel
Gus progress that has made us one OF
come from national action atvariance
with such declared policy and theory.
By far the greater portion of the ter
ritory now owing permanent allie
glance to our flag came to US as ac-
cretions from other nations in the
face of our often declared policy
The intellectually valuable states eX
tending from the Gulf of Mexico to
British America came by the Louisiana
purchase in 1903. In 1918 Florida
came to Us from Spain, and all that is
now Oregon and Washington was
added. This later territory had then
become contiguous TO our own by vir
tue of the Louisiana purchase, but in
point of accessibility was far more re-
mote from our capital than Luzon is
today. From 1916 to 1913 we annexed
the immense area Of Texas, Califor
MIA, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, New Mex
leo and part of Colorado. In 1858
came the Gadsden purchase. In 1867
the great resources of Alaska were
added, no portion of it's territory be-
ing contiguous to any before belong
ing to US. But few years earlier
Japan was, as expressed by Secretary
Seward, "compelled into making
treaty with the United States," and
Commodore Perry, with our navy
opened the door of that hermit coun-
try to all Of it's era making progress.
For many years past our country has
Joined with the European nations in
the maintenance of an international
court in Egypt. In 1879 we entered
into treaty with Samoa, securing
the right to maintain cOaling station
in ,Pago Page, one of the safest har-
bors in the South Pacific, and in 1889
joined with England and Germa any in
d proUectorate over the whole Samoan
group. In 1898 we annexed Hawaii
and Porto Rico. All this is past, ire
vocably past. IT is history. We can
not undo it, if we would. We cannot
turn back the dial of time. But no tn
ing is more clear than that we would
not if we could.
The historical events thus brief Y
skctched represent such additions to
our resources, population and national
greatness, and to the sum total of
opportunity for individ
ual development, commercial, relig
lous and political liberty, and progress
of the human race, as to take them
out Of the dominion Of discussion or
doubt, except for the moment as to
the most recent acquisitions. Yet
each successive step in this nation al
progress has been bitterly opposed in
its day by wise and conservative men
who feared TO depart from the paths
which our fathers had blazed for us in
the forests. But as the forests have
been cleared away, larger vistas have
been opened before Us, and wider
range of vision has eventually ap
proved each broadening of our sphere
Of national influence. The conditions
which existed when we had no Pacific
coast, and our whole area consisted
Of a portion of the Atlantic coast with
a largely unexplored interior, and
means of communication we're Of the
most primitive character and our
stability and capacity to sur
vive domestic dissension were still
have all passed away.
Our country extends across who lie
continent, from ocean to ocean, it's
populations, institutions, and COM
merce internal and external, have be-
come new factors in the world IS histo
ry. Electricity and steam have large
ly annihilated distance, and the Civil
War and it's results have establis he'd
US on solid basis as a nation. The
point of view has utterly changed.
Conservative men may still be con-
but they can not wisely
disraOard the tranau6ous obauUas
that time has wrought. New condi
tons call for re adjustments of politi
cal thought. What was the high est
wisdom of craftsmanship at the close
Of the eighteenth century may easily
be folly at the close of the nineteenth.