St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1898-11-16
TERRITORIAL EXPANSION.
Some Views on This Subject by Hon. Henry C.
Ide, late Chief Justice Of Samoa.

MONTPELlEk, VIZ
Dear SIR Replying to your request to
give my views upon the policy of terri
torial expansion OF the United States, !
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 expan.
sion of territory were alien to the policy
and theory of our government, yet prac-
tically much of the marvellous progress
that has made us one of the great ma
lions OF the earth has come from nation
al action at variance with such declared
policy and theory. By far the greater
portion OF the territory now owing per-
manent allegiance to our flag came to us
as accretions from other nations, in the
face of our often declared policy. The
intellectually valuable States extending
from the Gulf OF Mexico to British Amer.
lea came by the Louisiana purchase in
1903. In 1919 Florida came to us from
Spain, and all that is now Oregon and
Washington was added. This latter
territory had then become contiguous to
our own by virtue OF the Louisiana pur-
chase, but in point of accessibility was
far more remote from our capital than
Luzon is today. From 1S45 to 1S48 we
annexed the immense area OF Texas, Cali
fornia, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, New
Mexico and part OF Colorado. In 1858
came the Gadsden purchase. In 1867
the great resources OF Alaska were add
ed, no portion OF its territory being con-
tiguous to any before belonging to us.
But few years earlier, Japan was, as
expressed by Secretary Seward Com
PEELED into making treaty with the
United States" and Commodore Perry,
with our navy opened the door Of that
hermit country to all OF its era-making
progress. For many years past our
country has joined with European ma
tions in the maintenance of an interna-
tional court in Egypt. In 1878 we en-
tered into a treaty with Samoa, securing
the right to maintain coaling station
in Pago-Pago, one OF the safest harbors
with England and Germany in a protec.
torate over the whole Samoan Group.
In 1898 we annexed Hawaii and Porto
Rico. All this is past, irrevocably past.
1t is history. We cannot undo it, il we
would. We cannot turn back the dial of
time. But nothing is more clear than
that we would not if we could.
The historical events thus briefly
sketched represent such additions to our
resources, population and national great
ness, and to the sum total of civilization,
opportunity for individual Development
commercial, religious and political liber
ty, and progress OF the human race, as
to take them out of the dominion of dis
cussion or doubt, except for the moment
as to the two most recent acquisitions.
Yet each successive step in this national
progress has been bitterly opposed in it's
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 opened
before us, and wider range of vision
has eventually approved each broaden
ing of our sphere of national influence.
The conditions which existed when we
had no Pacific coast, and our whole area
consisted OF portion OF the Atlantic
coast with largely unexplored interior,
and means of communication were OF
the most primitive character and our
national stability and capacity to sur
vive domestic dissentions were still prob.
lematical, have all passed away. Our
country now extends across a whole
continent, from ocean to ocean, its
population, institutions and commerce
internal and external, have become new
factors in the worlds history. Electrici
ty and steam have largely annihilated
distance, and the Civil War and its re-
suits have established us on solid basis
as a nation The point of view has
utterly changed.
Conservative men may still be con
sentative, but they can not wisely dis
regard the tremendous changes that
time has wrought New conditions cal
for re-adjustments of political thought
What was the highest wisdom OF states
manship at the close of the eighteenth
century may easily be folly at the clos,
of the ninteenth. Without departing
too widely from our conservative policy
of non-interference in the affairs o
. foreign nations, we must look at thu
question of what are our own affair
from the standpoint of today, and no
from that of a hundred years ago. W.
are no longer isolated. We are in toucl
with the great nations of the earth, ant
must bear our part in the work of civi
lization. We have not been wanting il
statesmen who have seen coming event
far in the distant future. In 1923 Mr.
Adams as secretary Of state instructe,
our minister to Great Britain thus: I'll
looking to the probable course of event
for the short period of halt q century, i
is scarcely possible to resist the convie
ton that the annexation OF Cuba to on
Federal Republic will be indispensable,
If an apple, severed by tn
tempest from its native tree, canno
choose but fall to the ground, Cuba, fore
bly, disjoined from its own immature
connection with Spain, and incapable {
self-support, can gravitate only toward
the American Union, which, by the sam
law of nature can not cast her off troi
its BOSOM" In the same year, Thoma
Jefferson wrote to President Monroe, q
would not Immediately go to war for i
(Cuba), because the first war on oths
accounts will give it to us, or the islam
will give itselfto us when able to do so.
1n1S53 Edward Everett, Just leaving til
secretary of states Office, wrote to Lor
John Russell, "When | cast my thought
back upon our brief history as natiol
! certainly am not led to think that IL
United States have reached the fin,
limits of their growth. I'll
island Of Cuba lies at our doors.
commands the approach to the Gulf
Mexico, which washes the shores OF Fl,
Of our states. 1t bars the entrance (
that great river which drains half Il
North American continent, and With
tributaries forms the largest system
internal water communication in Il