The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1898-03-21

leans Jefferson notified our minister,
Livingston at Paris. to tell Napoleon
that while we might tolerate weak
nation like Spain on our south and west,
We would not for one instant allow a
powerful nation like France to hold this
contiguous territory.
Monroe. who was sent as our special
envoy. pointed out to Napoleon, who
was about to go to war with England.
that this sale would drive the United
States into coalition with England.
Napoleon saw that by such a course he
would be pretty sure to lose Louisiana
anyway and, unlike Spain today. who
would rather lose Cuba by war with no
price than by peace sale, he had no
false pride in the matter.
He proposed to sell the whole of Louis
lana for 15.G00 600. adding that he would
give that country to nation which
some day would be powerful enough to
humble England-which prediction turn
ed out to be true. jefferson did not con-
template the acquisition of such an enor-
nous territory. All he thought of get
ting was enough territory at the mouth
Of the Mississippi, both sides, to put for
ever at rest troubles arising from the
control of the river by any foreign
power
But when the offer was made to Monroe
he accepted it. and left it to that strict
constructionist jefferson. to find author
ity in the Constitution for the purchase
or to make it. jefferson, of course, could
find no explicit authority. so he made pre-
tense of having the Constitution amended
after the act so as to legaliZe IT. but
though New England threatened to secede
from the Union if the national money
was expended in this way, the constitu-
tional amendment never was formally
proposed.
Spain. when she sold the territory to
France. had no idea that it would fall to
the United States. and she was by no
means pleased at the purchase. But she
had to content herself with the possession
of the Floridas
1t was while the Louisiana question was
before the public. during Jefferson's ad-
ministration. that the Spanish minister
! Senior Carlos de Yrujo, tried to bride
| Philadelphia newspaper to print an article
opposing the Administration. We de-
manded his recall, and at once he de-
! cIared that he would stay in America as
| long as he pleased. Spain, however, re-
called him. and, in 1908, at the end of the
| term of service of our minister in Madrid,
| c. C. Pinckney, our diplomatic relations
! with Spain were broken off, not to be re-
sumed for six or seven years.
Though Louisiana came into our noml-
! nal possession in December, 1903 1t was
several years after that before the last
( Spanish official in the territory consent
ed sullenIy to retire to the FloTidas. Be
| fore they departed they lost no opportunl-
ty to irritate the Americans of the west
| and southwest. In a few years when the
war of 1924 came, Spain, ignoring the
obligations of neutrality allowed the
| British to take possession of their forts
| al Pensacola and elsewhere in Florida,
and fit out expeditions against the United
States In September, 1914, Fort Bower,
| now Fort Morgan at the mouth Of Mobile
lyo1 E,x-.. Britt Gh l.
ed by a force of Indians and marines, but
the assailants were repulsed, losing one
of their ships and many men. The other
ships escaped to Pensacola. But we had a
general in the South in those times VINO
was more than match for the British
and Spanish combined. jackson was III
command at Mobile, and, at the head of
5000 men. he marched TO Pensacola, and
negotiations with the Spanish authorities
failing. he seized the town and compelled
the British to leave. Then he returned to
Mobile and FASTENED to New Orleans,
where in few months, he inflicted upon
the British a worse defeat than that
proud nation ever before had endured.
One of the provisions of our treaty
with Spain in 1895 was that each nation
should keep the Indians within its bord-
ers from preyinS on the inhabitants OF
the other nation. Spain did not allow
herself 10 be affected by trifiing treaty
obligation like that, and her officials.
aided by Englishmen in that quarter,
melted the Seminoles of Florida to make
forays upon the Georgia settlements.
| Evidently Spain had forgotten that we
had a general named Jackson. who
showed by his course at Pensacola in
1914 that he was not afraid to take eX-
IRENE measures. After Gen. Gaines had
failed in getting at the heart of the
! Seminole disturbance Jackson was sent
into Florida On his own hook, as we
would say. he marched into Florida
seized the Spanish fort at St Marks and
other principal towns and hanged as
outlaws ard pirates" two British sub
jects, Arbuthnot and Ambristert who
had led the SeminOles. Again Jackson
seized Pensacola and this time he cap
tured Fort BaTrancas, near the town
after a short resistance
Both England and Spain boiled over
at this summary act, but the fire cooled
and the immediate result was that the
next year Spain ceded both the Floridas
to us for $1,000 900. But we never had t
pay for the territory for Spain owed us
J that amount as indemnity for injuries
she had done to American citizens boil
in connection with the Louisiana queS
ton and the matter of reprisals upoT
our commerce in our NapOleOnic war, anC
these unpaid claims had been a grea
source of irritation between the TIVE
countries. BY a treaty we made witt
Spain in 1902 Spain obligated hersel1
to indemnify us for these losses and theI
refused for sixteen years to ratify tn,
treaty, which was annulled by the treaty
of 1919.
So we got the Floridas free and as
sumed the payment of these claims our
selves. And for the second time Spain
having injured us. was forced to pa!
for it. Spain. however, delayed the rati
=. -
the eXasperating arts and wiles of which
the Castillian is master. There was
good deal of war talk in the Unite
States. but before Ii could come to
head Spain reluctantly ratified the treat.
and yielded possession. Jackson was i'm
mediately appointed military governo
of the Floridas which checked what
ever disposition the Spanish had to sta,
upon the order of their going.
Spain, however had other pressing in
terests in this hemisphere. For ten year
: her Spanish American colonies had bee
rebelling, and within a twelvemonth fror
the time Spain evacuated the FIoridas tn
United States recognized as free an
f Independent nations Mexico and fou
South American colonies. The worl
was about to hear new American doc
trine which we over here call the Nor
roe doctrine In recounting our relation
with Spain this affair would need but lii
tie notice were it not for the eXtraordina
5 | ~ parallel which the present offers t
= the past. Then, as now, Spain sought a
l lies among the European powers; then, a
2 now. England showed that she wanted t
5 be our friend; then. as now, ii was o
t commercial reasons. and not for pur
= friendship. that England sided with us.
Since the period of Monroe's doctrin,
the differences We have had with Spai
j have been over Cuba. We used to be e>