The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1899-10-20
"vHg TRUTH. THE WHOLE TIvcn

Wnltn lne DeIlotrlts pplht WIFI SFEhktT
pride than the acquisition Of Florida
and the trans Mississippi rhgiod, Those
real estate dealings with Spain, France
and Mexico constitute u .hemp on
which Democratic orators and writers
dwell with peculiar JUNCTION. And
we'll they may, for they We're the eS"ats
that have mnia Ma republic great sna
| strong. rure, unsullied patriotism ha.
%lwass been SET ", by Damortltic an
| thorities ~ the inspiration of al! tltlt
expansion. including that whica came
~ "A result Ut onr war with AeHiro.
But when Republicans undertake. 10
glorify Democratic expansion, the En-
quirer tells them that today every
school boy knows why we became tho
sovereign over that territory. and what
a fearfll price in blood and treasure we
have paid for il. 1t says, in its sublime
devotion to the truth, this whole lrnth
and nothing but the truth, that every
foot of that vast territory acquired from
Spaln and France by pnrchase and
from Mexico Ivy ~force-fnrce 80 wrong
fully applied that We had to administer
u balm in the torn OF money to the
amount of fifteen million 1ollars-was
tor tho purpose of extending the slave
fields of the United States" And fur.
ther. we are assured by orr truth low
ing Democratic contemporary, that
under the cry of The country, right
or wrong the slavery pr~opagandists
opened this new field for the extension
of that institution, which, IA few years
later, cost the American people nearly
one million lives and eight billion dol
lars, a sun in none which would
have purchased all of the territory five
times over."-Washington Post,
One of the great authors OF American
classics said once in referring 70 Eli
Perkins, or was it Joe Mulhatton, Il
love II liar, but yon please me too well, y
II one were possessed OF q love for the
"fiction5 Of history, these instances of
the Cincinnati EnqTirer's Sublime de
votion to the truth, the whole trutl,
and nothing bnt the truth, would in
cline him to quote this saying: What
every school boy Knows we know
, uut; but what history teaches them il
that our real estate dealings with
France and Spain nearly d hundred
:. years ago We're conceived tnu a]nllnajeli
solely and Who'll Y ny the need for, and
the determination TO possess, Il trade
outlet for the country west Of the a
~leghanies.
1t is indeed Il remarkable spectacle
this gross and shabby perversion o.
the truth of the nightiest movemen
in early American history; Of how
and why the hardy and heroic pic
neers of the great West forced open tn
portals Of empire. Slavery indeed
with jefferson, who regarded its exist
tence aIG perpetuAtion as the CREATES
of ills, as the arthor of those real es
tate dealings: with Livingstone, o
. New York, whose tact, wisdom, courag
g and persistency, entitle him to a great
or share of the credit, as the agent G
the contamination! A pretty pair @
"propagandists of slavery truly! VIII
so little concern was then given to tn
slavery question, that upon the pstitio
OF a convention OF abolitionists VIII
happened to be in session in Philade
phia while the act providing a form {
government for Louisiana Wal pendin,
:. u clause was embraced prohibiting II
;. importation Of slaves by the inhabitanI
:, Of the territory.
A.. There was q far less OF the design
r. ststesmauship in the requirement
sr the Louisiana territory than Is cor
10 monty assumed. Until the Spani'
governor Of New Orleans violated Il
: treaty stipulation which guaranteed
place Of deposit for American produ'
1T that city, there was no propositi'
b looking to its requirement. But tn
IL act, which bottled up the whole vail
ck country from Natchez to Pittsburg, &
re, the West sfre. There was a spontan
ID. GUS call to arms, which r~everberate
mt over the land. 1t reached Jefferso
de who hated war, and he opened negati
8, tons through Mr.. Livingstone, Q
|mioister to France, for New Orlea
and the east bank Of the river.
As to Democratic pride" Jeffers
"a sent Monroe to Livingstone $ assistant
80 writing: The fever in the West, still
ulated generally by the Federal int
~ est, threatens to overbear peace"
les When the need Of campaign emo'
lishments shall have passed, the Cinci
no natl Enqmirer and the Washington Pc
onuhf tn rad nm on the history of Il