The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1899-03-18
LOUISIANA PURCHASE.
Outline of the Plan for the Celebra-
ton, in 1908, of the Great
American Event.
SPEECH BY EX.GOV. DAVID R. FRANCIS.
The Former Mayor of st. Louis anu
Governor of Missouri Gives the
Assembled Senator's md ID
sentatives, at the ST. Louis Ban
auet. ST. Louis Committees ldehs.

At the banquet given at the Mer-
camille club, St. Louis, on the night OF
the 18th inst. to the senators and rep
re~sentatives in the legislature, eX-Gov.
Francis was the central figure. and
OILS him developed the task OF setting
before the guests of the st. LOUIS
Louisiana Purchase celebration COM
mittce an outline of what the citizens
of st. Louis wanted TO do and what
wa expected of the Legislature and
the people of the state.
After the menu had been discussed
and the cigars passed, cX-Goy. Francis,
the toaStmaStcr of the banquet, arose
and raped for order. 1t was several
minutes before the attention of the
guests could he secured, but when
silence was finally attained the guests
turned in their chairs and listened at
tentivcly to the opening speech OF the
ex-governor. He was interrupted re-
rcatcdly by applause at his numerous
happy turns. He spoke as follows:
ON the 10th day of March. 1894. just
ninety-tive years ago yesterday, on the
banks of the great river that flows by
our door and within Il rev blocks of where
we stand, jurisdiction over the land in
which We now dwell WaS transferred from
France to the United StateS-the flags of
Spain and France We're hauled down and
the Stars and Stripes we're run up, never
To be lowered. The people chcercd. the
troops Siluted. and amid the booming of
cannon and the strains of martial music
the American Republic the
formal occupation of the magnificent en-
hire hpu.hr from the grpIT \IDpleDn by
the immortal jefferson.
Robert T.. Livingston. who. with Mon
roe, had negotiated the purchase, said
upon the signing of the articles: We nave
lived long. but this iS the nUbl"St work of
cur whole lives. From this day the Unit
ed States takes their place among the
power of the first rank The Instruments
We have just signed Will cause no tears to
be shed. they prepare ages of happiness
for IununcrsJbIc generations OF human
creatures. The Mississippi ana Missouri
will see them succeed one another ana
multiply. truly worthy of the regard OI
providence. in the bosom of equality un-
der just laws. freed from the errors oi
superstition and the ScuurSvs OF bad gov
crnmeut.
That was the Livingston who. as the
chancellor Of thc state OF New York. had
administered the oath of office 10 Wash
ingIun upon his Inauguration as first
president Of the epUnllc: the same Liv-
iT"st"u n with Thomas jefferson.
BENJAMIN Franklin. Roger sherman and
John Adams. had constituted the com
mittcr Of five appointed by the mcm"rt-
bile continental congress -! lao 10 draft
the declaration OF independence
Ills startling predictions wer" far
sighted, indeed, but they were not over
wrought. Mol Il decade had passed be
fore The young republic WAS engaged in Il
m"r"ilcss war with the mother country,
within thirty years thereafter there fol-
lowed a bloody struggle with AieEien.
then alter 4 lapse OF about II dozen years
came the bitter civil strife that shook
to its very foundation this splendid GOV
Crnmcntal structure. The cooperative
powers OF its people Were wonderful. and
bylor. the century * completed Internal
u~iSSeusionS ar" healed, former dntISon-
lists ar" seen marching shoulder to SIoui-
der under our TAG in tn cause of human
ity to III" defeat Of historic Spain. and to
her expulsion from Il hemisphere the dis
'oVcry and possession of which made her
mistress Of the world. Truly the United
States have taken their place among the
powers Of the first rank. Not only 50.
hut at the table Of the great nations OF
The earth the American Republic occupies
M~cGrcSor'S seat.
That such progress could have been cf-
feCtcd. and such accomplishments
achieved without the states ana terrific
rieS composing the Louisiana purchase
HC do not believe. nor las any one had
the temcrity to So claim. The unplrrllrd
Importance of this acquisition OF territory
is unGucStioncd and UnuUeSJiOnable. When
it WAS first suggested that its centennial
should be tittingly celebrated. the re-
Spouse of approval WAS not confined 10
the limits of the purchase, but from every
section and every state and every as
Semblage of Americans came words of
encouragement and assurances of assist
anCe. The more the subject is discussed
the better acquainted do tine Inhabitants
of the purchase become with the re
sources of their local habitation. and the
more profoundly are they and all the
people impressed with the part they have
contributed toward the progress. the
wealth and the glory of the country. Il
no more should be accomplished than has
already been done there would be no
loves labor lost.
TO have become imbued with a knowI-
edge of the wonderful products of these
valleys and mountains, and inspired with
Il conviction of their still greater poSSi-
bilities, Is ample reward for all efforts
made. But our work Is not yet fairly be
gun. The eyes of the country are di-
rected toward us. Our promises made at
the national capital two weeks ago to-
night startled the Legislative and execu-
tive branches of the federal government,
and arrested the attention of the entire
country. Representative men from the
different states of the purchase, men of
thought and influence, who have made
their imprint on the laws of the land and
on the policies of political parties. told
a distinguished audience how the pur-
chase of jefferson was fraught with Cca-
sequences of great import not only to our
institutions and our whole people. but to
humanity itself. In well-ChoSen words and
with touching pathoS did those expert
enced legislators and leaders of opinion
portray the WlSuOm ana the SlSnlIlCdnce
of JefferSon'S inimitable expansion. They
dwelt with unanimity and with emphasis
on the ACCESSIBILITY of fifty commemorate
ing so great AN event. and concluded with
one voice hat its one hundredth anniver-
Sary should be marked by Sucn an eX-
position as the world had never seen sur
passed nor equaled. The delegation au-
thoriZed to speak for St. Louis on that
occasion pledged this city to do its best.
and you do not need to be assured that
ST. Louis best is second to none. 1t
s~tated-that delegation to the national
sophisticated in measured and deliberate
terms that it spoke by instruction as well
Louisiana purchase. That delegation said
that the people of st. Louis attempted to
realize the value of the Louisiana pur-
chase to the welfare of this country, and
was proud to acknowledge hat the city
itself was but a product OF the resources
of that territory. developed by the ener-
getic. courageous pioneers and their de-
%scendants who had populated it. The
delegation said that the people of st.
Louis were DESTROYS of doing their full
share toward celebrating this great CEN |
%tennial, and felt highly honored that Ii
had been selected as the scene of such a
celebration: that such selection was a
the wealthiest, the first state of the pur-
Observation-Disclosures resources are I'M
parelleled and un~approachable That del
egation was composed of Missourians who
are proud of their state, who believe there
is more diversified and undevelo,ed
equal area on the globe. They were ac-
tive men of affairs-men who have *
tended the fame and commerce of Mis- |
souri, beyond the limits of the Louisiana
territory. and beyond the confines of the
United States. Among them were a Mis-
1880 ,A-,hA ~ tha ~-neSIa~sf- on gna 4