The Afro-American advance., 1899-10-14

Eden of the new world would prove
cemetery for the bodies Of our citizens
Imperialism had aZeh3ef place in the
catalogue of disasters which would fol.
low the ratification of this treaty, and IL
was alleged that this VAS the first and
sure step To the creation OF an empire
and the subversion of the constitution
The phrase. "planetars policy" which Is
now employed by SOM critics. 50 far az
have been able TO discover. first ap.
peared here. jefferson was made the sub.
ject of satirieal verse
See him commence land speeulator.
And buy up the restlm of Nature
Towns, cities Indian Spautartls, prai
fies.
The opponents, how ever. were In the
minority. and the STIR ~ the repnntl,
did not set, and the mighty west was
brought under the flas of justice, free
dom and opportunity
In 1919 We added org square miles.
which now comprise Florida and parts oi
Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana
In iS45 we received H., cession of Texas
II contained $50, eSl aauare miles, and en-.
braccd the state of TEXAS and parts ot
Oklahoma, Kansas. Colorado Wyomlng
and New Mexico.
The next eesston was under the treaty
of iSiS, containing s., 56S square mites,
embracing the states of California Ne
vada, Utah and parts of Colorado auG
Wyoming, and of thv territories Of Ari.
zona and New Mexico,
In 1858 we acquired by the Gadsdeu
purchase, 45.bSh squatr miles. which ON.
brace parts of Louisiana and New Mex.
leo
The next great acquisition was that of
Alaska, in 1867 containing 699. 4iG square
miles. This treaty, Ike that for the
Louisiana purchase, was Hereby re
sisted. When the house had under con.
sideration the bill appropriating the sum
OF N,2U0000, the amount of the purchase
money for Alaska agreed upon 10y the
treaty. the minority report ON that bill
quoted upproyingly an article which char,
actcriged Alaska as a terra fneoguita. d"
and said:
Persons well Informed IA TO Alaska
are ungrateful enough to hint that we
could have bought much superior eIe
phant in Siam or Bombay Tor one hun.
dredth part of the money. with not a
ten~thousandth part II the expense in.
eurred in keeping III animal in proper
condition"
The minority report proceeded to say;
THE committee. having considered tn,
various questions Involved and the evf.
deuCc in regard to this country under
consideration, is forced TO the conclusion
THAT THE POSSESSION or THE
COUNTRY Is OF No VALUE TO THF
GOV EMINENT Oh THE UNITEI
STATES That 1t viii be source oi
weakness instead of power and con
! stant annual expense for which there Will
be ITO adequate return That il has no
capacity as an agricultural country That.
SO far as known, Ii has no value as a
mineral country. Tint its fur
trade is of insignificant value to us as
nation. and will speedily come to an
end, That the fisheries are OF doubtful
value, and that. whatever the value of it's
fisheries. it's fur trade. It's timber or It's
minerals, they are all open to the citizens
of the United States under existing
treaties. That the right to govern ma
tion or nations Of aavhKes. in a climate
unit for the hahitatlon Of civilized mon,
was not worthy of purchase
They. therefore. report the following res
olution: Resolved, That 1t is incxpcdlent
to appropriate money for the purchase
of Russian America.
In the debate in the house a dstin-
guished representative from Massachu-
sctts said
III we are 10 pay for Rusaia's friend
ship this amount. desire 10 give her the
81, 200 600 and let her keep Alaska have
no doubt that any time within the last
twenty years we could have had Alaska
for the asking, provided we would have
taken II as Rlft; but no man. except
one insane enough 10 buy the earth
quHkes of st Thomns and the Ice fields
OF Greenland, could be found to aRfee
by any other terms for its acquisition to
this country"
To this treaty the opponents were in the
minority, and that great, rich territory,
from which we have drawn many aud
many times over It's purchase price aud
with phenomenal wealth yet undeveipped.
IL ours in spite nf their opposition.
In the last year we have added to the
territory Of the United States. the Iin-
wailhu islandH--one OF the gems Of the
Pacific ocean-cOnta aiming $40 square
miles: Porto Rico. containing 800 square
miies, Guam, containing ~ square miles.
and the Philippine archipelago, embrac-
ing approximately $4,000 square miles.
This latest acquisition fs about one-sixth
the size Of The original thirteen states
II Is larger than the combined area Of
New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland. Vir-
giria, North Carolina. South Carolina.
and the District ~ columbia II exceeds
la area all Of the New England states
II IL almost as large as Washington and
Oregon combined. and greater than Ohio,
Indiana and Illinois united. Three times
larger than New York and three and
one-half times larger than the state Of
Ohio.
The treaty Of peace with Spain. which
gave uH the Phiiippinen Porto Rico and
Guam, met with some opposition IN the
senate. but WAS ratified b. that body by
more than two-thirds vote. while IN the
house the appropriation ~ t2ogo0q was
made with little or 10 opposition A. In
the case Of the Louisiana purchase and
Alaska. the opponents Of the treaty were
In the minority and the star Of hope 10 an
oppressed people was not enttngaIshea
The future ef thssa new poHsessi9uH is
ia the keeping of congress. ard congress
ia the servant 0f the peopte That they
will be retained under the benign s9yef-
eighty of the United States ! do ugt psf-
init myself to doubt. That they viii
prove q rich and valuable heritage / feel
assured That congress- will provide for
them government which will bffnE them
blessings. which viii promote their mate
rial interests, M weH as advance their
people tn the path - civilization and In
teiiigence. / e0nadentiy believe They wtii
not be governed - sAsNais 8r setfs 5f
slaves. they viii b. given government
81 liberty. regulated BY Law, honestly Hd-
rniaistered, wiibput expressing eEaef lions.
taxation without diHtiuefign ~ social eou.
6ittoB. freedom ~ religious w0fshipl an1
protection In life and liberty. and the
III Fff