The Topeka state journal., 1899-10-12
TWO CENTS.

union, of which I have no idea, and
which can only be done by amending
greatest curse that could at present be-
fall US. It may be productive of in
Vulnerable evils and especially of one
that fear to ever look upon. Thus
our citizens will be removed to the i'm
mense distance of two or three thous-
and miles from the capital of the union
where they will scarcely ever feel the
rays of the general government, thus
their affections will become alienated;
they will gradually begin to view US as
strangerS-they will form other COM
mercial connections, and our interests
will become distinct and
do say that under existing circum-
stances even supposfng that this extent
of territory was a desirable acquisition.
fifteen millions Of dollars was a most
enormous sum to give
"A distinguished member from Vir-
ginia said: I fear the effect of the
vast extent of our empire
HE feared the effects of the increas-
ed value of labor, the decrease in the
value of lands, and the effect of our
climate upon our citizens who should
migrate thither.
He feared (though this land was
represented as flowing with milk and
honey, that this Eden of the new world
would prove a cemetery for the bodies
of our citizens.
Imperialism had a chief place in the
catalogue of disasters which would fol-
low the ratification of this treaty and
it was alleged that this was the first
and sure step to the creation of an en-
pire and the subversiOn of the constitu-
tfon. The phrase which is now en-
plOyed by some critics planetary pol
ICY so far as I have been able to dis
cover, first appeared here. Jefferson
was made the subject of satirical verse;
90 See him commence, land specuIator,
And buy up the realm of nature
Towns. cities, Indians, Spaniards,
prairies.'
''The opponents, however, were in the
minority and the star of the republic
did not set and the mighty west was
brought under the flag of justice, free
dom and opportunity.
In 1919 we added 69,749 square miles.
which now comprises Florida and parts
of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana
I'm 1S45 we received the cession of
Texas. It contained 376 937 square miles
and embraced the state of Texas and
parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado,
Wyoming and New Mexico. The next
cesSiOn was under the treaty Of 1S48.
containing 522, ,568 square miles, cm-
bracing the states of California, Ne
vada, Utah and parts of Colorado and
Wyoming and of the territories of AIi-
zOna and New Mexico. In 1853 we ac-
quired by the Gadsden purchase As, AS
square miles which embrace parts OF
Louisiana and Mexico.
''The next great acquisition was that
of Alaska in 1867, containing 599, 446
square miles. This treaty, like that OF
the Louisiana purchase, was fereely
resisted When the house had under
considera tiOn the bill apprOpriating the
sum of 81 .200 00a, the amount of pur-
chase money for Alaska agreed upon
by the treaty and the minority report
on that bill quoted apprOvingly an ar
ticle which characterized Alaska as n
terra incOgnita,' and that persons well
informed as to Alaska are ungrateful
enough to hint that we could have
bought q much superior elephant in
part of the money with not a ten-thOus-
andth part expense incurred in keeping
the animal in proper condition.
'sThe minority report proceeded to
say that the committee, having con-
sidered the various questions involved
and the evidence in regard to this
country under consideration are forced
to the conclusion that the possession OF
the country is of no value to the gov
ernm ent of the United States. That it
Will be a course of weakness instead OF
power and a constant annual expense
for which there will be no adequate re-
turn. That it has no capacity as an
agricultural country. That so far as
known, it has no value as a mineral
country.
"'That its fur trade is
of insignificant value to US as a ma
tion and will speedily come to an end
That the fisheries are of doubtful value
and that whatever the value of it's fish
cries, its fur trade, its timber and its
minerals, they were all open to the
citizens of the United States under ex-
iSting treaties. That the right to gov
ern the nation or nations of savages in
a climate unfit for the habitation OF
civilized men, was not worthy of pur-
chase
SThev therefore re-
port the following resolution:
Resolved, That it is inexpedient to
appropriate money for the purchase oe
Russian America
In the debate in the house a distin-
gUfshed representative from Massa-
chusetts said: If we are to pay for
Russfa's friendship this amount, I de-
sire to give her the 81. 200, GOO and let her
keep Alaska. I have no doubt that at
any time within the last 20 years we
could have had Alaska for the asking.
providing we would have taken it as a
gift; but no man, except one insane
enough to buy the earthquakes of St
Thomas and the ice fields of Greenland
could be found to agree to any other
terms for it's acquisition to this coun-
try
1.-THE opponents to this treaty were in
the minority and that great rich ter
ritory from which we have drawn many
and many times over it's purchase price
and with phenomenal wealth yet unde-
veloped is ours in spite of their oppOsi-
ton.
In the last year we have added to
the territory of the United States the
territory of the Hawaiian islands, one
of the gems of the Pacific ocean, con-
4 tanning 5,724 square miles; Porto Rico
4 containing 1900 square miles; Guam,
containing so square miles and the
Philippine archipelago, embracing ap-
prOximately 143,o00 square miles. This
latest acquisition is about one-sixth the
size of the original 13 states. It is as
! large as the combined area of New
| Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, North Car
! Olina, South Carolina and the District
/ of Columbia. 1t exceeds in area all OF
\ the New England states. It is almost
/ as large as Washington and Oregon
/ combined and greater than Ohio, Indi-
ana and Illinois united. Three times
1 larger than New York and three and
one-half times larger than the state Of
1 Ohio