The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-12-04
EXPANSION CERTAIN
AS THE SUNS RISE
LIVE NATIONS INVARIABLY
WIDEN THEIR AREA.
Prediction Made That Before the
United States Gets Through 1t will
Embrace the Entire Western Con-
tinent and circnm-adj AGENT Islands

Hamilton @. Howard, esq, In the WASH
ington Post
What is to be the destiny of the
United States as a nation with regard
20 expansion of territorial limits Is a
problem in whose solution we can OBJ
tain little aid from the history of other
countries. In its light we stand with
out an exact counterpart.
Most governments have had their
origin in wrong or violence; and their
object has not been so much to pro-
teCt the weak against the strong as
to subject the former to the latter.
History Is but a continued illustration
of this gloomy truth. And the God OF
Nations has seen fit, apparently to
smile upon those whose birth was in
guilt and whose sovereign RUE was
but perseverance in violating the
moral law. Do such nations, only, pro-
pitiate His smiles? Shall this dark
and mysterious dispensatlon continue
to the end? Was the political asso-
citation of a few hundred robbers,
banded together for plunder and muir
der, more certain omen of the future
greatness of Rome? Was the invasion
and subjugation of the Island of Brit
ain by clan of Saxon freebooters a
surer presage of the coming greatness
of the Anglo-oaxon race? Were the
idolataries of the founders of ancient
Egypt, Assyria, Babylon and the hor-
rible juggleres and sorceries practiced
to keep the people in subjugation?
Were the butcheries of Spain on this
western continent alone-were all
these things more obvious indications
of the future greatness of those states
l. i'll,
of our forefathers, their struggles, and
| their martyrdoms. of the future great
ness of their own nation? May we
not hope that even in this world the
right, the pure, and the good shall be
prospered? Or are these words, when
applied to nations, merely empty
sounds?
THE CASE OF ROME.
Ancient Rome, which existed as a re-
| public and an empire for 1,40O years,
| took its beginning in the midst of the
| petty Latin tribes inhabting the left
! bank of the Tiber and occupying a
! territory not exceeding In extent an
| American county of the usual size. It's
! liberties were not like ours, the results
of long experience. ascertained and de-
| fined by the enlightened wisdom Of
! saGes and philanthropists, sanctioned
! by the consent and usage Of a numer-
Gus civilized people. They were. and
! long remained, without commerce,
arts, letters or established laws. Pri-
vate wrongs were often redressed by
| private means. The martial spirit of
the people afforded the only evidence
that this little community would sur
pass its neighbors in historical re-
/ ND l,,,.1
its first great ruler, been gifted with
the prophetic spirit of the seer, ne
would have seen his infant nation ris-
ing into fearful strength; he would
have seen all the adjoining italian
tribes united, one after another, to
this then contemplate hamlet of Rome
and the right of voting in the popular
| elections and in the enactment of her
laws extended to the dwellers of the
| Adriatic, the Po, the Alps. the Rhone
| he would have seen Carthage demol-
| ished bv Roman arms and her terri
tory reduced to Roman province: he
| would have seen the political power
! and wisdom of that rising nation in
| creasng with equal pace until under
! its wise maxim OF 'inhahiting where 1t
! conouercd,' it had extended its do
| minion, its colonies. its language and
| laws over nearly the then known whole
| world. He would have seen his empire
extending from the wall Of Antoninus
| eastward, embracing Britain, France,
| Spain. Ccrmany-in short, all Europe
! until its territorial limits were lest in
| the distant East containing a region
more than 3.00C miles in length from
| east to west. more than 00G miles IN
| breadth from north to south, and an
area of more than 100000 square
| miles-about twice that Of the thirte ean
| original states Of this republic. He
| would have seen that all these vast
| ACQUISITIONS We're the results of q we'll
| organized military power, upheld by
| the undYing Datriotism and love of
| glory Of the Roman people the stern
| pride and the still sterncr discipline Of
the Roman soldier. He would have
| seen an aggregate of about 10000 600
free Roman citizens dominating over
! at least 4OOOO.OO0 Of conquered sub
| iects, nnd owning and possessing moro
than G0.0n0000 Of slaves n standing
army OF $4,000 men. divided into three
regular leeions, and distributed among
the provinces of the empire. at in
rumnrable stations from Rome to St
Georges Channel on the Rhine, tina
Rhone, the Seine. the Tagus, the
Thames and the Tweed, and from
ROmo eastward to the Eurhrates, on
the Danube. tho nneipcr. the eastern
shores of the Mediterranean on the
Nile, and even on tho Persian Gulf, a
| naval force of 10000 men: the Latin
language diffusod throughout the
whole Of this immense expanded EN-.
nire. and Roman colonization extend
ing itself i'm every direction. carrying
with II the arts the manners, the let
ters. the liberties. the genius of the
great Central city. Though the lesson
of civilization and progress was
taught at the noiut Of the Roman smear
the nations have learned much from
the gigantic efforts Of that race.
NOT AVERSF TO WAR.
Whoever consults our history or the
genius of our people will discover that
we are as little averse to war as other
nations.
A fondness for war is beyond doubt
an element in the character of demo.
cratic republic like ours. War gives
scope to its enterprises: it is itself the
| sovereign who wages the war; 1t ap-
propriates to itself all the renown OF
its achievements: the glory of its VIC
tories is radlated by no crowned head:
and when the government is such as to
constitute the people one common
Brotherhood, each member feels that
he Is particularly concerned in 1t. In
deed, by far the most bloody, obsti-
nate, and glorious wars have been
waged by republics, and we repose up
on false hope IL we expect that in
this respect we shall be exempt from
the common lot of nations.