The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-05-17
JEFFERSON AS AN ExpANsIoNIsT.

The Sentinel tries to break the force of
the statement and the evidence that Thomas
Jefferson was what Is now called an i'm
perialist, meaning thereby a territorial ex-
pansionist. The evidence is conclusive, both
in his written expressions and his acts. OF
all our Presidents Jefferson was the most
decided and aggressive e~xpansionist and the
most far-sighted in his views regarding the
acquisition of territory. The area OF the
United States was more than doubled dur
ing his presidential term, and still he was
not satisfied. 1t required a far-sighted man
In 1909. when we had as yet only fairly occu-
pied the eastern edge Of the continent and
the interior was a vast w~ilderness-it re-
quired a statesman of grand imagination at
that time to argue In favor of the acquisi-
ton of Cuba and to point out the very ad-
vantages which are urged in favor of it to-
day. The reason is obvious. Jefferson was
a thorough American and believed in the
expansive power of republican institutions.
The man who wrote that "Al men are cre-
ated equar' could not have believed that
human liberty was geographical or that the
blessings Of free institutions and self gov
eminent should be bounded by longitudinal
lines. The Sentinel says: Jefferson never
contemplated such a thing as taking In
Islands OF the South seas and governing
them as colonies. Perhaps his imagination
did not embrace that idea any more than it
embraced the idea Of steam navigation. of
electric motors and a thousand other things.
but he did have implicit faith in the princi-
pies OF the American Constitution and in its
power to confer benefits by expansion. II
am persuaded" he wrote in 1903, that no
constitution was ever before SO well calcu-
lated as ours for extensive empire and self
government" The Sentinel tries to break
the force of this statement by saying: HE
believed that our Constitution was well CAL
culated for extensive empire and self-gov-
ernment.' but not for colonial government"
He said nothing about colonial government.
He was an imperialist, pure and simple--for
the extension of empire side by side with
self-government. tt Sentinel says further:
He had wisdom enough to see that the ad-
vantage of the United States was in being
isolated and compact" He did not believe
IN compactness so much but that he strong
ly favored the acquisition of Cuba, and as
for isolation. he favored the very kind of
friendly alliance or underste 1ding between
the United States and Great Britain that is
now popular. In a letter to President Mon
roe Oct. "a. 1923. he said:
Great Britain Is the nation which can do
US the most harm Of any one, or all on
earth. and with her on our side we need not
fear the whole world. With her, then. We
should most seduiously cherish a cordial
friendship; and nothing would tend more TO
knit our affections than to be fighting once
more, side by side. In the same cause.
After three-quarters of a century these
words find verihcation in Americans and
British fighting side by side In Samoa. in
their cordial cooperation regarding the
open-door commercial policy In the East, In
the fraternizing of their naval officers
throughout the world and in the growing
conviction of the two peoples that the in
terests Of humanity and civilization require
hat they should stand together. It took q
sagacious nan and . broad American 70