The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1899-10-14
Senator Hansbrough on Ter
ritorial Expansion.

ritorial Expansion.
The position of the admins
tration with regard to the
Philippine islands, is succinct-
an clearly outlined in Senator
Hansbrough's address recently
to-. the volunteers at Devils
Lake. He said-"rhis question
of expansion is a very great
one, but it is Ivy no means a
new one. Our country has
been expanding from its birth.
We have been acquiring new
Territory from time to time for
nearly 8 century. In 1903 Thos.
Jefferson paid $12,00O,OOO for
that vas, empire known as the
Louisiana purchase. That was
the time for the class of men
who think that the fleet-footed
Auguinaldo is as great a man
as George Washington to have
criedout against"iu. perialism.'
In 1913, after the war with
Mexico, we paid $l5,Nn,0OO for
magnificent domain known as
California and New Mexico and
who will say that the sum was
to great7 Then in 1867 we
bought Alaska for $500, 900.
In all prior transactions for the
purchase of new territory pro-
visions had to be made in the
treaties whereby the territory
ceded should at the proper time
be erected into states, and new
states have been admitted AS
fast as congress in its wisdom
has deemed necessary and
proper. In the Alaska matter,
however, no such provision
was made. 1t was then that
this government first departed
from it's traditional policy; it
was then that our states man
realized that there might be
a situation demanding the
annexation of new territory
without any intention of adj
hitting it to statehood. In the
treaty with France for the
louisiana country and in the
treaty of Guadalupe with Mex
leo the inhabitants of the coded
area were given the promise of
citizenship as residents Of
sovereign states of the Union
and this promise has been full
filled as fast as the inhabitants
showed. then 8 VS. to- he quail
fed for the duties of citizen
ship. But in the case of Alas
ka in our treaty with Russia
we have merely guaranteed t.
the civilized residents the
communities an civil rights
> which belong to all free people
, II having the question OF thei1
political rights wholly in the
inscretion Of congress. A few
) men cried out against the i'm
: ilnrialistie tendency Of OH;
t government at that time, bu
the republic still survives.
"By the treaty of Paris W.
have followed the long line O
= precedents and paid cash fo
the Philippines, but we hav
8 omitted the guaranty as t.
personal and civil rights ct tn
# people, leaving with congress
l. the whole question as to thei
future government. 1t is will
, you, the people to say whethe
your representatives in con
. gress have carried out you
will and acted within consti
sutional bounds in dealin,
with this question. This i
: still a government of tn
/, people and not an empire.
!. ut is charged that the gov
eminent was influenced BY
= selfish motives in this matter
l deny it. From the momen.
that the hand of tr+achery un-
ioosed the spard that destroyed
the Maine, war with Spain was
inevitable. The goverhmen,
had no thought of the Philip
pines or the FiliPinos. Who
could have foretold what.was
to take place at Manila? The
campaign that was inaugural.
ed there was the natural out.
growth of conditions which
compelled us to march our
foeces into Cuba. Does anyone
complain if we shall use the
Philippines as a stepping
stone to the great and growing
trade of the Orient, and the
thus take advantage of a stu
alton which prompted the an
nexation of Hawaii?