The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-02-03
/, Massachusetts States
.anship is AL Wrong.

Particular, have always stood OPP
afed to the country's best interests Is
matter of development. The wisest
esmen of Massachusetts have at
ines expressed the narrowest views
his matter. We have had album
a expression of it in the past we
Re had more recent evidence of it
the Senate Let us face the fact
barely and confess the truth. There
SITS certain narrow New England
bvineialism which, had its efforts not
IN wisely overruled by Providence,
build have removed the possibility of
ich that is best in our country
With these and similar words. Rev.
hn L. Sewell, himself a loyal New
hglander and pastor of the First Con-
egational Church of North Brook
I'D, expressed his disapproval last
Fening of the course of Senator
oar.
The name of the senior senator of
Massachusetts was mentioned but once
pr twice in the course of the evening
but that did not prevent the speaker
rom getting in a. body blow at him
et frequent intervals. Senator Hoar
las IN good company, too. Mr.. Sewall
liked the expansion policy of Josiah
Quincy Daniel Webster and other Bay
. State worthless little better than that
of the great present day law maker
Mr.. SewalFs lecture was entitled
The story of our national expansion"
and was delivered before the Mems
Union at the Old South Church. The
note OF imperialism was struck in the
opening sentence and the same key
was maintained throughout The gem
eral plan .of-the.tal was to determine
what the future policy of the nation
must be from a study of it's past ac-
quisitions of territory. The lecture
was illustrated with large diagram
maps. The story of how each piece of
territory was gained was listened to
with much interest. The speaker said
in part;
I expectst0 mike no converts to-
night. Expansion is a question on
which every one has made up his
mind, that is, all except ten United
States senators. l wish they were here
tonight. want to look back upon the
history of our growth as a nation.
Let us consider the facts and condi-
tions under which all our territory was
acquired We are not sorry today that
we have grown. Growth is part of our
Anglo-SaXon nature. Yet each of our
efforts TO expand has been met with
the same opposition and the same vehe-
mence apparent in some quarters to-
day.
At the close of the revolution the IS
colonies were insignificant in size,
feeble, diseordant, with diverging in
terests. They had little to bind them
together. They We're oppressed with
debts. Commerce was difficult and
communication not easy, Philadelphia
vii lae e sx,I,, l.
ton of 10000, New York of 10000 Mo-
rality and religion We're at low ebb.
The new nation was oppressed on one
side by Spain On the other by Great
Britain. What wonder that Washing
ton wisely advises this feeble nation
to avoid entangling alliances. EXpan-
sion was the last thing he or any of
his cabinet would have anticipated.
Yet, While in this condition, in 1903,
expansion came. 1t was hardly sought.
1t was almost forced upon US in way
most romantic and wonderful to think
upon. NAPOLEON had dreamed Of a
mighty empire in America, and had
made Spain cede Louisiana to France.
But war with England was in the air.
Jefferson had sent Livingstone to
France to purchase the city of New
Orleans, so as to secure commercial
rights on the Mississippi. What was
the surprise of the world when Napo-
-
icon conceived the pfllllant Cou9 VI
cecihs instead OIL Inc CITY the Whole
trrltory, thereDy poln gaming nLohsS
70 prosecute MS war ana forever check
ing the power OF 1nslaila III llie Wesl-
ern hemisphere. Napoleon deals hlahy
iieavy blows, nut that was the hafqest
ne ever struck. lie was a propnst.
quite different from Livingstone VINO
SAID; we do not want the country
west or the MISSISSIPPI we snall hot
Tor 100 years extend our settlements
beyond that boundary. Ihere are sun
FEW years OF that century yet 10 run
we are IN the Phllpolnes instead
or on the M1ssisslppl'
fortunately there was no ocean Gaple
or the purchase never Weulu nave peeIi
concluded. Dewey very recently real
lzed how announcement caple can De,
But the purchase was MADE ana AFTER
long struggle and much recliIiliia7
ton the giants who themselves framed
the constitution decided that the ACT
was constitutional, ana VINO were pei
ter able than they to pass upon the
point?
The Louisiana purchase was the lar
gest conquest ever peacefully acquired
Twelve days later, war broke out pc
tween France and England. Had IT
remained that length of time longer IN
Frances hands, England's fleet OF ~
ships of the line would have gained pos
A.. h.