The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-07-06
sJEFFERSORS DAY."


pansion Policy.
New York Times: The Immortal
declaration" Is by common consent re-
gaFded as one great gift Of Thomas JEFF
ferson to country that for nearly a
century and a quarter has held his
name in honor therefor. Certainly the
honor is due, and richly due. The prin-
ciplss.Cf the Declaration. IKE most gem
civilizations Of the kind, were largely
devised to meet the needs Of the hour
and make basis for au appeal to the
opinion Of mankind In support Of the
claims OF the men who devised them;
but they served their purpose grandiy
at the time, and they planted in the
hearts of the American people the ideas
that powerfully aided in the abolition
Of slavery and made possible the estab-
lIshment Of free nation from ocean
to ocean and from the great lakes to
the Gulf. For the formulation Of these
principles, and, especially. for the In
spring sweep given to them, we are In
debted to the daring imagination and
profound faith of the young Virginia
lawyer. TX
But immense and imposing as was the
service he thus rendered, Il may fairly
be held that 1t was surpassed by an
other rendered long years after in the
acquisition OF the Louisiana territory.
Though this achievement Wns In a de-
gree accidental, though It was accom-
pliShed in direct violation OF the pro-
fessed theories Of constitutional power
on which Jefferson had built UP ma
tional political party. and, though he
never regarded 1t with special enthus-
iasm and never quite gotoyer apologize
ing for 1t, 1t was the most far-reaching
contribution to the development Of tho
nation recorded In our history, and 1t
was erected by the most amazing au-
dacIty. JeEerson's place in history
really depends more on this one great
act thar. on the principles Of the Declar-
alton, elective as these have been
proved to be.
Only dozen years before the revolt
of the English colonies in America the
British sway covered but narrow
strip between the Atlantic and the AL
legheny mountains. ending on the south
at the Aitamaha river, half way be-
tween the present cities OF Savannah
and Jacksonville. AS the result Of the
war with France and Of the Revolu-
tionary war, there was turned over to
the United States the whole Of the east
ern half Of the continent from the head
waters of the Mississippi to the north
ern boundary Of the present, state Of
Florida, but the mouth Of the Mississ-
ippi was left in foreign and not too
friendly possession, and the navigation
Of the great river was unsecured.
When Jefferson assumed the presi-
dency, in 1901, his first object in foreign
policy WINS to make sure OF the free
navigation of the Mississippi, and. II
possible, to obtain a footing on the left
or eastern bank. Apparently modest as
was this plan, he was prepared to go to
great lengths in pursuit of it, and even
Instructed his minister to France to
threaten hostile alliance with England
as the alternative OF compliance by Ma
poIeon with the schemes of the United
States. In the tangled changes Of the
great conqueror's policy time came
when he was ready to offer, not what
Jefferson had sought, but the whole
vast territory of Louisiana west of the
Mississippi. stretching zizzag from the
Red river on the south to the territory
claimed by England in the extreme
northwest, at about liz degrees west
longitude.
Jefferson, with superb disregard OF all
he had ever professed as to the power
OF the executive. closed the bargain. He
made u reservation that his action
should be submitted to the people for
their sanction by an amendment to the
constitution, but when the cooler-head-
ed Gallatin warned him that he might
not get HID amendment. he placldly
dropped it and for the future of the
American republic was solldly based on
his acknowledged usurpation.
The territory thus secured by the au-
dacious act Of this political dreamer
embraced the present states Of Louisl-
ana. Arkansas. Missouri, Iowa, and
mississippi. and beyond these the states