The times., 1899-02-28
THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE.
Prof. Harris Lecture Before the
Geographic Society.

Geographic Society.
Prof. Albert Bushnell Hart, OF the
faculty of Harvard University, lectured
yesterday afternoon at the Columbia The
atre under the auspices of the National
Geographic Society. He took for his
subject THE Purchase Of Louisiana and
the Requirement of Florida and Oregon. p"
The theatre was filled and the audience
demonstrated its appreciation of the
speaker by frequent applause. The lecture
dealt largely with the history of the acqui-
stion of the vast extent of territory in
cuded within the boundaries of Louisiana,
Oregon. and Florida. The talk shone with
wit and fun which aided greatly in max
ing the subject attractive. The speaker
started with relating the circumstances
which made the purchase of Louisiana
desirable. Ms
He told of the plan suggested by JEFF
fersoR of buyingNa strip of land along the
gulf and the east bank of the Mississippi
so that the United States could control
equally with France the commerce OF the
Mississippi Prof. Hart then told of the
sudden cession OF the great territory of
Louisiana to France by Spain and the
desire of Napoleon to part with it at al
most any price. President jefferson had
tory. but when the offer was made ne did
not hesitate, and accepted 1t upon his own
responsibility. For time there was
decided opposition in this country. and the
ratification of the purchase of the terri
tory was made the basis of political cap
ital by the Federalist party
The matter was debated in Congress
and many Of the arguments which are
used today against expansion were thor
DIPbiV oh
lection was raised he said, to the acquire
ment of the territory-sOme objecting 10
the people living within its confines
others on the ground that long and bloody
wars could be avoided by the rejection of
the purchase. One member of Congress
when speaking in opposition TO the ratiti-
| cation said that the people of the Eastern
States could not stand the climate of the
new territory should they emigrate 10 it.
and others said that the benefits of the free
| government under the Republic was a
| thing to be retained exclusively by the few
! States on the Atlantic Seaboard Objec-
| tiOn was also made on constitutional
grounds Prof Hart said that all the
| present members of Congress have TO do
| in order to find arguments for his stand
on the question is to read in the Con-
gressiOnal Record of the period when the
| Louisiana purchase was under consdera-
| ton, and there he will find any and all
| the arguments which are applicable to the
| present case of expansion. He states that
! the policy of the Government from the
| beginning has been one of expansion and
that the present move in that direction is
not as new as the average person thinks
| The acquisition of Oregon was the next
| topic considered. The lecturer attributed
! to President jefferson the credit for the
exploration and subsequent ownership by
| the United States of that vast and rich
country. The President he said. was fond
| of exploration, and it was mainly through
| his efforts that the expedition under Lewis
| and Clark was sent out. Prof. Hart then
went on to explain the joint arrafige-
ment between the United States and Great
| Britain for controlling Oregon, and the
dissatisfaction which arose from this com
pact. From this disagreement the speaker
| concluded that whatever the United States
| does, she can do 1t better without the aid
of an outside power. implying that the
formal alliance with foreign nation is not
| for the best interests of the country.
| In giving the history of the purchase OF
Florida the lecturer related the part taken
| by General Jackson in fighting and de-
feating the allied bands of negroes in
| Florida before Florida had become a part
of the United States. He then stated that
| Spain. under the impression that the people
of Georgia would not be satisfied until they
| had added Florida to the United States.
| sold it for the sum OF $4,000, 600.
The lecture was illustrated with lantern
slides which showed many old and valuable
maps of the purchased territories. The
slides also included scenes representing
the customs of the people in the purchased
domains.