The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1899-10-20


circumstances. even supposing that this
extent of territory was a desirable ac-
! QUESTION. SIS. 600 was a most enormous
sum to give
distinguished representative from
Virginia said he feared the effect of the
vast extent of our empire; he feared the
| effects of the increased value of labor.
| the decrease in the value of lands. and
| the influence of climate upon our citizens
who should migrate thither. He did fear
| Though this land was represented as
| flowing with milk and honey that this
| Eden of the new world would prove a
| cemetery for the bodies of our citizens.
Imperialism had a chief place in the
| catalogue of disasters which would fol-
| low the ratification of this treaty, and it
| was alleged that this was the first an.
| sure step to the creation of an empire
| and the subversion of the constitution.
The phrase; planetary policy" which is
now employed by some critics, so far as
have been able to discover, first ap-
peared here. jefferson was made the SUBJ
i ject of satirical verse:
See him commence, land speculator,
| And buy up the realm of nature,
Towns. cities, Indians, Spaniards, prai-
rieS.'
The opponents, however, were in the
| minority, and the star OF the republic
| did not set, and the mighty west was
| brought under the flag of justice, free
| dom and opportunity.
| In 1919 we added 69, 749 square miles,
| which now comprise Florida and parts of
Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.
| In 1S45 we received the cession of Texas.
1t contained 376.S31 square miles, and en-
| braced the state of Texas and parts of
| Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming
| and New Mexico.
The next cession was under the treaty
of 1S4S, containing 52256S square miles,
| embracing the states of California, Ne
| vada, Utah and parts of Colorado and
| wyoming, and of the territories of Ari-
IONA and New Mexico.
In 1858 We acquired, by the Gadsden
purchase, 1855 square miles, which en-
| brace parts of Louisiana and New Mex
| leo.
The next great acquisition was that of
Alaska, in 1867, containing 500, 446 square
miles. This treaty, like that for the
Louisiana purchase" was fiercely re-
sisted. When the house had under con-
sideration the bill appropriating the sum
| of S2G0,OO0, the amount of the purchase
| treaty, the minority report on that bill
| quoted approvingly an article which char
| acterized Alaska as terra incognita,"
| and said:
Persons well informed as to Alaska
are ungrateful enough to hint that we
| could have bought a much superior eIe-
| plant in Siam or Bombay for one-hun-
| dredth part of the money, with not a
/ tan -6nrrc A.
| CURED in keeping the animal in proper
| condition
| The minority report proceeded to say:
THE committee, having considered the
various questions involved and the evil
| dence in regard to this country under
consideration, is forced to the conclusion
| THAT THE POSSESSION OF THE
| COUNTRY Is OF NO VALUE TO THE
| GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED
| STATES. That it will be a source of
| weakness instead of power, and a con-
! slant annual expense for which there will
be no adequate return. That it has no
capacity as an agricultural country That.
| so far as known, it has no value as a
mineral country. That its fur
| trade is of insignificant value to US as
nation, and will speedily come to an
| end. That the fisheries are of doubtful
| value, and that, whatever the value of its
| fisheries. its fur trade, its timber or its
minerals, they are all open to the citizens
| of the United States under existing
treaties. That the right to govern a ma
| ton or nations of savages, in a climate
| unfit for the habitation of civilized men,
was not worthy of purchase. !.
They. therefore, report the following res
olution: Resolved, That it is inexpedient
| to appropriate money for the purchase
| of Russian America. -
In the debate in the house a distin-
guished representative from Massachu-
sets said:
IF we are to pay for Russia's friend
ship this amount, desire to give her the
| s7,200,000 and let her keep Alaska. have
no doubt that any time within the last
| twenty years we could have had Alaska
for the asking, provided we would have
taken it as a gift; but no man, except
one insane enough to buy the earth
quakes of ST. Thomas and the ice fields
of Greenland, could be found to agree
by any other terms for its acquisition to
this country
To this treaty the opponents were in the
minority, and that great, rich territory.
from which we have drawn many and
| many times over its purchase price, and
with phenomenal wealth yet undeveloped,
is ours in spite of their opposition.
In the last year we have added to the
territory of the United States, the Ha-
waiian islands-one of the gems of the
Pacific ocean-containing 674O square
, miles; Porto Rico, containing $500 square
miles; Guam. containing SO square miles
and the Philippine archipelago, embrac-
ing approximately $4,000 square miles
This latest acquisition is about one-sixth
the size of the original thirteen states
1t is larger than the combined area of
New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Vir-
ginia, North Carolina, South Carolina.
and the District of Columbia It exceeds
in area all of the New England states
1t is almost as large as Washington and
Oregon combined, and greater than Ohio,
Indiana and Illinois united. Three times
/ larger than New York and three and
one-half times larger than the state of
Ohio
The treaty of peace with Spain, which
gave US the Philippines, Porto Rico and
Guam, met with some opposition in the
senate. but was ratified by that body by
more than a two-thrds vote; while in the
house the appropriation of s20,O00,00O was