The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-10-27

5 I ANLEY
Continued from First Page.y

the Democratic party has used so much
and which has aviled them so little
1.-THE settled, unbroken policy of thi
government since its organization hai
been in favor of growth and development
| Growth is as much the law Of nationa
| as it is the law of individual being, anC
in the work of progress along moral, edu
| cational commercial and territorial
lines the Republican party Dursues the
time-honored policy Of all parties, wheI
| it declares itself in favor tof expansion
We entexed upon the policy Of expansion
nearly century ago under Jefferson. anC
the federal party went to pieces upon the
rock of opposition to the policy of JEFF
ferson. In 1903 the nation entered upor
its policy of acquisition of new territory
and made the Louisiana purchase, which
extended from the Mississippi river to the
Pacific, and out of it have since been
| carved nearly one-third of the richest
and most powerful states that have been
clustered together under the shadow OF
the folds of our flag. Justifying this pur-
! chase, Mr. Jefferson said:
"I know that the acquisition Of Lou
isiana has been disapproved by some
from a candid apprehension that the en-
largtment of our territory would endan-
ger this union, but who can limit the ex-
tent to which the federative principle may
operate eectively. These per-
sons inculcate a sanctimonious reverence
for the customs of their ancestors; that
whatever they did must be done through
all time; that reason is a false guide,
and to advance under its counsel in their
physical moral or political condition is
a perilous Innovation
Sixteen years later, following out tht
policy inaugurated by Jeerson, Florida
was purchased of Spain. Texas was &C
| qured in 1S45, and during that year, Pres
| ident Polk, in his inaugural address, used
the following language:
"In the earlier stages of our national
existence opinion prevailed with some
that our system of confederated states
| could not operate successfully over an
| extended territory, and serious objections
have at dierent times been made to the
enlargement of our boundaries. These
| objections were earnestly urged when we
acquired Louisiana. Experience has
shown that they were not well founded.
- AS our population has expanded,
the union has been cemented and strength
ened. AS our boundaries have been en-
larged our federative system has &C
CURED additional strength and security.
1t may well be doubted whether it would
not be in greater danger of overthrow if
our present population were confined to
the comparative narrow limits of the
original thirteen states, than it is now
that they are sparsely settled over more
extended territory. It Is confidently be-
lieved that our system may be safely ex-
tended to the utmost bounds of our terri
torial limits, and that as It shall be ex-
tended, the bonds Of our union, so far
from being weakened, will become
stronger
President Polk declared the same pol
icy in his message to congress, as fol-
lows:
" The federal constitution was wisely
adapted In its provisions to any expan-
sion of our limits and population. :
Our union is a confederation of indie
pendentS states whose policy is peace with
each other and all the world. To enlarge
its limits, is to extend the dominion of
peace over additional territories and in
creased millions. The world has nothing
to fear from military ambition in our
government. Foreign powers
should not look upon the annexation Of
Texas to the United States as the con-
quest of the nation seeking to extend her
dominions by arms and violence but as
an acquisition of territory adding another
member to our confederation, thereby d.
minishing the chances fwar and opening
q nd
markets for their products
Democracy was larger then than it is
now, and had al wider and better policy
The policy inaugurated by Jeerson con-
tinued without interruption as the policy
of the Democratic party up to 1859, when
Stephen A. Douglas the then great leader
of the Democratic party, in his discus
sion with Lincoln, in answer to a ques-
ton propounded by Mr.. Lincoln, defined
his own and the Democratic position in
the following eloquent language:
" He Gincoln) asks me whether I am
in favor of acquiring territory without re-
gard to how It mayi affect the union on
the slavery question. I answer that
whenever it becomes necessary in our
growth an dprogress to acquire more ter
ritory, I am in favor of it. 1t is
idle to tell me that We have territory
enough. Our fathers supposed that we
had enough when our territory extended
to the Mississippi, but a few years
growth and expansion satisfied them that
we needed more, and the Louisiana ter
ritory from the west bank Of the Mis-
sissippi to the British possessions, was
acquired. Then we acquired Oregon.
then California and New Mexico. We
have enough now, but this is a young
and growing nation. 1t swarms as often
as hive of beas, and as new swarms
are turned out each year. there must be
hives in which they can gather and make
their honey. In less than fifteen years.
if the same progress that has distin-
guished the country for the last fifteen
years continues. every foot of vacant land
between this and the Pacific ocean.
owned by the United States. will be oc-
cupied. VIII you not continue TO increase
at the end of fifteen years as well as now
I tell you, increase and multiply and ex-
pand.' is the law OF this nations ex-
isjence. You cannot limit this great re-
public by mere boundary lines. saying:
Thus far shalt thou go. and no farther"
An yone of you old gentlemen might as
well say to q son twelve years old thar
he is big enough. and must not grow
any larger. and in order 10 prevent his
growth put hoop around him To keep
him 70 his present size What would be
HEEsEEsEsEs qsEEsI