Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-06-01

to which these natural forces have in
fluenced us in all our development and
that you may Judge whether or not tn at
optimism is well founded I wish to direct
your thoughts to the subject | have chos-
en-: THE Natural Development of Amer
lean Policies"
1t Is not my purpose to treat
this subject exhsustively but to
simply call your attention to some fam
iliar features of our national life belicv-
ing that they will suggest to you the cx-
istence of a natural course in Que develop
ment in the past and show that at Tho
present time We are feeling the effects of
natural laws Ia the change and perturba-
ton we are experiencing. In looking for
natural development we must not accept
the first effects as causes. For instance,
we must not think of the Boston Tel
Party and the declaration of no taxatit n
without representation as causes of the
American Revolution. They are the eff
fects of England's oppression of the col
onists in refusing them justice in CONNER
cial matters. In attempting to secure the
lions share OF the profits of American
trade and in refusing the colonists the
right of manufacturing their own tools.
etc. England sowed the seeds of the Rev
olution. England did not attempt to ham
per America politically only when she
could tighten her hold on American wealth
bv the process and to save their wealth
| the Americans clamored for political m
dependence.
The Louisiana Purchase was caused by
| the commercial needs of the Americans
| who had pushed across the Allegheny
mountains So long as they were allow
ed free navigation of the Mississippi and
the right to deposit goods at New Orleans
| they remained content, but when tho
| Spanish intendant announced that they
| would no longer be allowed the right OF
deposit they threatened to break away
| from the Union If the American nation die
not restore it to them. This threat forced
| the President into action and he instruct
| ed his ENJOYS to France that IL they coult
| could not get a cession Of the States o.
| New Orleans East and West Florida or
| part OF them with the free navigation o.
the Mississippi they must at least get the
| right of deposit at the mouth of the riV
| ers passing through that territory to ap
pease the commercial demands of the PEG
| pie.
| Had American commerce been untram
| elled the War of 1872 would never have
| been fought. That the commercial inter
ests of the country were the controlling
| factors in the war is shown conclusivel,
by Clay who as politician, declared tina
| war must he waged against the impress
| ment of American sailors into British ser
| vice, and then as a peace commissions
| allowed that issue to drop entirely from
our commerce upon the Atlantic was Sc
| cured the American people did not insis
upon further war.
| That war and the restrictions of trad
upon the ocean. which caused it and wcr
| enforced during its existence were tn
direct causes Of a policy which later CAV
to the north that development and powc
that enabled II to meet and triumph ovo
the south In its attack upon the Union.
refer to the manufacturing of the good
which previous to this had been made Il
England. You recall how at the close o
the war Englishmen in their efforts TO re
gain the American markets flooded til
country with cheap goods an
undersold the American manufacture
who during the conflict had iourishe
greatly This caused the American manu-
facturers TO apply for that system of pre-
lection which has since been our buwar
, against international competition. The
our country became America for Ameri
cans" and internal development took tn
, place of international exchange
The Civil War comes next in histories
succession and although we find cond
, tons greatly changed | think we mus
acknowledge that we find the same under
lying causes producing the political an
and social effects of that period. Th
people of the South did not seek ser
: imposed upon them restrictions which ig
terfered with their commercial prospects
The tariff of denominations" which dis