The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1899-01-19
A GREAT YEAR.
The One just Passed Has Been the
Greatest of the Last Gem
fury.

A comparison of the territorial area
and the national influence of the United
States with those of 1878 will show the
vast material and moral advance which
this country has made in 100 years. In
the historical books 1898 does not figure
with any prominence, but in reality it
is an important landmark in the coun-
try's expansion. 1t was just a hum
dred years ago that the provisions of
the treaty of peace with England in
1888 were fully and finally carried out.
For Is years after that date the United
States, in its endeavors to secure the
boundaries guaranteed in that agree
ment was obstructed by two nations.
England and Spain. The British held
possession of posts at Oswego, Niagara,
Detroit and other places in the United
States territory on the northern from
tier, until Jays treaty, which. among
other things, provided for their evacua-
ton, went into operation in 1896. and
even then the work of abandonment
was carried on with slowness which
was exceedingly e.,asperating to the
people of the United States.
With Spain, however, the United
States had much more trouble in secur-
ing its treaty rights under the agree
ment of 1888 than it had with England.
Then, as now. Spain was slow in grasp
ing the justice of any demand by any
other nation, ann in that particular
crisis the situation for this country
was rendered doubly embarrassing by
the fact that Spain was still one of the
great powers of the earth, while the
United States was only an insignificant
spot on the map and had no rights
which any of the great nations felt
bound to respect. Spain cOntended that
the Florida region which she gained
from England during the war of the
American revolution, and whicheXtend-
ed west 20 the Mississippi, went as far
north as the mouth of the 1azoo. about
the parallel 81 degrees north latitude,
which would make the southerly line of
the United States on the Mississippi
end at that point.
Both England and the United States,
VII lllt OlllCl manu. IISlSlCN INA tlIlo
country's southern boundary went
down to latitude 81 degrees. At last the
protests and threats of the United
States and SPANS dangers in the Ma
poleOnic wars then under way COM
PEELED the latter to accede to the Ameri-
can demands. Spain did this in the
treaty of San Lorenzo in 1895. which
was ratified by the senate in 1896, but
1898 arrived before the Spanish flag
went down in Natchez, the most i'm
portant town in the territory in dispute
and the stars and stripes went up
Then, Is years after the treaty of indie
pendence, and just a hundred years
ago, the title of the United States to
all its territory between the Atlantic
and the Mississippi and from the Great
Lakes to the Florida line were definitely
confirmed.
Americas situation IN 1898. materi-
ally and morally. makes a striking con-
trast with that of 179S. On the day
when Gayoso's forces lowered their flag
IN Natchez and sailed down to New Or
leans, the person who stepped below
the southerly line of Georgia. into the
lower end of what is now the state OF
Mississippi. or who crossed the Missis-
s:nni rira,, would ba in foreion land
We were surrounded on three sides by
powerful nations. England was north
vast Of rs os sba beId FIorido ,ybicL
a,a,r,,,;.oI 49,, -. -.o.a - H..
nona ord = ,+,ir ,ves+uord olonn +bo
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= noo 900
~, ro,,i.;o, oo..;o, z al A..
o.ta,, o,,,,a,.a,ia,,,., ,,,,,a,, I'm ~, a.
.anoa w.. ,o,,Il sao. wy u.s.,
that time that the narrow strip OF pop
uiated area east OF the Alleghenles,