Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1899-04-29
HISTORY REPEATING ITSELF.

Il he ItIllbOIN VI lAldohd.
thirty years ago was further from the
city of Washington or the Mississippi
river than the islands of LuZon is to-
day. cost $1,000, 900. Correspondent
Curtis of the Chicago Record recalls
THAT the opposition to the acquisition
of Alaska was identical in its reason
ing processes with the present oppo-
sition to the acquisition of the Phil
ippines. 1t was argued then that we
had enough land of our own; that
Alaska was worthless, and it was a
bad policy to increase our national re-
SponSibilitieS that it would be nee
essary to retain a large military force
up there, and that the necessary taxes
to support it would be great burden
upon the people. Nothing, however,
was said about the consent of the gov
erned. In answer to an inquiry from
A. Borkaw of Litchfield, ILL.,, says Mr..
Curtis, l would say that much of this
opposition came from the leaders of
the dominant party in congress, as in
the case with the Philippines. Hon.
Orange Ferris of New York, for eX-
ample, said in debate that Alaska was
a 'wretched, God-forsaken region,
worth nothing, and positive injury
and incumbrance." He moved an
amendment to the annexation
bill authorizing the president to pay
/ 81 200, 900 Ito any respectable Euro
pean, Asiatic or African power that
would take Alaska off our hands,
! So good a man as Representative
/ II 4 a,
the 81 ,2O0,O 600 which we paid for Alas
ka was dead loss to US, and the
more expense we incur the worse it
will be for the country and the peo-
pie"
| General b. F. Butler said: eff we
are to pay her (Russia) for her friend
ship / desire to give her the 81, 200, 900
and let her keep Alaska. No man eX-
cept one insane enough to buy the
! fields of Greenland could be found to
agree to its acquisition"
! Elihu Is Washburne of Illinois took
/ the same position in regard to Alaska
/ that Mr.. HOar takes regarding the
Philippines, and he lived to realize
his folly. He urged congress not to
ratify the treaty; he declared that
the government was taking upon it
/ self unnecessary and and expensive
responsibilities, and went so far as to
predict that no part of Alaskan terri
tory would ever be inhabited by white
men.
As against the original cost of ST.
100000 the Alaska Seal company has
| paid in royalties to the United States
/ government over six million dollars
and still owes 81 $40, 900. Over 33
million dollars of seal skins have been
! taken from the Alaska seas and near
! ly twice as much more in the fisher
/ les, while the gold product has aggre-
gated fifteen millions and increasing
Mr.. Curtis quotes Seward as saying in
reply to the question as to the most
/ important act of his career: The
purchase of Alaska: but it will take
a generation to find it OUT
The same story may be told of the
acquisition of Louisiana, which was
to the greatness of the United States
the critical event and turning point
of the early period of the nation The
expansion program from the earliest
days to the present has not only met
opposition and the same opposition at
each successive step, but has trium-
! phantly downed it aud gone on its
way working out the greatness of the
Union.--Topeka Capital.