River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1899-10-26
Territorial EXPANSION.

tions is so liberal in intention as not
to contemplate congestion or repres-
sion. America, the United States
has been the hope of the oppressed
of all lands, the asylum for restless
millions seeking peace and rest, free
dom and contentment. They have
swarmed across the great ocean and
| filled the land with homes, prosper
Gus and happy. And still they
come TO possess the land which the
| liberal policy of the nation renders
! possible of attainment
At the beginning of the century
we held an area of 909,765 square
miles. the present holdings amount
to about 100000 square miles Of
land. In 1903, under the admins
tration of Jefferson, we secured from
France that vast territory that went
by the name of Louisiana for mon
ey consideration ofS15,000000, by
which the public domain was more
than doubled, the new acquisition
containing III, 1881 square miles.
The boundary of this territory
was well defined on the south by
natural or mathematical lines as fol-
ows; The Sabine River to the 32nd
parallel of north latitude; thence
north to the Red River; up this riv-
er to the Tooth meridian west from
Greenwich (the 23rd from Washing
tom; thence north to the Arkansas
River; up this river to the crest of
the rocky mountains; thence north
to the lind parallel; thence west to
the Pacific. The east line was the
| Mississippi with the exception of
that part of the state of Louisiana
lying south of parallel 81, the east
ern boundary of which is the Pearl
River. The northern boundary of
this purchase was long in controver-
sy, the United States contending for
54:40 which England opposed. An
agreement was finally reached max
ing the 48th parallel the northern
boundary We had a legitimate
claim to the country west of the
Rocky Mountains by virtue of prior
discovery, so that by the current
Interpretation of territorial acquisi-
ton the area sold to US by Napoleon
was bat 883,072 square miles.
| In 1910 we added by purchase from
Spain the territory east of Louisiana
and south of parallel 81 which in
cludes Florida and the Gulf coast Of
Mississippi and Alabama, the price
paid being S5,O00,o00, and the area
69749 square miles. In 1916, Tex
as, having gained its independence
from Mexico, was admitted into the
Union, adding 376,931 square miles
to the public domain. The next
acquisition was by treaty with Mex
leo in 1848 and 1853 by which we
| obtained SCI, i'll square miles of ter
ritory lying between the Rio Grande
and line west to the Pacific Ocean
and the And parallel. For title
| to this the money consideration was
S2S, 100000. In 1867 we bought
| Alaska, containing 100000 square
miles, at a cost of 100000. By
the annexation of Hawaii we added
I6724 square miles, and by treaty
with Spain we secure Porto Rico
with an area of $500 square miles,
Guam with so and the Philippines
with $4,000. Cuba will, in due
time, when her inhabitants learn
wisdom, become a part and parcel
of the United States by annexation.
| That there should be some peo-
| pie found to oppose the present stu
alton of the government and espec-
| tally as to its enforced and unavoida-
able attitude toward expansion is
not surprising; neither is it of much
consequence. Their opposition can.
mot affect an ACCOMPLISHED result.
Possession is nine points of law.
I'VE have the islands, and-what is
also matter for consideration-the
Twill and the ability to keep them,
There are, probably, very few of oul
| fellow citizens who really wish the
government to relinquish any of its
possessions. This opposition il
more of sentiment than convic'
ton. It is advanced as an argument
rather than a fixed purpose or line
of policy to be pursued. Every
piece Of territory that has been add
ed to the national area has been
strenuously opposed by small par
| ty of malcontents. Their opposition
did not prevent the consummatior
of the national policy in a single
particular. No more will the tall
and pamphlets and the passing Q
resolutions by few malevolent NAL
contents in the present emergency
affect the purpose of the government
toward expansion.
New dress goods at R. n Jenson's
KlNNiCKlNNlC.
Mr.. and Mrs. Harry Wilson Of Min
neapolis spent several days With friend
in town last week.
LenoIie Undertake is attending tn
| Normal.
Chas. Chinook has had sever
attack of blood poison but is recovering
----------------
Drive the malaria out Of your sys
TEN with KI-NA KI-NA, the Taste
less Quinine Tonic, compounded Q