The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1900-06-23
Democratic Expansion.
From the Baltimore Sun.

what they are pleased to term ''Demo-
cratic expansion The territory annexed
bv various Democratic administrations, be
ginning with Thomas Jefferson, includes
Texas. the Pacific Coast, Florida, Louisl
ana, large portion of the Mississippi
Valley and the Rocky Mountain region
in short, by far the greater part of the
United States, exclusive of Alaska. 1t is
a tremendous exhibit and should be used
by the Democrats as 4 campaign document.
In the Louisiana purchase Jefferson not
only acquired a magnificent domain, mainly
| uninhabited, but an outlet for the trade OF
| the Ohio river without its going through
foreign territory in order to reach the high
seas The ownership of the mouth of the
| Mississippi river was of such extreme i'm
portance to the United States that Jetier-
son seized the opportunity to purchase 1t,
although he admitted that the act was of
doubtful constitutionality, trusting to Con
| gress and the States to ratiiy the transac-
ton. Other purchases were made Texas
was admitted as State of the Union At
the request of its people, who We're, in fact,
principally people from the United States,
They were i self governing people and they
continued to govern themselves when they
came into the Union They came A. citi-
zens and there was never any talk Of their
being subjects. How the annexation
of all the compact and adjacent territory,
bringing into the Union vast area Of land
and but small number Of inhabitants-
land adjoining us and plainly essential for
our deyelopment-can be held to justify
the conquest and forcible annexation Of the
Philippine Islands it Is hard for the mind
of man to conceive And yet the Admin
istration papers do grayely and seriously
put it forward in justification of that pre-
posterous act The Louisiana purchase
was necessary almost to the very existence
Of the Union. There were no railroads
across the Alleghanies and the settlements
west If the mountains depended largely
upon the river to get their products to
market For the mouth Of the Mississippi
to be in possession Of hostile European
country threatened 10 withdraw from the
Union AZ those trans Allegheny settlements
and coutne the Union to the Atlantic
Slope Florida was the headquarters cf
hostile Indians and its acquisition was nee
essary for the public peace. Not one SIN
Gle condition which justified and demanded
the annexation of the compact territory
now constituting the greater part Of the
United States exists a to Philippine ev-
pansion There Is nothing in common.
but, on the contrary, some Of the ar-u
ments for the former are strong argument,
against the latter Both the Louisiana
and the Florida purchases. by removing
two European nations from the North
American Continent, diminished the occ'-
si1us for and the dangers Of foreign em
bro,lments and eutanglenents The ac-
quisition Of the Philippines viii increase
that danger instead Of diminishing IT,
Discussing the New York Tribune
Democratic Expansion Map the Boston
Journal. aaother strong Administration pa
per, says
The territory thus absorbed includes
practically the whole Of the area 81 the
United States on this Continent, WIKI the
exception Of the original II States aul the
Alaskan purchase. There i the great
Louisiana purchase effected through the
agency Of that great Democrat, Thomas
.Ieficrson-which stretched from the Gulf
of Mexico 10 the Canada line aud included
more territory than belonged 10 the ~
original States There l. Oregon. Nhu-c
exploration was encouraged by jefferson.
aud over which the Democratic party was
ready 10 20 to war with England. There
Is Florida, with the acquisition Of which
two other eminent Democrats were con
cerned, Monroe and Andrew jackson.
There are Texas, California and New Mex
leo. which were acquired from Mckee.
Finally. there Is Cuba, which the Demo.
Gratis, 1t Is true. did not acquire bat the
acquisition Of which they demanded ln
their national platform as long ago a. / s6d
What tribute this l. to the magnificent
record Of the time honored Democratic
party, which, under the leadership Of such
men a. jefferson, Madison Monroe aud
Jackson. governed this country with Wis
dom, patriotism and prudence irum the be-
ginning Of the century almost continuously
down to the Civil War What would the
United States be today without the terri
tory acquired by that party IL Is true
that the party was anxious IN slave times
10 acquire Cuba, but never against the con
sent Of the people OF the island Ii was
partisan desire 50 provide for the formation
Of more slave States To counter balance the
power Of the free States in Congress The
Boston Journal adds
1t does not appear that in a solitary in
stance was anything done to secure the
consent Of the governed in these tremen-
dous acquisition Of territory. Democratic
Presidents and Congresses saw land which
they wanted, and they took it, by force,
BY purchase or in any way that offered,
but never through a plebiseite to learn
what the population affected thought about
it.
The acquisition of Texas was by vote
of its people, and the other territory had
no population except wandering tribes Of
wild Indians and a few villages of white
people These white p-,ple. American,
French and Spanish, were received As cit
liens and not as subjects and speedily began
to govern themselves.