The Elk Mountain pilot., 1900-09-25

acquired by treaty and purchase under
| President Jefferson exactly and pre-
cisely as the Philippines have been ac-
| quired by treaty and purchase under
! President Mckinley. The doctrine of
| the consent of the governed" the doc
| trine previously enunciated by Jeffer-
son in the Declaration of Indepen-
dence, was not held by him or by any
other sane man to apply to the Indian
| tribes in the Louisiana territory no
vote taken even of the white inhab-
| itants, not to speak of the negroes and
Indians. as to whether they We're will
ing that their territory should be an
nexed. The great majority of the in
| habitants, white and colored alike,
We're bitterly opposed to the transfer.
An armed force of United States sol
| diers had TO be hastily sent into the
| territory to prevent insurrection, Pres
ident jefferson sending these troops to
| Louisiana for exactly the same reasons
and with exactly the same PURPOSE
that President Mckinley has sent
troops to the Philippines. Jefferson
distinctly stated that the Louisianians
were mot tit or ready for self-govern-
ment." and years elapsed before they
We're given self government, Jefferson
| appointing the Governor and other ofii-
cials without any consultation with the
| inha bitants Of tie newly-acquired ter
| ritory. The doctrine that the "consti-
| tuition follows the flag" was not then
| even considered either by Jefferson or
| by any other serious party leader, Tor
it never entered their heads that new
territory should be governed other than
in the way in which the territories of
Ohio and Illinois had already been gov
| M thn elder
Adams: the theory known by this ut
terly false and misleading phrase was
only struck ont in political controversy
at much later date. for the sole pur-
pose of justifying the extension of
slavery into the territories.
The parallel between what Jefferson
| did with Louisiana and what is now
being done in the Philippines is exact.
! jefferson, the author of the Declara-
| tion of Independence. and of the con
sent of the governed doctrine saw no
incongruity between this and the es-
tablishment of a government on com
mon sense grounds in the new territory;
and he rallied at the sticklers for an
impossible application of his principle.
saying in language which at the present
day applies To the situation in the
| Philippines without the change of
word. Though IL Is acknowledged that
our new fellOw-citlZens are ms yet as
Incapable of scf-government as chill
dren. vet some can not bring them
selves to suspend its principles for
! single moment" He intended that
ultimately self-government should be
introduced throughout the territory.
but only as the different parts became
| iii for it. and no sooner. This is just
the policy that has been pursued. In
no part of the Louisiana purchase was
complete sclf-government Introduced
| for Il number of years; in one part OF
| il, the Indian Territory ii has not yet
been introduced, although nearly cen
tury has elapsed. over enormous
tracts of II. including the various
| Indian reservations. with n territory IN
the aggregate ns large as that of the
Philippines. the constitution has never
vet followed the flag; the army officer
and the civilian agent still exercise
authority. without asking the "conScu,
of the governed" We must proceed
in the Philippines with the same wise
caution. taking each successive step as
IL becomes desirable, and accommodate
ing the details of our policy TO the
peculiar needs of the situation. But
ms soon as the present revolt is put
down and order established. 1t viii I'M
doubtedly be possible to give to the
| Islands II larger measure of self-gov-
ernment than Jefferson originally gave
| Louisiana
The next great step in expansion was
the acquisition of Florida. This was
partly ecquired by conquest and partly
by purchase, Andrew Jackson being
| the most prominent figure in the nc
/ nufsftion. 1t was taken under Presi-
dent Monroe. the aftertime President
John Quincy Adams being active in
securing the purchase. As in the case
of the Philippines. Florida was acquir-
ed by purchase from Spain, and III
| Florida the Scminolcs. who had not
been consulted in the sale, rebelled and
waged war exactly as some OF the
| Tngals have rebelled and waged war
in the Philippines. The Seminole war
| lasted for many years. but Presidents
| Monroe. Adams and Jackson declined
| for n moment to consider the question
of abandoning Florida to the Semi
nolps. or to Teat their non-consent to
| he Government of the United States as
| n valid reason for turning over the ter
| ritory to them.
our next acquisition of territory was
| that of Texas, secured by treaty after
IT nad been wrested from the Mexicans
| by the Texans themselves. Then came
the acquisition of California New
| Mexico. -NrlIoHi, ->'Nhud anu lt'i - VI
| Colorado and Utah as the result of the
Mexican war. supplemented five years
later by the Gadsden purchase.
The next acquisition was that of
| Alaska. secured from Russia by treaty
and purchase. Alaska was full of ma
| tiyes. some of whom had advanced
well beyond the stage of savagery and
were Christians. They We're not con
| suited about the purchase nor was
| their acquiescence required. The pur-
chase was made by the men who had
lust put through n triumphant war to
| RESTORE the Union and free the slave;