, 1900-09-18

the first continental congress met in
Liberty hall and the thirteen original
states declared themselves a nation,
the westward limit of the county was
marked by the Allegheny mountains.
Even during the revolutionary var
the work Of expansion went on. Ken
lucky, Tennessee and the great north
west, then known as the Illinois coun-
try, were conquered from our white
and Indian foes during the revolution
airy struggle. and were confirmed to us
by the treaty of peace in 1888. Yet
the land thus confirmed was not then
given to us. 1t was held by an alien
thony Wayne freed Ohio from the red
men, while the treaties of Jay and
Pinckney secured from the Spanish
and British Natchez and Detroit.
In 1903. under President Jefferson,
the greatest single stride in expansion
that we eve took was taken by the
purchase of the Louisiana territory.
This so-called Louisiana included
what are now the states of Arkansas
Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, Kansas,
North and South Dakota, Idaho, Mon
tana and a large part of Colorado,
Wyoming and Utah. was acquired, and
precisely as the Philippines have beer
acquired. by treaty and purchase un-
der President Mckinley. The doctrine
previously %enunciated by Jefferson in
the Declaration of independence, was
not held by him or any other sane man
to apply to the Indian tribes in the
Louisiana territory which he had ac.
CURED, and there was no vote taken
even of the white inhabitants, not to
speak of the negroes and Indians, as
to whether they were willing that their
territory should be annexed. -.
The great majority of the inhabit.
ants, white and colored alike, were bit,
terly opposed to the transfer. An arm,
ed force of United States soldiers had
to be sent into the territory to pre-.
vent instruction, President Jefferson
sending these troops to Louisiana for
exactly the same reasons and with ex
actly the same purpose that President
Mckinley has sent troops to the Phil,
ippines. Jefferson distinctly stated
that the Louisianans were mot fit or
ready for self-government," and years
elapsed before they we're given self,
government, Jefferson appointing the
governor and other officials without
any consultation with the inhabitants
of the newly acquired territory. The
doctrine hat the constitution follows
the flag was not then even considered
by Jefferson or by any other serious
party leader, for it never entered their
heads that a new territory should be
governed other than in the way in
which the territories of Ohio and Hi.
nois had already been governed under
Washington and the elder Adams; the
theory known by this utterly false and
misleading phrase was only struck out
in political controversy at a much lat
err date for the sole purpose of JUST
flying 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.
The simple truth is that there is
nothing even remotely resembling i'm.
perialism" or 'militarism" involved in
the present development Of that poll
cy of expansion which has been part
of the history of America from the day
she became a nation. The words mean
absolutely nothing in the Philippines;
fer this policy is only imperialistic in
the sense that Jefferson's policy in
laws is imperialistic; only military in
the that Jackson's policy toward
the Sioux embodied militarism; and
there is no more danger of it's produc
ing evil results at home now, than
there was of it's interfering with free
dom under Jefferson or Jackson or in
the days of the Indian wars on the
plains. Our army is not relatively as
large as it was in the days of Wayne;
We have not one regular for every
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more danger of a draft than there is