Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-10-11

'N party,
Through its platform and the u~tterances
of it's public men. is engaged in discredit-
ing the record of it's leaders during the
Fast hundred years, a record in regard
to territorial growth that constitutes the
most praiseworthy chapter in the history
of the party.
Not considering the settlement of the
norhWestern boundary or the hbu
ham treaty. in both of which cases it is
an open question whether the United
states acquired new territory or surrend-
cred some of what belonged to it and
both of which occurred under democratic
administrations, there have been five in
stances of territorial expansion during
the last century,
The first was the Louisiana purchase by
President Jefferson. In this case the con-
stitutional right of the United States to
acquire new territory was considered,
and in the mind of Jefferson the right did
not exist. Yet while he had an extreme
reverence for the constitution, he beliey-
ed so thoroughly in the importance of
the nation, that he was willing to secure
the great advantage that was offered de-
spite his constitutional convictions on the
subject. From his position as the father
of the close construction Jefferson was
undoubtedly right in his Interpretation of
the constitution. The trainers evidently
did not think of the possibility of new
territory being acquired and made no
provision therefor. But the argument of
men like Hamilton would have been
more manly as well as more logical,
which argument would have been that
inasmuch as the United States was a ma
ton, it possessed the inherent rights of
nationality and could perform such acts
as the acquisition of new territory by
virtue of the implied power of the con-
stitution. Yet this observation is not in
tende as a criticism of the great original
aNpansionist. His course was Illogical,
out he must be honored the more for the
fact that he could overcome his natural
INCLINATION to be hampered by the letter
when SO substantial an advantage was
.offered.
The next increment to the United
States was in 1919 when President Mon
roe purchased from Spain what now
constitutes the state of Florida and the
southern portion of Alabama and Miss
issippi.
Texas vas acquired by annexation in
1S45.
By the treaty of Guadalupe which
ended the war with Mexico, that coun-
try coded about $4,000 square miles,
out of which have been formed the
states of California, Colorado, Nevada
and Utah, and parts of the territories of
Arizona and New Mexico.
The remaining portions of Arizona
and New Mexico We're the results of the
Gadsden purchase of 1853. 1.-g,.t.4
These five a~nnexations, beginning
with that of Louisiana territory in 1903
and ending with the Gadsden annexa-
ton in 1858, all occurred While every
branch of the federal government was in
control of the democratic party. Louis
lana was annexed under Jefferson, the
Floridas under Monroe, Texas under
Tyler, California, Colorado, Nevada,
Utah., part of New Mexico and Arizona
under Polk, and the territory covered
by the Gadsden purchase under Pierce.
In a period of just fifty years that party
added to our national domain by an
nexation more than two million one hun
dred and ninety-eight thousand square
miles of territory embracing an area
of more than one billion four hundred
and thirty-seven million acres, at a cost
of forty-tive million dollars.
At no time during the tendency of the
negotiations which resulted in these an
nexations, was it suggested by any one
ol Siio VI liz 4 4 llldl.l1C
consent of the inhabitants of the coded
territory should be secured in behalf
of the annexation. Except in the case
of Texas, in each instance annexation
the result of. International treaty,
and international treaties do not stop
to ask the consent of the. inhabitants
who may reside in, the. coded territory,
that the negotiations may be consum-
mated.
= With this history in favor of national
annexation before them, history which
they made and of which they may be
justly proud, is it difficult to under
stand how and why the democratic
party now opposes a policy similar in
SO many respects to the one they. 81
long advocated and because of which
they gained SO much party prestige and
glory.
1t may be further added that the mill
tary operations in the Philippines are
solely for the suppression of the insur-
.Fection which followed American occu-
patton, n following the methods laid
.down by General Jackson in Florida,
when he waged war against the indie
pendence of that section after the trans
fer of the territory to the United States
by Spain, and also following the prece-
dent established in New Mexico by Pres
ident Folks administration, where the
conquest was originally accomplished by
military force in the campaign of 1916,
and an instruction which took place in
the following January was suppressed
by military forces. On that occasion
there We're many serious and sanguin-
airy engagements between United States
forces and the insurgents, the host lities
continuing during nearly all of the
year 1S47. These vents resulted in an
inquiry by congress and in reply Presi-
dent FOLK sent a message fully justify
ing the action of the military authori-
ties and taking the broad position that
the military government was a proper
one and that it had the fullest rights of
sovereignty. Other records sent to con-
'gress in reply to an inquiry on this SUBJ
ject in Jun of the present year show