The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1900-09-22
TRADATEONAL POLICY.

traditional policy Of the United
States, astheagh the trad ittiet,s Of
a nation were forever to be the
guide and director Of its course.
But while talking Of the stradi-
tiona1' policies of this country, a
certain element invariably avoid
saying anything about the. tradi-
tional policy il respect to expan-
sion. Now if anyone would wish
to know what this traditional pol
icy is, let him take map and trace
the boundaries of the original thir-
teen States, those States which
formed the Constitution and gave
to the government its being. They
are New Hampshire, Massachu-
setts, Rhode Island, Connecticut,
New York, New Jersey, Pernsyl-
vania, Delaware, Maryland, Vir-
ginia, North Carolina, South Caro-
lima and Georgia. Now take out a
rule and measure the area of these
States and keep in mind that at the
time of the adoption of the Consti-.
tuition they constituted all of the
United States, then with your rule
measure the vast territory reaching
to the Pacific and if you can repress
a smile at the contrast between the
old and the New United States,
your gravity will be almost imper-
turbable. The territory originally
included in these thirteen States
contained only about 828, 900
square miles with a coast line of
about 1900 miles 1t was for this
little strip along the Atlantic sea-
board that the grand old statesmen
of that time pledged their lives,
their fortunes and their sacred hon
or; it was for that little patch Of
country that the Continental Army
endured the hardships and battles
of seven years of war and starved
and shivered through the terrible
winter at Valley Forge. 1t seems
though that the men of that day
had keen appreciation of the dis
crepancy between the property &C.
quired and the cost of it, for scarce
ly had the nation entered the new
century before it began adding to
its original domain. In 1903 JEFF
terson, who is accredited with be-
ing the inventor of most of the ira
ditional policy of the United States
annexed the vast territory of Louis
lana, in face of the fact that he had
no traditional policy to guide him
in such matters, and seriously ques-
toned his own constitutional right
to acquire territory in the way in
which that was acquired. He act
TALLY contemplated calling Congress
IN special session in order that the
Constitution of the United States
=. might be amended to fit the occa-
80 F =
III Sion. Yon see Mr.. Jefferson had
about as little respect for the integ-
rlty of the Constitution as we are
told some prominent Republicans
now have. His theory was that if
there was anything in the Consti-
q tuition to prevent the people from
acquiring good thing, the Con
stltution ought to be amended, and
really that was very sensible view
to take. Abraham Lincoln also
adopted it when it came to a ques
ton of his constitutional right tc
coerce the seeding States. He
said that he had taken solemn
oath to preserve the Union and ht
proposed to do so if it involved tht
smashing of the Constitution all tt
pieces. Those who have read thu
history of events concerning the ne
gotiation of the province of Louis
lana will remember that the terri
torywas acquired by purchase from
the French government and tha
the Spanish government objected
very seriously to the transfer o.
the ground that France was no
really in possession of the, territor,
and therefore had no real. title to il