The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1900-06-15
Democratic Expansion.

some OIL our hepubllcdh con
temporaries have been publishing
a map 10 illustrate what they are
pleased to term democratic Ex-
panslon." The territory annexed
by various Democratic admins
trations, beginning with Thomas
Jefferson, includes Texas. the
Pacific Coast, Florida, Louisiana.
a large portion Of the Mississippi
Valley aud the Rocky Mountain
region-in short. by far the
greater part OF the United States.
exclusive of Alaska. 1t is a ire
mendouS exhibit and should be
used by the Democrats as can
paign document. In the LOuisi.
ana purchase jefferson not only
acquired a magnificent domain.
mainly unlnhablted- but an outlet
for the trade Of the Ohio river
without its going through foreign
territory in order 10 reach the
high seas. The ownership of he
mouth of the Mississippi river
was OF such extreme Importance
10 the United States that Jefier-
son seized the opportunity to pur.
chase il. although he admitted
that the act was of doubtful con
stitutionality, trusting TO Con
greSs and the States TO ratity the
transaction. Other purchases
were made. Texas was admitted
as State of the Union at the re-
quest of its people, who Were, in
fact. principally people from the
United States They were self
governing people and they con
timed TO govern them selves when
they came into the Union. They
came as citizens 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 a
small number of Inhabitants
land adjoining US and plainly es.
sential for our develOpment-can
be held to justify the conquest
and forcible annexation Of the
Philippine Islands it is hard for
the mind of man to conceive.
Aud yet the administration papers
do grayely and seriously put it
forward in justification of that
prepOsterOus act. The Louisiana
purchase was necessary almost to
the very existence of the Union.
There were no railroads across
the Alleghanies and the settle
ments west of the mountains de.
pended 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 to
withdraw from the Union all
those trans Allegheny settle
ments and confine the Union TO
the Atlantic slope. Florida was
the headquarters of hostile
Indians and its acquisition was
necessary for the public peace.
Not one single condition which
justified and demanded the annex
alton Of the compact territory
now constituting the greater part
Of the United States exists as to
Philippine expansion. There is
nothing in common, but, on the
contrary, some of the arguments
for the former are strong argr,
ments against the latter. Both
the Louisiana and the Florida
purchases, by removing two
European nations from the North
American Continent, diminished
the occasions for and the dangers
Of foreign ENVIRONMENTS and en-
tanglements. The acquisition of
the Philippines will increase that
danger instead of diminishing it.
Discussing the New York I'rib-
mes "Democratic Expansion
May" the Boston Journal. an
other strong administration
paper, says:
The territory thus absorbed in
cludes practically the whole of the
area Of the United States on this
Continent, with the exception of
the original 13 States and the
Alaskan purchase. There is the
great Louisiana purchase-effect-
ed through the agency of the
great Democrat, Thomas Jeffer.
sOn-which stretched from the
Gulf Of Mexico TO the Canada line
and included more territory than
belonged TO the Is original States.
There is Oregon, whose explora-
ton was encouraged by jefferson,
and over which the Democratic
party was ready to go to war with
England. There is Florida, with
the acquisition of which two OF her
eminent Democrats were con-
cerned, Monroe and Andrew
jackson. There are Texas, Cali
fornia and New Mexico, which
were acquired from Mexico. Fl
nally, there is Cuba, which the
Democrats, it is true, did not &C.
quire, but the acquisition of which
they demanded in their national
platforms as long ago as 1860.