The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-10-13


prevent the waste of energy and capital
in the construction of forts and defenSes
on both sides Of the frontier and by the
suppression of artificial barriers it would
permit the free exchange of products,
stimulate labor and produce happiness
to ali the coun tries. 1t would hurt no.
body. 1t would not injure. any country,
not even England, for While the English
crown would lose the opportunity to APP
point few arfstocrats to office in Cam
ada, the English people would gain
wider market for their goods. As a
great, growing country, they would par
ticfpate In the increase of the commerce,
and all the world would join in the bene-
fits and results of expansion, as Demo-
Gratis discover it and as Democrats be-
lieve in it now. (Applaus1.)
But expansion in this sense, you will
observe, ladies and gentlemen, is eXpan-
sion of our constitutional system through
the expansion of our free constitutional
government over new lands. There
never need by any confusion of mind
between what is meant by expansion
and what is meant, by imperialism. if
we bear in mind by expansion is meant
that wherever the flag waves there the
constitution governs. (Applause.) While
by imperialism Is meant an opportunity
not for this people to govern other races,
but for certain Office holders appointed
by the president of this United States
to exercise powers which they would not
have at home, or that they would not
try to exercise within our own limits,
that they would not seek to achieve I'M
less they meant to abuse them. Appiau-
SCI Imperialism does not mean the eN-
pansion of our constitutional system at all
but it is the expansion of authority of
our othceholders, expanding their au-
thoIity so far as to make INDEPENDENT
or the constitution which creates them.
AN ILLOGICAL PARALLEL.
McKinley's is justified by the purchase
of Louisiana, during the administration
OF Thomas Jefferson is a marvellous
indication either of audacity of reckless
the part of the person who advances it,
or if not that, an assumption of the ig-
norance of those whom he addresses.
The purchase of Louisiana. so far from
being a precedent to justify Mr.. Nc
Kinley'S attempt to subdue the Philip
pine islands is a justification for opposi-
uon wonder, ladies and gentlemen, if
you recollect the fact that the purchase
of Louisiana was accomplished not for
the purpose of securing an enlargement
or territory. 1t was not an aggressive
measure but defensive measure 1t
was not one which Mr.. Jefferson initial
ed, but one which was forced upon him
by the essential conditions of this peo-
pie. You must remember that when the
independence of the United States was
accomplished, the territory Of the United
States did not touch the Gulf of MeXi-
co anywhere. We had no access to the
sea on the south except through, Span.
the United States. when our independ-
ence was recognized by England, was
the 31st parallel of north latitude 1t
wasn't the Gulf of Mexico, as many peo-
pie are inclined to believe now, but
south of this 31st parallel between this
country and the Gulf Of Mexico, lay
both the Floridas and the territory of
Louisiana, all owned by Spain at that
time Louisiana, as you may look at
the map now, covered al the territory
west of the Mississippi river except
where the 31st parallel crossed the river;
1t extended astward as far as the Per
ditto river and then ran south to the sea,
covering both banks of the river and the
island of Orleans at its mouth.
During the Revolutionary War, and aft
or it, the burning, important question
before the American people was how to
obtain access to the Gulf of Mexico and
obtain the right of free navigation to
After our independence was recognized,
and While the constitution was being pre-
pared, that right of navigation was a
more important question before the peo-
pie than the adoption of the conStitu-
lin Itself. 1t was more extensively dis
cussed When the constitution came be-
fore the convention of Virginia for rad-
hcatlon, one of the objections that was
made to it was that the new government
could not be trusted to enforce the right
OF navigation OF the American people
through the Mississippi river to the Gulf
OF Mexico, and James Monroe, in his
speech, which IS still eXtant, justified and
vindlcated the late confederation congress
from the imputation OF Indifference which
mad been leVeled against it. He showed
all the negotiations that had been un-
dertaken, and explained that the reason
why those negotiations fell through was
because the Spanish king could not be
induced to consent that the people of the
Unfted States should have full right of
naV1gat ton, and the United States would
ret accept anything less. And finally, in
l.9', treaty was entered into between
the United States and Spain by whiCN
that right of navigation through the
MISSISSIPPI river to the gulf was con-
derFea forever upon the American people.
ana IN addition TO that, by the twenty
second artlcle of the. treaty, to right of
deposit in the Island of Orleans was
granted to The merchants OF the United
states, which meant that merchants of
the United States would have the right
70 land their goods and merchandise on
me Island Of Orleans without the Ry-
ment of any customs duties or anv
charge except such rates as might by ha
charged for ordinary warehouse storage
mat flgfft was to continue under the
treaty. by the twerty-second article. for
ihree Years, a11d+it was further provided
mat II the Spanish king revoked the
night at any time, that then he agreed
to grant the right of deposit at some
other place equally convenient
Under the operation Of this treatv O.
large number of American citizens settletI
on the Mis- sissippi river. Their livelihood
t tIl aces TO the market depended upon
lana. having been coded back to France
IN lSO0 the government knowing nothing
aboutFft but common rumor, no visible
change of position had occurred thc
Spanish officers were still in r,ontrnl In
lScZ the right of deposit was revoked on
the ground that the three years mention-
ed in the. treaty had expired, and the
king of Spain had fixed uDon no new
place. The people arose and demanded
that the right of deposit at the island ~
orleans should be asserted 1T whatever
COST, ana they were also unanimous in
lhe behet that the only way that right
could be secured was by taking posses
sion OF the island itself
JEFFERSON WAS FOR PEACE.
There was a division as to the method
by which the island should be taken
Mr.. Jefferson believed in attempting to
OBTAIN the island by peaceful neectia-
uons. and his message to Congress notify
ing 1T of the revocation Of the right Of
deposit mentions that while every stem
should be taken to enforce that right
each step will be controlled by the dig,
NY! .IS w.soon and del1beration which beflt
States. u '"e oiiiteo
The opposition. led by Mr.. Ross. Of
pennsylvania offered resolutions in the
senate commanding the president to take
possession of the island by force. The
administration, represented bv Mr.
breckenridge, of Kentucky, offered slIh
Suoute resolutions authorizing the presi-
peht TO cali out the militia, but giving
MIN the discretion as to the manner in
which 1t should be used, ana this res
olution was adopted by a vote of IA to II.
put the motion was carried unanimously
IN the senate. In the meantime Mr. IF
ferson, in order to obtain the consent Of
the house in advance of AUTHORITY to
open negotiations, sent a confidential
message to the house OF representa- lives,
announcing his purpose to obtain posses
sion of the island by purchase, if possible
a. an d. asking the house to appropriate
100000 for that purpose. To explain
La tlao, IN orqer to prevent his purpose from