The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1900-09-20
ROOSEVELT ACCEPTS
Vice Presidential Candidate
Makes Public His Letter.
CONDEMNS KANSAS CITY PLATFORM.
knys Trust Problem should He Care-
fully Studied-Nnmcs Thomas JEFF
fcrson ns First Expansionist.
Our Territorial Acquisitions.

fcrson ns First Expansionist.
Our Territorial Acquisitions.
NEW YORK, Sept II. -- Governor
/ Theodore Roosevelt has made public his
! letter accepting the nomination for vice
/ president on the Republican national
! ticket. Mr.. Roosevelt reviews the va
! rious issues brought to the front by both
the Republican and Democratic parties.
The currency question, trusts and expan-
sion are the subjects to which he has de-
/ voted the greater part of his letter.
81 feel that this contest is by no means
! one merely between Republicans and
/ Democrats. We have n right to appea i
to all good citizens who are farsighted
enough to see what the honor and the
interest of the nation demand. To put
into practice the principles embodied in
J the Kansas City platform would mean
grave disaster to the nation, for that
platform stands for reaction and disor-
der, for an upsctting of our financial
system which would mean not only great
suffering, but the abandonment OF the
nations good faith. and for policy
abroad which would imply the dshonor
of the flag and an unworthy surrender OF
our national rights. Its success would
mean unspeakable humiliation to men
proud OF their country jealous of their
country's good name and desirous of Sc
curing the welfare OF their fellow Citi-
zens Therefore we have right to ap-
peal TO all good men, north and south,
east and west, whatever their politics
may have been in the past, to stand with
us because we stand for the prosperity
of the country and for the renown of the
American flag.
IF this nation is to retain either its
well being or its self respect, it cannot
afford to plunge into financial and eco
nomic chaos; 1t cannot afford to indorse
governmental theories which would un-
settle the standard of national honesty
and destroy the integrity of our system
of justice. The policy of the free coinage
of silver at ratio Of 16 to | is a policy
fraught with destruction to every home
in the land. 1t means untold misery to
the head of every household and above
all to the women and children of every
home. When our opponents champion
free silver at 16 to /, they are either in
sincere or sincere in their attitude. IL
insncere in their championship, they of
course forfeit all right to belief or sup
port on any ground. II sincere, then
country"
Speaking Of trusts, Mr.. Roosevelt says:
THE first thing to do is to find ont the
facts, and for this purpose publicity as
to capitalization, profits and all else Of
Importance to the public is the most use
full measure. The mere fact of this pub
licity would in itself remedy certain evils,
and, as to the others, it would in some
cases point out the remedies and would
at least enable us to tell whether or not
certain proposed remedies would be use
full The state acting in its collective
capacity would thus first find out the
facts and then be able to take such
measures as wisdom dictated. Much can
be done by taxation Even more can be
done by regulation, by close supervision
and the unsparing excision of all up-
healthy, destructive and antisocal ele-
ments. The separate state governments
can do great deal, and where they de-
cline to cooperate the national govern
ment must step in"
Concerning expansion, he says:
In 1903, under President jefferson,
the greatest single stride in expansion
that we ever took was taken by the
purchase of the Louisiana territory. This
so called Louisiana, which included what
are now the states of Arkansas. Missou-
ri. Louisiana, Iowa. Minnesota, Kansas.
Nebraska, North and South Dakota. Ida
no, Montana and large part of Colo
rado and Utah, was acquired by treaty
and purchase under President Jefferson
exactly and precisely as the Philippines
have been acquired by treaty and pur-
chase under President Mckinley.
THE parallel between what Jefferson
| did with Louisiana and what Is now be-
| ing done in the Philippines is exact.
| Jefferson, the author of the Declaration
| Of Independence and Of the consent of
| the governed doctrine, saw no ncongru-
| ity between this and the establishment
| of government on common sense
| grounds In the new territory and he
| rallied at the sticklers for an impossible
application of his principle.
Properly speaking, the question is now
| the acquisition of Florida. This was
| partly acquired by conquest and partly
| by purchase, Andrew Jackson being the
most prominent figure in the acquisition.
| Our next acquisition of territory was
that of Texas, secured by treaty after it
! had been wrested from the Mexicans by
the Texans themselves. Then came the
| acquisition Of California, New Mexico
| Arizona, Nevada and parts of Colorado
| and Utah as the result of the Mexican
| war. Then came the acquisition of
| Alaska, secured from Russia by treaty
and purchase, Nearly 30 years passed
before the next instance Of expansion
! occurred, which was over the Island of
| Hawaii.
| "Wheh we expanded over New Mexico
| and California, we secured free gov
ernment to these territories and pre-
vented their falling under the mill
| tarism" of dictatorship like that Of
Santa Anna or the imperialism" of a
real empire in the days of Macmillan.
| We put a stop to imperialism in Mexico
| as soon as the civil war closed.
| "The next great step in expansion was
not whether we shall expand-for we
have already expanded-but whether we
shall contract. The Philippines are now
part of American territory. To sur
render them would be to surrender Amer
lean territory. They must, of course, be
governed primarily in the interests of
their own citizens. Our first care must
be for the people of the islands which