The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1900-10-06
THE ACQUISITION OF LOUISIANA.
NOT SIMILAR TO THE PHILIP
PINES
So Contends a New England Editor
in Reply to Theodore Roosevelts
Letter of Acceptance.

history in support of the Administration 5 at-
titude in the present expansion issue, and
that his exact parallels are not
parallels at all. Following are extracts from
Mr.. Mead's criticisms
'Mr Roosevelt's letter Of acceptance is
mainly devoted to the discussion of imperial
SIN He presents here, SAYS one of his lead
ing supporters, AN argument based upon the
history of the former expansions of the coun-
iry. which, although not absolutely novel, has
not been elaborated before with SO much force
and cIevcrueSS. His own extensive studies
in American history make him af home here.
Il Mr.. Roosevelt is at home in American his
tory, and, especially, IN thc history OF the
Louisiana purchase, which Is the chapter ot
history which he chiefly discusses, he has con
ceacd the tact ia his letter with a clevernesS
which Is certainly conspicuous. \ historical
scholar Mr. Roosevelt Is; and if were sure
that readers would turn to his own chapter
upuu the purchase of Louisiana, IN his work
upon The Winning of the West. where lie
has treated the subject as Il historian, instead
OF as "a reckless partisan, would gladly stop
here for should prefer to let him reiute him
self There is Eo better account Of the Louis
lana purchase and the events following It than
that there given hy Mr.. Roosevelt, save only
the account of Henry Adams in his great his
tory Of IelIcrsou's Administration; and the
account makes Shipwreck of the impression
gwen ia his letter OF acceptance.
THE parallel between our relation TO Lou
isiaaa and our relation to the Philippines fails
a, every point of controyersy,o or Of significance.
4 condition of the cesSiou of Louisiana was
the distinct provision that the inhabitants
shall be Incorporated in the Union OF the
United States. aud in due course admitted to
Statehood \ regular territorial government,
with an elected Legislature and a delegate to
Congress. was given the portion OF LOUISIANA
which contained almost the entire French aud
Spanish population Of the territory, March ,.
lSu5. les, than fifteen months after we took
possession. with clear understanding that
Statehood was tn follow IN "a few wears. d 1t
did. There was no such degree, of ii~aleeliou
uf thr people la the change as Mr. Roosevelt
iutimairs There was no danger al any time
ut iusurreciior against the United States Gov
eminent, springng from such diSaiiecuon,
and no hasiy sending Of troops 20 Louisiana
for exactly the same reasons that PU>idrut
Mckinley has sent troops to the Philippines
nothing whatever that eau iruthtnliy be 50
described. The Spanish Minister at Washing
ton. four months after the purchase, protested
against it, declaring that we bad bought stolen
goods. aud that Spain was the righltal owner:
aud his protests were so energetic thai Iriir~-
son sent . strong body of troops to Natchez.
The Government of Spain. be wrote. has
protested against the right OF France 90 trans
ier. and % Is possible she may refuse posses.
sion, and that may bring nu acts of force.
Some OF the militia thus assembled. ioSelhfr
with a volunteer company Of horse accom-
panied Wilkinson and Claiborne 10 New Or
leans. "a an escort, to take possession; but
a. a.. 81. 90 rfa.-
reclou jefferson sent his troops Go l.ouisI-
ana, not lo subject the people Of the territory.
but 90 meet the threats OF the Government OF
Spain.
"'As Soon as the present revolt 10 the
phjlippies Is put down, SAYS Mr. Roosevelt,
d, vii undoubtedly be- possible 10 give the
island, larger measure Of scltgayernment
than Jefferson originally gave Louisiana.
Hero Is the disln1enuousnC~s oi the partisan.
By originally MIR Roosevelt means simply
the provisional goverumeut gwen Louisiana
Immediately. pending tie organization ot a
regular territorial government; he says moth
ins Of any farther hope or promise. and Is ST.
lent In drawing has exact parallel about the
great pledge and recognized ultimate 0biiga-
ZION. ia the light of which every early and
provisional act ia Louisiana was 70 be inter
prv,ei The third article Of the treaty Of
caesiuu provided that 'the inhabitants oi the
tcded TERRITORY shall be Incorporated INTO
The Union 81 the United States and admitted,
A. soon a. possible, according TO the prlnci-
pl,s Of the Federal Constitution, tp the Gu
iovatcut Of all the advantages and lmmunities
of citizens of the United States. - Does Mr..
Roosevelt hud ap exact parallel to tbls iH
the treaty Of Paris. bv which the Philippines
w,re ccdcd 10 the United States
Whether the transfer of sovereignty IA
Louisiana from France 10 the United States
was the occasion 81 violence 10 many tender
ties NAV be- Judged from the fact that the
French domination had lasted just twenty
DAYS, after a Spanish four years. The news
Of the annexation TO France had been vel
coined at New Orleans with general rejoicing,
as vas natural, for the city WIS more French
than spanish: but the representative citizens
hasteued 10 assure Lauseat that they had no
cause ui complaint against the Spanish Gov
-rument. Rolh Spanish and French would
doubtless. for the most part, have preferred
French sovereignty 10 Ameucan, but resis.
tauce lo the transfer OF the province therc was
none. aud there was large indifference
"The Frcnchmcn did not love u.s. why
should they? They we're silent enough when
their hag vent down and ours went up, ami
W. do not think the worse OF them TOR that,
But they did not regard 1t AS any blow or
menace. 10 their political aspirations; there
was no parallel whatever to the feeling which
drove the people OF Luzon TO war. Our two
Commissioners. seEt 10 organize them, we're
as unsuitable and offensive As President
Schurn,au and Judge Taft have been iutelli-
a,-ut and courteous. Here Mr. Roosevelt
parallI fails agaiu-aud Tor once 10 our
credit. Schurlnan aud Tan have been good
men au bad business; Claiborne and NllSin'
son we're bad men ou good business. What
trouble there was in New Orleans spung not
from bad politics, but from bad manners. 1t
wa, the arrogance and vulgarlty of the Amer
lean. contrasting SO rudey with the cirIlliy
and refinement of l.auseat, that eXasperated
The better people of New Orleans.
"As matter Of fact, Louisiana vas admitted
10 Statehood before either Indiana or Illinois,
and two other States, Missouri and Arkansas
were constituted from the Louisiana Purchase,
while Michigan and Winconsin, of the old
Northwest Territory, still waited Tor State
hood. Our promise to treat the Louisiana
territory according to our regular principles
in dealing with our other territory was faith
fully and accurately kept
This is the sum and substance of the poll
ties of the Louisiana question. What was the
common sense of it? The Louisiana Pur-
chase. winch doubled the area Of the United
States. comprised almost l,OO0,O0O square
miles. almost the entire region between the
Mississippi river and the Rocky Mountains,
north of Texas. The dozen States created from
it have now population of perhaps I5,Ooo,
600. but in 1903 it was practically unnhablted.
Rowing over the whole territory were perhaps
30. 600 Indians. The total negro and white
population was not twice that number, and
the Louisiana question really resolved itself
;nro the question of the few thousand French
and Spaniards in aud about the city Of New
Orleans. The white population of the terri
tory was already largely American. In Up
per Louisiana, the st. Louis region. there
we're at the time of the cesson 5000 Amer-
cans. as against 370O French and Spanish to-
gether. In the Baton Rouge district the
Americans were in a great majority, aud IN
other districts "a considerable part, says the
official report, were American. There were
doubtless more Americans than Spanish and
In ten years, even if there had been no ccs-
sion, there would have been more Americans
than Spanish and French together-lor our
people were everywhere pushing into the ter
ritory, whose rivers were their great highways
of trade. 1t is not at all improbable, in view
of all the facts and clear tendencies, that,
could a popular vote have been held upon the
cesson in 1905, it would have approved it.
''The parallel between our suhiugating army
f7O. 600 men, who in no possible time ofpeace
will ever be followed to Luzon by 1000 Amer
lean exotics, and the American people in their
natural relations to Louisiana in 1903, can
best be considered in the description OF the
latter hy Mr. Roosevelt. the historian. Upon
- Il . ,l,g,l. mi