The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1900-10-26
4 CEnTUUY'S GROWTH
OF The COUNTRY.
History OF National Expansion
from JefiersOn's Time.
rhe Life OF the Nation, Like That OF an
Individual, Depends Upon Its Ability
to Develop and Grow.

An intelligent youth. fifteen years old,
who reads the daily papers, said to his
father, who is student of politics:
Father, what is the meaning of 'im-
perialsm' as used in the Democratic
platforms and by Democratic speakers,
particularly Mr.. Bryan; and what do
you mean by expansion?"
The father answered: ''My boy, 'impe-
rialism,' correctly defined, means per
tanning to an empire The use of it, as
they intend it TO apply by the party you
speak of, is pure demagogy-a clap
trap effort to catch votes in the coming
election. These men have erected an air
castle and are pelting it with words. But
few of the men of brains who use this
term, as applied to the conditions in this
country, believe it to be true or correct.
| They have n mistaken idea that they
can scare the American people by pro-
claiming against n bugabOo of their own
creation. In this they are mistaken. The
American voter is quick to detect hum
bug and is not easily scared even at the
threat OF real evils. 1t is possible that
some OF those men really believe what
they say on this subject. If they do,
they are in the unfortunate position of
those OF whom il is said. they believe
lie to he damned for these men will
be politically damned at the election in
November. Outside of these parties
there are some declaring against 'impe-
rialiSm' who are misled by diseased i'm
aginations and who, while being honest,
are simply foolish"
"Wel, father, what do you mean by
'expansionT"
81 use the word in its ordinary sense,
my boy, which is the enlargement of sur
face"
Eyes, I understand that, but this is
political term as used now. Does 1t mean
the enlargement Of the surface Of the
country"
Certainly. and but for expansion this
country would have been very small in
deed
when did it begin to expand? Who
was the first eXpansionistP
Look at the map of the United States
and you will see that the colonies of
Great Britain which revolted in 177G
were Massachusetts, which included
Maine; New Hampshire, Connecticut,
Rhode Island, New York, which with
New Hampshire included Vermont; New
Jersey, Pennsylvania. Delaware, Mary
| land. Virginia, which included Kentucky
North Carolina, which claimed Tennes-
see; South Carolina and Georgia. All
these colonies, with the outlying terri
tories claimed by them, had only 4S2.361
square miles. with a population of about
100000. Just before the Revolution
George Washington, then a colonel of
Virginia militia, was the first expansion
list. He aided in driving the French out
OF Fort Duquesne, where Pittsburg now
stands; helped in annexing to Virginia
all the territory which now comprises
the States Of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois,
Michigan and Wisconsin. There were
no white inhabitants save a few French
on the lakes and in Illinois. These
States cover 2S3,361 square miles, about
three-hfths of the area of the colonies.
At the taking of the census of 1890, ten
years ago. they had a population Of 49,
461 SAG and wealth valued at $15,041,-
635,522. Washington's expansion proved
to be a very valuable one"
"Who was the next expansjonist, and
what did he do?"
Thomas Jefferson was the next. In
April, 1903, he purchased the territory
of Louisiana from France. Look at that
large map. All the States and territories
which you see west of the Mississippi
river to that irregular line which extends
from the Gulf of Mexico to the Cana
dian border, near the Pacific ocean, were
included in this purchase. At the time
the purchase was made it was declared
valueless, and Jefferson was denounced
as bitterly by the opposition at that time
as Mckinley is now-in fact, more bit
terly. In 1910. the first census after the
purchase, the entire civilized population
was 7.4O1. The area of this purchase
was 974,ST3 square miles, more than
double that of the original colonies. and
comprised what is now the States of
Louisiana, Arkansas. Missouri, Iowa,
Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Ne
braska. Kansas, part ofColorado. nearly
all of Wyoming. nearly all of Montana,
the Indian Territory and the Territory of
Oklahoma. In 1890 the population of
these States was 1908. 1893 and their
wealth was $11, 595, 352 $40. eleven bill
ion five hundred and ninety-fve million
| three hundred and fifty two thousand
FIVE hundred and forty dollars. These
States in 1898 furnished over one-half
the wheat and nearly one-half the corn
crop of the country, and this year will
do still better. They have nearly one
third Of the total railway mileage and
are great producers OF cattle, sheep,
hogs and horses. And yet their produc-
tive capacity is in its infancy. When
irrigation is established, as 1t soon will
be. the products of these States will be
doubled or tripled. And there is one adj
vantage of this purchase that can never
be estimated in money, which is the con
troll of the Mississippi river. Jefferson's
purchase has turned out to be good one.
Notwithstanding the bitter opposition to
lie consnmino fiou -