The Globe-republican., 1900-10-18
4 CENTURY'S GROWTH
OF THE COUNTRY.
History of National Expansion
from JeffersOn's Time.
The 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 a student of politics:
Father, what is the meaning of i'm
perialism' 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 this
term. applied to the conditions in this
country, believe it to be true correct.
They have a mistaken idea that they
can scare the American people by pro-
claiming gainst a bugaboo OF their own
creation. In this they 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 this subject II they do,
they are in the unfortunate position of
those of whom it is said, they believe
a lie to be damned for these men will
be politically damned a the election in
November. Outside of these parties
there are some declaring against timpe-
rialism' who are misled by diseased i'm
aginations and who, while being honest,
are simply foolish
wen, father, what do you mean by
81 use the word in its ordinary sense,
my boy, which is the enlargement of sur
face
Eyes, understand that. but this is
political term as used now. Does it 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 expand2 Who
was the first expansionist2
Look at the map of the United States
and you will see that the colonies of
Great Britain which revolted in 1776
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 49, 1851
square miles, with population of about
100000. Just before the Revolution
George Washington, then colonel of
Virginia militia, was the first expansion
ist- He aided in driving the French out
of Fort DuQuesne, where Pittsburg
stands; helped in annexing to Virginia
all the territory which now comprises
Michigan and Wisconsin There were
no white inhabitants save few French
on the lakes and in Illinois. These
States cover 2S3, 361 square miles, about
three-ffths of the area of the colonies.
At the taking of the census of 1890, ten
years ago, they had a population of 49,
461 $40 and wealth valued at $15,O41,-
635,522. Washington's expansion proved
to be a very valuable one
who was the next expansionist. 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 1T was declared
valueless, and jefferson was denounced
bitterly by the opposition at that time
Mckinley is nOw-in fact, more Bit
terly. In 1910, the first census after the
purchase, the entire civilized population
was 77,4O1- The area of this purchase
was 974,ST3 square miles, more than
| double that of the original colonies, and
| comprised what is the States of
| Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa,
| Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Ne
braska. Kansas, part of Colorado, nearly
| all OF Wyoming, nearly all of Montana,
| the Indian Territory and the Territory of
| Oklahoma. In 1890 the population of
/ these States was 12,O53, S9S and their
wealth. was S11.o3o-oO-ye4O, efeFen Dill
| ion Eve hundred and ninety-6ve 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 esta blished, it soon will
III
| 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 a good one.
| Notwithstanding the bitter opposition to
| its consumnation-''
cfo be continued-)
| Measure of Coin