The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-02-17

| corner of Sixth and Chestnut Streets, to sec hi:
successor take the oath Of Office. When ire crown
dispersed, many followed TIE OK President that
| the new President seemed by contrast to walk
home unattended.
! Some who thus accompanied him may have
wished rebuke editorial in the 'Pliiladelphla
Aurora of that day beginning. Lord, now let
| test thou thy servant depart in peace for mine
eyes have seen thy salvation. IL suggested the
| appropriateness of this text because the man
! who is she source of all the misfortunes OF
| country is this day reduced to lever with
his fellow citizens "When retrospect is taken
of the Washington Administration for eight years,
| it is the subject OF the greatest astonishment
that a single individual should have cankered
the principles of republieanism in an enlight.
ened people just emerged from the gull oil
despotism, and should have carried his designs
against the public safety SO far as to put IN
jeopardy its very existence.
In the New York Minerva Noah Webster
insisted that the writer of that article could
not pass through the Eastern States without at
least one coat of tar and feathers. and one I'M
petuous defender of the President publicly whip
ped the editor for printing the libel. A few weeks
later far removed from such abuse the scfer 9
Washington could write from Mount Vernon: 10
Ei;lc end sell a little flour annua lly, lS repair
houses (gong fast to ruin), to build one Tor the
sce,n:ty OF my papers Ct public natdo,. and
to amIIse myself in agricultural and rural pn-
sIits will constitute employment for the -eM
years ] have remain on this terrestrial globe
to the Louisiana Purchase in the chapter
on jefferson. and light is thrown on JEFF
fersons reasons for this purchase. and his
ideas of the future of the MISSISSIPPI
region The author says:
In Nav following his Inauguration, Jefferson
wrote to Monroe: There is considerable reason
to apprehend that Spain cedes Louisiana and the
| Floridas to France. 1t is policy very unwise
| TO both and very ruinous to Us" Ever since the
birth of the United States Spain has proved trou
| blesome neighbor the SOUTH although not an
aggressive neighbor. But under the French, headed
by the ambitious Napoleon, Louisiana might easily
revive the dream OF a colonial empire IN America
No country was safe from that man. France. IN
her struggle for liberty, fraternity, a1d equality,
had been the idol of jefferson England, il at
teupting to restore monarchy, had been bus
aete-tation. He wrote TO Livingston, the
American Minister to France: France placing
LcIself in that door CNew Orleans assumes TO Is
the attitude of defiance. Spain might have re-
tanned it quietly for years The DAY that
France takes possession of New Orleans fixes
the sentence which is TO restrain her fore'eF
within her Iowwster marks From that
moment We must marry ourselves 10 the British
feet and nation"
Before Monroe's arrival, Livingston, haggling
with Napoeon's representative for the island
and the Flordas was astonished To be asked
''What will you give for the whole OF louisiana
Jpon Monroe's arrival the bargain was struck
and soon jefferson could write The territory
acquired, as it includes all the waters OF the
Missouri and Mississippi, has more than doubled
the. area OF the L. s and the new part Is
not inferior TO the old in soil, climate, produc-
tions, & important communications" As man
of peace he rejoiced that war with France had
been averted and this vast territory secured
through negotiation. He had visions OF giving
establishments in j. the Indians On the east
side OF the Missipi in exchange for their present
country, and open land offices in the last q
thus make this acquisition the means OF filling
lp the Eastern side, instead of drawing of II $
population When We shall be full on this side
we may lay off a range of States on the Western
bank from the head TO the mouth q SO, range
after range, advancing compactly as we null
tipiy" The alarm OF the Eastern states over
the purchase was to him quite natural. These
fedsrasts see In this acquisition the formation OF
a new confederacy, embracing all the waters OF
the Missipi, on both sides OF 1t, and separa-
ton Of it's Eastern waters from us. The
future inhabitants of the Atlantic Missiw
States will be sons and II they see
their interests in separation, why should we take
sides with our Atlantic rather than our Missipi
descendants? 1t is the elder and the younger
son differing. God bless them both q Keep them
in union. if 1t be for their good, but separate
them. il II be better"
The opposition rested not only on the danger
of separation by too large domain but also on
the inability Of the Government under the Con
stitution to acquire additional territory. Jener-
son had always been sticklef iGf inc eNa.t
powers as stated. On this point, he wrote TO
GaIlatin: There (. constitutional difficulty
as to the acquisition of territory 1
think 1t will be safer not to permit the enlarge
ment OF the Union but by amendment Of the
Constitution He therefore drew up such an
amendment whose adoption would be the ratlhea-
tion ly the nation of the action OF the Presl-
dent and Senate 'It is case OF a guardian
iryestinr the money Of his ward in purchasing
an important adjacent territory; saying TO MN
when of age. / did this for your good; pretend
no right to bind you; you may disaVoW me, anu
| must get out of the scrape as | can; ! thought
duty IN rfsk
end he thought 81 had rather ask an enlarge,
rnent of power from the nation, when II is iouhu
necessary, than TO assume 1t by construction
which would make powers bounoless- our
peculiar security Is in the possession OF wnt-
ten constitution. Let us not make 1t blank
paper by construction.
Still another interesting chapter is that
on Jackson. The one on Webster is main
lv devoted to a discussion Of his great
speech for the preservation of the Union,
which called forth so violent an outburst
of condemnation from the anti-slavery
party. In the account given of Greeley's
life and work, there is a picture, copied
from an old print. of the escape of Henry
Box" Brown, a negro who was shipped
from Baltimore 10 Philadelphia in box.
OF this Greeley said edltorially:
If box should come directed 10 Us with
live man in it, should At the very least pre-
else proved title TO him. That done, we
should let that somebody take his property run
ming, recognizing no obligation resting on us
TO help him catch II.
The last chapter that on Lincoln, nat
urally contains much that is valuable.
Perhaps the campaign which resulted in
his election might be termed the last OF
the peculiarly bitter personal campaigns
for the Presidency. Certainly it seems
almost incredible that. on the death Of the
wife of Douglas, the rival candidate. per-
sons belonging to the opposite party,
should have written him insulting letters
expressing their joy in her decease, and
predicting still more bereavement;. This
chapter contains many cartoons, and
much Of the political material used in and
out OF the newspapers at the time Of Lin
coins first candidacy. Some newspapers
nicknamed him Simple Susan" Others
described him as a rail-splitter, with the
manners of a fatboatman. But all the
vituperatIon and ridicule quoted from the
publications of the time only serves TO
bring out, as everything seems to do in
these days the real grandeur of the man.
As he recedes into the distance of the past
he looms larger. grander. and more dis
tinct as the typical American. There is no
chapter In the book which is more fasci-
mating than this. New York: The Mac
milan Company. 5000
The Navy Under Steam.
Lieutenant Bennett has written most
subject, and what Is more, has so Invested