The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1903-05-14

the papers which brought to us the great
Louisiana Purchase. In doing this, JEFF
ferson laid himself open to the scorn of
his little world, which had more anti-ex-
pansionists then by long odds than it has
now, and got himself handed down TO
posterity as the greatest Expanionist the
world had and has ever known. Alex
ander as an EXpanionist is not in it with
the great jefferson. 1t came particularly
hard on jefferson, because his action was
exactly opposed to all his utterances on the
subject. He had always deplored any
suggestion of westward growth for the
| Union, and was on record as saying that
the acquisition of the Louisiana Purchase
territory would be a practical notification
of the Constitution, but like a great many
statesmen before and since his time, he
found, or at least the world has found,
that wisdom was not born nor did it die
with Mr.. Jefferson.
Certain it is that the Union as it stands
to-day can congratulate itself that Jeffer-
son and Madison, timid conservatives as
they were, had forced upon them by the
necessities of the people the equally ur-
gent necessity of owning New Orleans, to
get which they had to buy the land out of
which II of the biggest and richest States
and Territories in the United States were
carved. 1t is safe to say that the least
important of these is to-day worth 10 times
the $15,O00,000 that we paid France for
the whole.
1t was to commemorate this terri
| torial acquisition that St Louis dedicat-
ed nearly 1900 acres of land to the
Louisiana Purchase Exposition purposes
A great company became the guests of
st. Louis for the occasion. All the ia
nous Courts of the world were repre-
scented in the gathering of the clans for the
three days festival of feasting, flowers,
fireworks and tlamboyant speeches. Spain
was there by her ambassador, Senior
Ojeda, Spain, whose castellated flag of
red and yellow and rampant lions was the
first that ever kissed the winds of the new
west world. France was there in the per-
son of her ambassador, NJ. Jusserand,
and never were her lilies upheld by fit
ter hands. Beside the lions and the lilies,
the flags of "a other Nations huttered
welcome to their representatives from al
most every window or roof tree in the
city of st. Louis.
1t was a great object lesson to these
foreigners, most of whom can compass
their territorial possessions in the old
world in one circle of the sun. Yet, travel
ing with the sun from Washington to st.
Louis, the representatives of the old world
powers in the one turn of the hands upon
the dial saw less than a third of the ter
ritory of the United States as it sweeps
from ocean to ocean. Five times the sun
must rise and set before he who takes
dip in the broad Atlantic may, with all
speed, lave himself in the placid Paci-
fic.
The weather-god was most unkind to
no af = tNf 60, old r,ah Ton
which for more than century has fretted
the Father of Waters with its commerce;
and it ran the gamut from freeze to thaw,
with baptism of Jupiter Pluvius and
dash of the beautiful on the side, while
old Boreas played havoc with fair COM
pleXions, and the combination of untoward
elements made Winter wrappings luxury
enjoyed by few: but this condition of af
fairs could not be charged up to st. Louis.
1t only went to prove that Jefferson and
Madison were as thoughtless about sign
ing the transfer Of the Louisiana Pur-
chase papers in early May, as were the
statesmen who gave US the Declaration
of Independence on the hottest day of the
year.
All the great newspapers of the world
were represented at the dedication.
France, Spain, Germany, England, Rus
STA, each had her correspondents there to
note the every word, and the shading of
the lightest tone of applause which greeted
its utterance. The most delicate instru-
ments made could not weigh more min
utely the cause and effect of sentiments
and their reception than the trained men
who sat at the press tables watching for
the slips Of tongue, which happily did not
come, the contretemps of translating Latin
ideas into cold English for a cosmopolitan
audience which had gathered from every
point to the compass which the unquiet
needle could indicate.
And then there were the Washington
Correspondents, nearly 200 trained men,
whose pencils make and unmake states
men as the sculptor models clay, only to
crush it with blow if the figure fails
to please. These guests of the exposition
Travelled like the diplomats, in their own
spacious special train, over the Baltimore
& Ohio, and old Time hid his head while
they were en- route. The fun they didn't
have is probably not worth talking about.
They were treated royalty while in the
city, being banqueted, wined and dined,
and practically owned the Louisiana Pur-
chase end Of the easth.
And then there was the President!
Talk about your Emperors! Why, Ma
poleon, when he sold Theodore Roosevelt's
predecessor the Louisiana Territory for
a song, then in the zenith Of his glory.
feared by the world powers, and worshiped
by his people, even then, he never re-
ceived half the adulation that was shower
ed upon the sturdy young President of
S0,O0o.000 of people as he rode through
the streets Of old st. Louis.
There was not in all the roar of well
come that followed his passage through
the crowds one single note Of sycophancy,
one single suggestion of partisanship. nor
Of fractional jars. Here was the Presi-
dent of the whole people. Strenuous,
little dogmatic at times, intensely partisan,
personally. but high minded and truly
American, with Il stubborn determination
TO not only hold the United States upon
its pedestal, but to lift it into the white
| light above the jealousies and contentious
of petty international feuds, he passed
among the people stronger and more loved
than any King who ever wore n crown,
and less feared than the petty despot of
the ward caucus. Certainly his tour
| through the streets and avenues, lined
with shouting multitudes of men and
women, saluted by thousands of school
children, who waved before him the Flag
| he is using his utmost endeavOr to keep
stainless. was like that we read of in the
stories of feudaI times when the King
rode abroad. But to the people he smil-
ingly saluted on every hand he was far