The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1903-05-08
THE DEDICATION ADDRESS.

THE DEDICATION ADDRESS.
Presidents Grafton Deals With the
American Expansion Idea. s
Hon. Thomas. H. Carter. former SEN
ator from Montana and president Of the
national commission, was presented as
presiding officer of the day. He then
introduced President Roosevelt, orator
of the occasion, to deliver the dedica-
ton address. The president was re-
ceived with a wonderful ovation by the
had subsidized he began speaking. He
said:
MI. President, Ladies' and Gentlemen:
At the outset of my address let me recall
that the soil upon which we stand, before
sion OF Spain and France, whose sons
made a deathless record of heroism in the
early annals Of the new world. No history
heed to the part played by soldiers, mis-
~sionaries, explorers and. traders, who did
their work for the honor OF France and
German and Scandinavian origin were
still clinging to the eastern seaboard, the
pioneers Of Spain and aFrance had pene-
vide The cities themselves-St. Louis,
New Orleans, Santa Fe, New Mexico
witness by their titles the Municipalities
revolution that the English speaking set
tiers pushed across the Alleghenies, and
not until q century ago that they entered
IN to possess the land upon which We now
stand.
We have met here today to ommem
crate the hundredth anniversary Ct the
event which determined that we should be
q great expanding nation instead OF small
and stationary.
OF coursefit was not with the Louisiana
the middle Of the revolutionary war the
Illinois region was added by force of arms,
as a SEQUEL to the expedition OF Clarke
and his rlt1emen. Later the treaties of
Jay and Pinckney extended our real
boundaries to the west. But none of these
was SO striking as to fix the popular i'm
agination; The old thirteen colonies had
always claimed westward to the Missis-
sippi. But there could be no Illusion about
the acquisition of the vast territory be-
yond the Mississippi to the Pacific. This
was admittedly the territory of a Euro
pean kingdom. None Of our people had
ever laid claim to it. When we acquired
It we made evident that we had embarked
place among those nations who risk much
with the hope Of winning high position.
Work of Two Generations.
This expansion was by far the great
est work of our people during the years
and the civil war. There were other uues-
lions Of moment. but the greatest feat
Of those generations was the deed Of the
men who pushed the frontier ever west
ward across the continent.
Never before had the world seen this
kind of national expansion: The greatest
aldma in it was the Louisiana pur-
chase. Our triumph in his expansion
was bound up with the success of our
peculiar kind Of federal government; and
this success has been so complete that we
now sometimes fail to appreciate the diff
iculty of the problem with which our ma
ton was originally faced.
this nation. they undertook a task for
which there was little encouraging pre-
cedent. The development of civilisat ton
from the earliest period seemed to show
the truth Of two propositions: First, it
had always proved difficult to secure both
freedom and strength in any government;
nigh impossible for a nation to expand
without either breaking up or becoming a
centralized tyranny. With the success Of
our effort for a strong and efficient ma
tional union. I have not now to deal. This
success was all-important, but not I'M
precedented as our expansion was un-
Greece illustrates well the two types Of
expansion which had taken place in an
cient time, and which had been univer-
sally accepted as the only possible ones.
The Grecian states performed remarkab bic
feats Of colonization, but each colony be-
came independent. Local self-government
unity. In consequences, the Greek world
was unable to Withstand a formidable
foreign foe, save systematically. AS soon
as powerful, permanent empires arose on
its outskirts. the Greek states fell. Ma
tional power and greatness were sacrificed
to local liberty.
The Power of Rome.
With Rome the opposite occurred. The
over Italy and expanded over the civilized
world by a process which kept the nation
strong, but gave no room for local liberty.
All other cities and countries were SUB
ject to Rome. In consequence this race
of warriors, rulers. road builders and adj
ministrators stamped their impress upon
~ I %lo pr Enf- Nly~. ~o~~ --1
an Decentralization eat out the yitaIs
of their empire until it became an empty
shell; SO that when the barbarians came
they destroyed only what had already be-
come worthless to the world.
The ~viciousness of each type Of expan-
sion was plain and the remedy seems sim
ple enough. But when the fathers OF the
republic formulated the constitution this
remedy was untried. They began the ex-
pertinent by adding new states. Excel
sion with great alarm. Exactly as dur
ing the colonial period many good people
in the mother country thought settlers
should be kept out Of the Ohio valley in
the interest Of the fur companies. so after
we had become a nation many people on
the coast felt apprehension lest they
These good people shook their heads over
the formation of states in the Ohio val
ley. now the heart Of our nation: and
declared the destruction Of the republic
had been accomplished when the Louisiana
purchase acquired nearly half the re-
puOllc.S territory. Nor was their feeling
unnatural. Only the adventurous and far
seeing can be expected heartly'to welcome
expansion for the nation that expands
is entering upon a great career, and with
greatness there must come perils which
daunt all save the stout-hearted.
We expanded by carving the wilderness
into territories and out of these territor-
les building new states. Being a practical
nation we have never tried to force on
any section an unsuitable government. OF
the Louisiana purchase a portion was
given statehood within a few years. An
other portion has not yet been admitted
to statehood, though doubtless 1t soon
will be. In each case we bowed govern
mental genius by d~evising methods to
meet the needs.
Carving Out New States. a.
Over the major part of the territory our
people spread in such numbers during
the nineteenth century that we built up
state after state, with the same local in
dependence as the original thirteen; each
owing the same fealty to the union and
each having the same share In shaping
the common policy.
This now seems. part Of the natural or
der. but it was unknown until our people
devised It. 1t seems to us a. mere matter
of right hat the representatives Of q
state which came into the union yester-
day stand on a footing Of equality with
those whose sons signed the declaration.
Il Rrt fhja Ia pr7ra1v. ~n1arr : a nd r,,vol1y