The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1903-05-08
THE DEDICATION ADDRESS.
Presidents Grafton Deals With the
American Expansion Idea.

American Expansion Idea.
Hon. Thomas H. Carter, former sem
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
great assemblage. When the applause
had subsidized he began speaking. He
said:
Mr.. President Ladies and Gentlemen:
At the outset of my address let me recall
that the soil upon which we stand before
it was ours, was successfully the possess
sion OF Spain and France, whose sons
made a deathless record of heroism in the
early annals of the new world. No history
of the western country can be without
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 We're
still clinging to the eastern seaboard, the
trated deep into the west and wandered
wide. The cities themseves-St. Louis,
New Orleans, Santa Fe, New Mexico
witness by their titles the nationalities
of their founders. 1t was not until the
revolution that the English speaking set
tiers pushed across the Alleghenies, and
not until a century ago that they entered
in to possess the land upon which We now
stand.
We have met here today to comment
crate the hundredth anniversary of the
event which determined that we should be
great expanding nation instead of small
and stationary
or course it was not with the Louisiana
purchase that our expansion began. In
the middle of the revolutionary war the
Illinois region was added by force Of arms,
as sequel to the expedition of Clarke
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-
was admittedly the territory of a Euro
pean kingdom. None Of our people had
ever laid claim to it. When we acquired
on expansion, that we had taken our
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
between the adoption of the constitution
and the civil war. There were other uues-
TONS OF moment, but the, greatest feat
OF those generations was the deed of the
ward across the continent
Never before had the world seen this
kind of national expansion. The greatest
landmark in it was the Louisiana pur-
chase Our triumph in this 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
ticulty Of the problem with which our ma
ton was originally faced.
When our forefathers called into being
this nation, they undertook task for
which there was little encouraging pre-
cedent. The development of civilization
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;
and, second, it had always proved we'll
nigh impossible for a nation to expand
without either breaking up or becoming a
centralized tyranny. With the success Of
tional union. I have not now to deal This
success was all-important, but not I'M
precedented as our expansion was I'M
precedented. The history of Rome and of
Greece illustrates well the two types of
expansion which had taken place in an
ciert time, and which had been univer-
The Grecan states performed remarkable
feats of colonization. but each colony be-
came independent. Local self-government
was secured by the sacrifice of nationai
unity. In consequence, the Greek world
was unable to Withstand a Formidable
foreign foe, save systematically. AS soon
as powerful, permanent empires arose on
it's 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
imperial city rose to absolute dominion
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 We're s,1b-
ject to Rome. In consequence this race
of warriors, rulers road builders and adj
ministrators stamped their impress upon
all the after life of our race, and vet let
an Decentralization eat out the yitais
of their empire until it became an empty
SHE'LL 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
pie 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
had been accomplished when the Louisiana
purchase acquired nearly half the re-
public's territory. Nor was their feeling
seeing can be expected heartily 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 few years. An
other portion has not yet been admitted
to statehood. though doubtless it soon
will be. In each case we showed govern
mental genius by devising methods to
meet the needs.
Carving Out New States.
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
t 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 1t. 1t seems to us mere matter
OF right that, the representatives of
state which came into the union yester-
day stand on footing of equality with
those whose sons signed the declaration.
But this Is purely modern and purely
American. When Washington saw new
states come in on footing of equality,
/ every European nation which had colon
| les still administered them as Dependent
! c1eS, not as Self-gOyernment but as SUBJ