Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-05-01


propositions: In the first place, it had
always proved exceedingly difficult to
secure both freedom and strength in
any government: and in the second
place, 1t had always proved well-nigh
impossible for a nation to expand with
out either. breaking up Or becoming a
centralized tyranny. With the success
of our effort to combine strong and
efficient national union. able TO- put
down disorder at home and to MAIN
tain our honor and interest abroad, 1
have not now to deal. This success
was signal and all-important, but it
was by no means unprecedented in
the same sense that our type of expan-
sion was unprecedented. The, history
of Rome and of Greece illustfa tes; very
well the two types of expansion which
had taken place in ancient. time and
which had been universally accepted
as the only possible types up to- the
period when as nation we ourselves
began to take possession of this con-
tinent. The 'Grecian states perfornied
remarkable feats of colonization, but
each colony as soon as created became
entirely Independent of the mother
state, and in after years was almost as.
apt to prove it's enemy as it's friend.
Local government, local indepen-
dence, was secured, but only by the
absolute sacrifice of anything resemb-
ling national unity. In consequence,
the Greek world, for all it's wonderful
brilliancy and the extraordinary ar
tistic. literary. and philosophical de-
velopment which has made all man
kind its debtors for the ages, was yet
wholly unable to withstand a formid-
able foreign foe, save spasmodfcafiy.
AS soon as powerful, permanent en-
pires arose on it's outskirts, the Greek
states in the neighbOrhOod of such
empires fell under their sway. Ma
tional power and greatness were COM
pletely sacrificed to local liberty.
With Rome the exact opposite oc-
Cured. The imperial city rose to alb
solute dominion over all the peoples of
Italy and then expanded her rule over
the entire civilized world by process
which kept the nation strong and unit
ed, but gave no room whatever for local
liberty and government. All 9th
err cities and countries were subject to
Rome. In consequence this great and
masterful race of warriors, rulers,
road builders, and administrators
stamped their indelible impress upon
all the after life of our race, and yet
let an over decentralization eat~out the
vitals of their empire until 1t became
an empty shell; so that when the bar
barians came they destroyed only what
had already become worthless to the
world. - =
The underlying viciousness of each
type of expansion was plain enough
and the remedy now seems simple
enough. But when the fathers of the
Republic first formulated the Con-
stitution under which we live this REM
edy was untried and no one could fore
tell how it would work. They them
selves began the experiment almost I'M
1nediately by adding new states to the
original Thirteen. Excellent people in
the East viewed this initial expansion
of the country with great alarm. Elk
actly as during the colonial period
many good people in the mother-coun-
try thought it highly important that
settlers should be kept out of the Ohio
Valley. in the interest Of the fur COM,
panies. so after we had become Ma
ton many good people on the Atlantic
COAST lett SIdSS iS'N ~A'OS
might somehow be hurt by the west
ward growth of the Nation. Ihese
good people shook their heads over the
formation of states in tfe fertile ONO
Valley which now forms part OF the
heart of our Nation; and they declared
that the destruction of the Repupilc
had been accomplished when through
the Louisiana Purchase we acquired
nearly half Of what is now that same
Republics present territory. Nor was
their feeling unnatural. Only the
and far-seeing can be ex-
pected heartily to welcome the process
of expansion for the nation that ex-
pands is d nation which is entering
upon a great career, ard with great,
ness there must of necessity come perlls
which daunt' all save the most stout
hearted.
We expanded by carving the wilder
|enss into territories and out. OF these
territories building new states when
lonce they had received as permanent
|settlers sufficient number IF our own
people. Being a practical nation we
Have never tried to force on any sec
Itior of our new territory an unsuitable
form of government merely because 1T
twas suitable for another section under
different conditions. OF the territory
covered by the Louisiana Purchase a
portion was given statehood within a
few years. Another portion has not
been admitted to statehood. although a
century has elapsed-althOugh doubt
less it soon will be. In each case we
showed the practical governmental
genius of our race by devising methods
suitable to meet the actual existing
needs: not by insisting upon the appli-
alton of some abstract shibbOleth to
all our new possessions alike. no mat
ter how homogeneous this application
Knight sometimes be.
/ Over by far the major part of the
TERRITORY, however. our people spread
lin such numbers during the course of
the nineteenth century that we were
able to build up state after. state. each
with exactly the same complete local
independence in all matters affecting
purely it's own domestic interests as in
any of the original thirteen States
each owing the same absolute fealty to
the Union of all the states which each
of the original thirteen states also
owes--and finally each having the same