The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-05-01

WnHt ~ now our fniRhtV country, IN" very
Hapta ~, v v hear witness by thcir
titles To the nntionnInl"s ~ their founders
N was not unti tho Revolution had begun
mat the Misunderstanding 1"ttlrrs fiiiah"d
west across the NllcghHni"s, uld not untll a
century ago that they entered N to POSSESS
the land upon which now -tnnd
We have met here to-day 80 corimrfn-
crate the hundredth anniversary If N" event
which moro than Hnv other. lftcr m" founda-
lion Of Tho government md always rNC"nt-
mt ita nrnsprrniion. determined IN" character
ofour national life determined that we should
D+ RrrHt expanding nation instead 0f rel7-
lively small and stationary one
OI conr." y wn@ not YIN ne l.o,,lslnnn
In the middl" 81 III" Revolution arv Wnr the
Illinois region, including the present states
81 Illinois md indiana, wns add"d TO 9nr
domain by force OF arms ~ - enu"' To IN"
Adventurous eEprdii on # '"nrge Rogers
Clarke and his frontier rin"men. LATER III"
treaties ~ inv and Ptn"knev nHterinllv "S-
tended our rent boundaries 10 III. west
hut none Of these events was Of 50 striking
ra aS fSrson S n% Gn %d w"Ss a
Tint their rights stretched westward 20 tho
Mississippi: and vague md unreal though
these claims were until made good by con-
quest, settlement and diplomacy, they still
served to give tn" impression that the earliest
little more than the filing In of already exist
ing national boundaries.
But there could be n" Illusion about the
Mississippi, stretching west ward to III" Pa
Gihc, which IN that day was known -
louisiana,
This Immense region was admittedly the
territory OF = loregn power, Of a Euronean
Kingdom. None Of our propi" had ever laid
claim tn foot of lt IT. acquisition could in
no sense he trcated ~ rounding ont any
existing claims. When ~" ucgnired It We
made evident once for all that consciously
and OF set purpose We had embarked on a
career Of EXPANSION that "" had taken our
place among those daring and hardy nations.
winning high position omons the roat
powers Of the earth. As ~ often the cHse
in nature, the law Of development II a living
organism showed itself in it, actual workings
tn be wiser than the wisdom W the wisest
This work II expansion was hv TAR the
greatest work Of pur people during the yenrs
that interviewed between he adoption Of the
Constitution and the outbreak ~ the civil
War. There, wer" other questions Of real
many which at he time seomcd such 20
those engaged in answering hem, but the
srsstsst feat Of Eur d"tefathers OF th"se
with pack train or wagon train, IN horse
back, on foot, or by boat upon the waters
pushed the frontier ever westward across
Never before had the world seen The kind
OF national expansion which gave our people
west. Of the thirteen original states the
greatest landmark in which was the Louisiana
osr HmIh IL bno5 eth
the success of our peculiar Kind of federal
government and this 7nccess has been so
complete that because of it, very complete
ness we now sometimes fail to appreciate
not only ne hll-mporfance. but the re
inendoms difficulty, Of he problem with which
When our forerathers joined 10 call into
being this patton. hey undertook task
RE Establishment mt Of "isiizaiion
from the earliest period seemed to show
the truth Of two propositions In the. aret
tificult 10 secure both freedom and strength
IN any government, and in the second place.
n a nd NI1r Inn rh.arh hiram l.
ing up or becoming centralized tyranny
With the success If our. eror' "a combine a
put down disorder AZ home and 70 .mnintain
our honor and interest abroad, | have not
new 70 deal This Huccese was signal and
orecedented IN the anne Sarse that our tvpe
# expansion whs unprecedent..n
The Grecisn states performed remarkable
feats of colon zation. bnt zach colony rs
soon as created became entirely independent
81 the mother state and in after wears was
Local -eIf-,VovernmoGt, local Independence
vas secured bur only nv The absolute sacrifice
If ANYTHING resemhling national unity, In
briliancy and the extraordinary
artistic. literary and phiiosonhcal Develop
nenr which has made an mankind its debtors
-tand fornidabia foreign foe save 4pas-
nodlcniN A soon a' powerful. permanent
Y ates in the neighhorhood of such empires /
ELL under their SWAY. National power and I
greatness were completely sacrificed TO local /
=, with Rome the rTact opposite occurred
The imperial city rose 10 absolute dominion !
Ssd.d the peSnes Of ,sy End then
world by a process which kept the nation
strong and united, but gave no room what
All other cities and countries were subject
o Rome In consequence this great and
.rd Of r9sd
ndeiible impress upon all the after life OF our
ace, and yet let an over. CONTEMPLATION eat
m empty 1 she'll so 9th hat When the bsrbsrans
'arne they destroyed only what had already
become worthless 70 the world
expansion Of both Greece and Rome WA
plain enough and the. remedy now seems
snebs sno%s ss BIZ" ssG The he ases o' he
,nder which We live this, remedy was untried
md no one could foreteil how it would work
. Inn. mmediately bT adding new R' states states
o the original thirteen Excellent people
n the East viewed this INITIAL expansion
a. during the Colonial period many good
people in the mother country thought 1t highly
y PSe ohio ~aey IN the s1q e 81 Re
many good people on the Atlantic coast felt
low be hurt by the westward growth OF the
These good people shook their head. over
ohio Valley, which now forms part Of the
,eart Of our nation and they declared that
he destruction Of the republic had been
when through the Louisiana
Purchase acquired nearly half ~ what ia
low that same republics present territory. |
Nor their feeling unnatural Only the
and the far-seeing can pa
expected heartily tn welcome the process Of
expansion for the nation that expands Ia a
1ation which in entering upon great career,
md with greatness there must " necessity
'ofne perlls which dauDt Gli save the most
,tout- hearted
We expanded nv carving the wilderness
NO Territories and ont Of these Territories
1n 'lding new States when once they had |
-~ eived as permanent settlers a sufficient |
number OF our own people. Being practical !
nation, we have never tried To force on any
section OF our new territory an unsuitable
orn OF government merely because II was |
Mitable for another section under different
conditions. or the territory covered by the
|ouisiana Purchase portion was given
statehood within few years. Another /
PORTION has not been admitted tn Statehood !
doubtless it soon will be. In each case we
showed the practical governmental genius
" our race by devising methods suitable 70 |
meet the actual existing needs. not bv insist
nR upon the application ~ some abstract !
IN all our new possessions alike /
~, matter how homogeneous this application
night sometimes he
Over by far the major part OF the territory I
our people spread in such num- :
oers during the course Of the nineteenth Z
century that we We're able 10 build IN State
after State. each With exactly the same com !
plete local Independence in MI matters al /
TecfinQ Dilrp,y its dom /