The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-08-02
tGTHE AMERICAN ADVANCE"

by Edmund J. Carpenter, is
one of the numerous recent
books on territorial expansion, and fills
a place somewhat different from that of
any Of its predecessors. Its particular
line Of treatment is indicated in the first
paragraph OF the preface, which is rs
follows:
lone of the great tragedies of human
history is the story OF the glory and IF
the fall of the empire of Spain. Coeval
with its decline has been the growth
and upbuilding of the great republic OF
the west. and over much of the vast ter
ritory which once owned the sway or
Charles and of Philip now floats the flag
of the United States. The republic, in
deed, may be said to have been erected
upon the ruins of the empire: for. from
the Mississippi to the Gulf to the Pa
ci1c or in the American islands of the
Indies, West and East, there is not 4
foot of soil-save in the vast region OF
the great northwest-over which has not
floated above mountain and plain alike,
the red and gold banner of Spain. The
causes which have led to the ruin Of 4
once powerful empire are for the his
torian to discuss; the pages which fol-
low are offered as material, perhaps, for
his use in the study OF some phases OF
the great tragedy"
The work is divided into ten chapters
The first is Introductory. The Louisiana
Purchase. the cession of the Floridas
the annexation of Texas, the Mexican
cession, Oregon, the Gadsden Purchase,
Alaska, Hawaii, and finally the acquisi-
tions from the recent war with Spain.
are then discussed in due course and
with a fitting sense of their dramatic
elements and proportionate value to the
historian. AS a whole, the book pre-
sents a rounded and complete view OF the
history of territorial expansion with ref
erence to Spanish empire in the New
World. 1t differs from many other works
of this kind in being a book and not a
collection of magazine articles of more
or less ephemeral interest. The trouble
with some Of these discussions of the
history of expansion has been that they
are scrappy. They present merely dis
connected and more or legs one-si5ed
views OF different phases of the matter
in question. whereas Nc. Carpenters
book discusses it as a whole, as a great
movement lasting for more than con-
fury, and due to primary causes of So
cial development rather than to definite
scheming on the part of politicians. The
country expanded because expansion was
a necessity. and manifest destiny was
a fact long before the phrase came into
the talk of the day. II is also evident
from this history that it is possible. in
spite of Mr. Lincoln's trenchant ard
true saying, to fool all of the people or
a majority of them. for some of the
time. long enough at any rate TO carry
through some particular plan of states
manship. The people were undoubtedly
fooled, in their own opinion, at the time
Of the Louisiana Purchase. when COM
missioners sent to buy a city exceeded
their funds many times over and bought
an immense territory which, but a short
time before, they had no more idea Of
buying than they had of coming back
walking on their hands. A book such
as this is interesting to the student OF
current history, for. from its broad and
philosophic treatment, 1t gives the
thoughtful reader ideas on the possible
outcome of present day contentious, and
the tendencies Of forces now at work in
political and social life.
One of the points which Mr.. Carpen-
ter has brought out, whether intention
ally or otherwise, is the difference be-