Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-04-30

with the success of our pecpliar kind
of federal government; and this sue
cess has been SO complete that be-.
cause of its very completeness we now
sometimes fail to appreciate not only
the all-importance but the tremendous
difficulty of the problem with which
our nation was originally faced.
Undertook Discouraging Task.
When our forefathers Joined to call
into being this nation, they undertook
task for which there was but little
encouraging precedent. The develop
ment of civilization from the earliest
period seemed to show the truth of
two propositions: In the first place, it
had always proved exceedingly diff
cult to secure both freedom and
strength in any government; and in
the second place, it had always proved
well nigh impossible for nation to
expand without either breaking UP or
becoming centralized tyranny With
the success of our effort to combine
strong and efficient national union,
able to put down disorder at home and
to maintain our honor and interest
abroad, | have now to deal This sue.
cess was signal and all important, but
it was by no means unprecedented in
the same sense that our type of ex-
pansion was unprecedented. The his.
tory of Rome and of Greece illustrates
very well the two types of expansion
which had taken place in ancient time
and which had been universally ac-
cepted as the only possible types up
to the period when as nation we our
selves began to take possession of this
continent. The Grecian states per-
formed remarkable feats of COLOMBIA
ton, but each colony. as soon as Gre
ated, became entirely independent of
the mother state. and in after years
was almost as apt to prove its enemy
as its friend Local self government,
local independence. was secured, but
only by the absolute sacrifice of any
thing resembling national unity In
consequence, the Greek world, for all
its wonderful brilliancy and the ex-
traordinary artistic. literary and phil
osophical development which has made
all mankind its debtors for the ages,
was yet wholly unable to withstand
g formidable foreign foe, save spas
medically. AS soon as powerful. per-
manent empires arose on its outskirts,
the Greek states in the neighborhood
of such empires fell under their sway.
National power and greatness We're
completely sacrificed to local liberty.
Expansion and Tyranny.
| 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 a
process which kept the nation strong
and united, but gave no room what
ever for local liberty and self govern
ment. All other cities and countries
were subject to Rome. In consequence
this great and masterful race of war
riors. rulers, road builders and admin
| istrators stamped their indelible i'm.
press upon all the after life of our
race, and yet let an over centraliza-
ton eat out the vitals 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.
Took Untried Step.
The underlying viciousness of each
1 type of expansion was plain enough
and the remedy now seems Simple
enough. But when the fathers of the
republic first formulated the constitu
ton under which we live this remedy
was untried and no one could foretell
how it would work. They themselves
began to experiment almost immedi-
ately by adding new states to the orig
inal thirteen. Excellent people in the
east viewed this initial expansion OF
the country with great alarm. Exactly
as during the colonial period many
good people in the mother country
thought it highly important that set
tiers should be kept out of the Ohio
valley in the interest of the fun
companies so after we had become q
nation many good people on the Allan
| tic coast felt grave apprehension lest
they be hurt by the westward growth
of the nation. These good people
shook their heads over the formation
j of states in the fertile Ohio VALLEY
which now forms part of the heart o.
our cation; and they declared that the
destruction of the republic had been &C
complished when through the Louis
/ lana purchase we acquired nearly hal
of, what is now that same republics
/ present territory. Nor was their feel
j ing unnatural. Only the adventurous
and the far-seeing can be expected
j heartily to welcome the process of eX
4 pansion, for the nation that expands is
a nation which is entering upon {
great career, and with greatness there
must of necessity come perils which
4 daunt all save the most stout-hearted
Carved Out NsW States.
i We expanded by carving the wilder
mess into territories and out of these
territories building new states wher
lonce they had received as permanent
settlers a sufficient number of our owl
people. Being a practical nation VIZ
have never tried to force on any sec
ton of our new territory an unsuitable
form OF government merely because i
was suitable for another section unde
i different conditions. OF the territor,
\ covered by the Louisiana purchase
A portion was given statehood within
| few years Another portion has no
4 been admitted to statehood; although
century has elapsed-although doubt
less it soon will be. In each case W,
showed the practical governmental gen
ius of our race by devising methods
Il suitable to meet the actual eYistin,