The Minneapolis journal., 1903-04-30
the earliest westward movements Of our
people were little more than the filling IN
of already existing national boundaries.

the earliest westward hnovem ents OF our
people were little more than the filling in
of already existing national boundaries. e
The Birth of Expansion.
But there could be- no illusion about
the acquisition of the vast territory. be-
yond the Mississippi, stretching westward
to the Pacific, which In that day was
known as Louisiana. This immense re-
gion was admittedly the territory Of a
foreign power, of a European kingdom.
None OF our people had ever laid claim
to a, foot OF it. It's acquisition could in
no sense be treated as rounding out any
existing claims. When we acquired 1t
we made evident once for all that con-
sciously and of set purpose we had em-
barked on a career Of expansion, that we
had taken our place among those daring
and hardy nations who risk much with
| the hope and desire Of winning high -po-
sition among the great powers of the
earth. s.,a5. .- .,..,-. IS ~, H.. -. ~; +.
| This work Of expansion was by far the
greatest work Of our people during the
years that interviewed between the adop-
| tion of the constitution and the outbreak
of the civil war. There We're other sques-
| tions Of real moment, but the greatest
| feat of our forefathers of those genera
tions was the deed of the men who, with
pack train Or wagon train, horseba ok,
on foot, or by boat upon the waters,
pushed the frontier ever westward across
the continent. . ~
Never before had the world seen the
kind Of national expansion which gave
our people all that part Of the American
con tinent lying west of the thirteen orig
inal states: the greatest landmark in
(which was the Louisiana: purchase. Our
triumph in this process Of expansions was
indissolubly bound up with the success
of our peculiar kind of federal govern
ment. But with the. success Of our effort
| to combine a strong: and efficient national
and to maintain our honor and interest
abroad, I have not now to DEAL. - y
- : Success of Our Government. s4
This success was signal and all-import-
ant. but it was by no means unprece-
! dented. =: The history of Rome and of
Greece illustrates very well the two types
of expansion which had taken place In
ancient time and which had been univer-
up to the period when a nation we
! ourselves began to take possession Of this
continent. The Grecian states performed
remarkable feats of colonization, but each
colony as soon created became entire
ly Independent Of the mother state, and I'M
after years was almost as apt to prove its
enemy as its friend. National power and
| greatness were completely sacrificed to
local liberty. ~
With Rome the exact opposite occurred.
| The imperial city rose to absolute do
minion 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 whatever for local liberty and self
government. All other cities and coun-
tries were subject to Rome.
The Remedy
| 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 for
mulated the constitution under which we
live this remedy was untried and no one
could foretell how it would work. They
themselves began the experiment almost
Immediately by adding new states to the
original thirteen. Excellent people in the
east viewed this initial expansion of the
country with great alarm. They shook
their heads over the formation of states
in the fertile Ohio valley which now
forms part of the heart Of our nation; and
) they declared that the destruction Of the
J. trepubHc had been accomplished $wher
! thru the Louisiana purchase we acquired
, nearly half Of what is now that same re,
public's present territory. Nor was theil
feeling unnatural. Only the adventurous
and the far-seeing can be expected heart.
) lily to welcome the process of expansion
! for the nation that expands is a natio1
which is entering upon q great career. ane
!. with greatness there must of necessit.
} come perils which daunt all save the mos
fstout-hearted. .ss5
We expanded by carving the wilderness.
into territories and out of these terrific
i ries building new states when once the.
/ had received as permanent settlers suf
= icient number Of our own people Bein.
: a practical nation, we have never tried t
5 force on any section Of our new territor.
5 an unsuitable form of government merel.
because it was suitable for another sec
+ ton under different conditions. Of tn
/ territory covered by the Louisiana pur
l Ichase a portion was given statehood with
5 In a few years. Another portion has no
) been admitted to statehood, altho a cen
/ Itury has elapsed altho doubtless it 500
{ iyyin be. In each case we showed the prac
q IticaI governmental genius of our race b
O. devising thods Suitable to meet the act
yI ual existing needs; not by insisting upol
yI the application OF some abstract shfbbo
leth To our new possessiona alike, u