The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1903-04-30

Ital peFlOO many boOu Btbptt III NhN
mother country thought it highly i'm
portant that settlers should be kept
out of the Ohio Valley in the interest
of the fur companies, so after we had
become Nation many good people
on the Atlantic coast felt grave ap-
prehension lest they might somehow
be hurt by the westward growth of
the Nation. THESE GOOD PEOPLE
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
OBSTRUCTION or THE REPUBLIC
HAD BEEN ACCOMPLISHED
WHEN THROUGH TIE LoulsI.
ANA PURCHASE WE ACQUIRED
NEARLY HALF OF WHAT Is NOW
THAT SAME REPUBLICS PRES
EMIT TERRITORY. Nor was their
feeling unnatural. Only the adven.
turous and far seeing can be expected
heartily TO welcome the process Of
expansion. for the nation that ex.
pands is a nation which is entering
upon great career, and with great.
ness there must OF necessity come
perils which daunt all save the most
stout.hearted.
Territories and statets.
We expended by carving the wild.
erness into Territories and out of
these Territories building new States
when once they had received as per.
manent settlers a sufficient number
of our own people. Being a practical
nation we have never tried to force
ON any section of our new territory
an unsuitable form OF government
merely because II was suitable for an
other section under different condl.
tious. OF the territory covered by
the Louisiana Purchase portion was
given statehood within few years.
Another portion has not been admit.
ted to statehood although century
has elapsed-although doubtless Il
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 application Of
some abstract shibbolteh toall our
new possessions alike no matter now
incongruous this application might |
be.
over by far the major part Of the |
territory, however. our people spread |
In such numbers during the course OF |
the nineteenth century that we were !
able to build up state after state. each I
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 feal-
ty TO the Union Of all the States
which each OF the original thirteen
States also owes-and finally each
having the same proportional right
10 its share In shaping and directing
he common policy OF the Union
which is possessed by any other State
OF the original thirteen or
not
An American Idea.
This process now seems TO us part
II the natural order Of things. but II
vas wholly unknown until our own
people devised IT, Il seems TO us a
mere matter OF course. a matter OF
elementary right and justice. that in
he deliberations OF the national rep
'esentative bodies the representatives
II State which came into the Union
lut yesterday stand on a footing OF
'xact and entire equality with those
II the Commonwealths whose sons
'nce signed the Declaration OF indie.
'endence. But this way OF looking at
he matter is purely modern, and It's
'rigin purely American. When Wash.
ngton during his Presidency saw new {
states come into the Union on a foot.
ng OF complete equality with the old, &
very European nation which had col =
mics still administered them as de 4
and every other mother. 4
ountry treated the colonist not as
elf'governing equal but as a subject. i
THE PROCESS WHICH WE BE. q