Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-05-01

with the hope and desire of winning high
position among the great powers Of the
earth. AS is so often the case in nature,
the law of development of a living organ
ism showed itself in its actual workings to
be wiser than the wisdom of the wisest.
A New Kind Of Expansion.
Never before had the world seen the kind
| Of national expansion which gave our peo-
pie all that part of the American continent
| lying west Of the thirteen original states;
| the greatest landmark in which was the
Louisiana purchase. Our triumph in this
process of expansion was indissolubly bound
| up with the success of our peculiar kind of
federal government; and this success has
been so complete that because of its very
completeness now sometimes fail to ap-
preciate not only the all-importance, but
| the tremendous difficulty Of the problem
with which our nation was originally faced.
The history of Rome and Of Greece illus
trates very well the two types of expansion
which had taken place in ancient time and
which had been universally accepted as
the only possible types up to the period
when as a nation we ourselves began to
| take possession of this continent. The
Grecian states performed remarkable feats
| of colonization, but each colony as soon as
created became entirely independent of the
mother state, and in after years was al
most as apt to prove it's enemy as its friend.
Local self-government, local independence,
was secured, but only by the absolute
sacrifice of anything resembling national
unity. In consequence, the Greek world,
for all its wonderful brilliancy and the eX-
traordinary artistic. literary and philosoph-
zeal development which has made all man.
kind it's debtors for the ages, was yet
wholly unable to withstand a formidable
foreign foe, save spasmodically. AS soon
as powerful, permanent empires arose on
its outskirts, the Greek states in the neigh
borhood of such empires fell under their
sway: National power and greatness were
completely sacrificed to local liberty.
With Rome the exact opposite occurred.
The imperial city rose to absolute dominion
over all the peoples of Italy and then ex-
banded her rule over the entire civilized
world by a process which kept the nation
strong and united, but gave room what
ever for local liberty and self-government.
All other cities and countries were subject
to Rome. In consequence this great and
masterful race of warriors, rulers, road
builders and adminiStra tors stamped their
indelble impress upon all the after life of
our race, and yet let an decentralization
eat out the vitals of their empire until 1t
became an empty shell; so that when the
barbarians came they destroyed only what
had already become worthless to the world.
Our Process Of Expansion.
We expanded by carving the wilderness
into territories and out of these territories
building new states when once they had
received as permanent settlers a sufficient
number Of our own people. Being a prac-
teal nation we have never tried to force
on any section of our new territory an I'M
suitable form of government merely be-
cause 1t was suitable for another section
under different conditions Of the territory
covered by the Louisiana purchase a por-
ton was given statehood within a few
years. Another portion has not been ad-
mitted to statehood, although a century
has elapSed-although doubtless it soon will
be. In each case we showed the practical
governmental genius of our race by devils
ing methods suitable to meet the actual
existing needs; not by insisting upon the
application of some abstract shibboleth to
all our new possessions alike, no matter
how homogeneous this application might
sometimes be.
The process which we began has since
been followed by all the great peoples who
were capable both of expansion and of self
government and now the world accepts 1T
as the natural process, as the rule; but
century and quarter ago 1t was not mere
ly EXCEPTIONAL; it was unknown.
This then, is the great historic signi1-
canoe of the movement of continental ex-
pansion in which the Louisiana purchase
was the most striking single achievement.
1t stands out In marked relief even among
the feats of nation of pioneers, a nation
whose people have from the beginning been
picked out by a process of natural selection
from among the most enterprising indi-
viduals of the nations of western Europe
The acquisition of the territory Is a credit
of the great statesmen to whom it was i'm
mediately due. and above all to the agrees
sive and masterful character of the hardy
pioneer folk to whose restless energy these
statesmen gave expression and direction,
Pioneer Days Have Passed.
The old pioneer days are gone, with their
roughness and their hardship, their incred-
ible tot, and their wild half-savage ro-
nance. But the need for the pioneer vir-
tues remains the same as ever. The pc
culiar frontier conditions have vanished;
but the manliness and stalwart hardihood
Of the frontiersmen can be given even freer
scope under the conditions surrounding the
complex industrialism of the present day.
In this great region acquired for our people
under the presidency of Jefferson, this re-
gion stretching from the gulf to the Cana
dian border. from the Mississippi to the
Rockies. the material and social progress
has been so vast that alike for veal and
for woe it's people now share the opportuni-
ties and bear the burdens common to the
entire civilized world. The problems be-
fore are fundamentally the same east
and west of the Mississippi. in the new
states and in the old. and exactly the same
qualities are required for their successful
solution.
We meet here today to commemorate a
great event. an event which marks an era
in craftsmanship no less than in pioneering
1t is lifting that we should pay our homage
words good by deeds. We have every right
to take a just pride in the great deeds of
our forefathers: but we show ourselves I'M
worthy to be their descendants if we make
what they did an excuse for our lying su-
pine instead of an incentive to the effort
to show ourselves by our acts worthy of
them.
If we come short in any of these qualities
we shall measurably fail; and If, as 1
believe we surely SHALL we develop
these qualities in the future to an
even greater degree than in the past, then
in the century now beginning we shall
make of this republic the freest and most
orderly, the most just and most mighty ma
ton which has ever come forth from the
womb of time.
Following the Presidents address the
chorus rendered Unfold, Ye Portals"
Senator Carter then introduced ex-Presi-
dent Grover Cleveland, who spoke as fol-
lows:
Mr.. Cleveland's Speech.
Mr.. Cleveland said in part: Mr.. President
and Ladies and Gentlemen: The impressive
ness Of this occasion is greatly enhanced
by reason of an atmosphere Of prophecy's
fulfillment which surrounds 1t. The thought
is In our minds that we are amid awe-in-
spring surroundings, where we may see
and feel things foretold century ago. We