The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1904-09-15

St. Louis, Sept. IA parade of
military organizations and elaborate
exercises marked the celebration of
Louisiana day at the Exposition to-
day. Governor Blanchard made the
principal address. He spoke about
"One Hundred Years of American
Domination" and his speech was in
part as follows:
The conditions which brought
about the purchase of Louisiana
from Napoleon are familiar to ever
intelligent American. That success
full negotiation vas born of American
necessity. The benevolent and
peaceful assimilation of the inhabi-
tants of Louisiana and the conse
quent control OF the Mississippi river
was as indispensable as the uni1ca-
ton of the thirteen American com
monwealths east of the Mississippi.
Thomas Jefferson, governing a
country just recovering from the raw
ages of a long, bitter and devastat-
ing war, saw in foreign ownership
Of Louisiana a serious menace to
peace and American development.
"Candor comDels the admission
that Napoleon was not stimulated by
motives of patriotism, nor a desire
to promote American expansion and
greatness in parting with Louisiana.
He was swayed by motives of ex-
pediency, superinduced largely by
antagonism to England and English
antagonism to him. To quote his
own words, he wished to give Eng
land a maritime rival that would
sooner or later humble her pride
The Louisiana of 1903, which the
United States thus acquired through
the desire of an extraordinary war
rior to get even with, and to head
off a hated foe was a goodIy land,
bOuntifully endowed with the richest
gifts of Providence, awaiting only
the touch of man to make it ripen
into the fullest development. What
it is today American enterprise. in
genuity and progress have made it.
was kind, but nature has been
with enlightened meth
DDS of development and we may well
boast of living today in Gods own
when we took over this country
it was a vast territory, little known
and with no fixed western boundar-
les. with millions of acres upon
no adventurous Caucasian foot
had trod and countless mountain
whose valleys had not yet
resounded to the e%Xultant shout OF
he American pioneer.
"At the time of our acquisition it
had a Caucasian population, all tod.
If less than fifty thousand.
To-day this domain, embracing in
whole or in part fourteen states and
e%rritories. is peopIed by over fifteen
souls.
within it's borders is produced
everything that can be cultivated in
| temperate aud sub-tropical cline.
The music of it's spindles and factory
wheels is %incessant. It's mines are
Producing gold and silver, coal, iron,
inc and salt, sulphur n lead by
he hundreds Of thousands of tons.
is oil fields yield millions of barrels
If crude petroleum and fuel OF! year
V. It's lumber interests are so vast
IS to be beyond accurate computa-
ion. It's fields of waving corn and
wheat, of cotton and sugar cane. of
,arley, rye and rice. comprise, as it
we're. the bulwark of American agri-
supremacy. Its orchards pro-
numerous varieties of fruits
re an item of unreasonable impor-
ance in the material development of
he nation.
The country's progress, indeed. is
by paths of development
hat constitute an eloquent tribute
0 American genius. The raising of
he stars and stripes at New Orleans
n December. 1903. was something
more than a mere ~transference of soy
reignty. 1t was the birth of a new