Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1909-06-01
THE VAUS AU RECORD-HERALD
REvlsES AMERICAN HISTORY.

defald OF last Saturday night had a
Dig picture of monument. erected
by the state of Illinois, to General
George Rogers Clark, and it saws:
This monument to General George
Rogers Clark, soldier of the reyolu-
ZION and one of the leaders of the
famous Lewis and Clark expedition
which saved to the United States an
empire in the upper Mississippi val
ley in the latter part of the eighteenth
| century,
Ny mamma says the Record Herald
Is reliable and prints all the news, but
my history says that George Rogers
Clark was the leader of the reyolu-
tionary forces which drove the Brit
ish out of Illinois and Indiana in 1878;
that the Mr.. Clark who was one of
the leaders of the Lewis and Clark ex-
petition, was William Clark, young
er brother of George Rogers Clark;
that Thomas Jefferson sent James
Monroe over 10 France TO try to buy
New Orleans in 1902, and instead they
bought Louisiana the same year, and
then he sent the Lewis and Clark ex-
petition TO explore the territory in
1904.
My papa says that the Record Her
aid ought not to try to take the credit
for taking the Louisiana purchase
away from Thomas Jefferson, because
when the republicans paid Spain $780,
600, 900 for the Philippine islands they
said they were only following Jetfer-
sons example in bSyiGg louisiana
My papa got mad and walked up
and down the room fast when / asked
him about it. He is q democrat, you
know, and does not like progress.
| He swelled out his chest and said
Thomas Jefferson's action cost the
United States $4,000, 600; it secured
us great empire, joining our own
territory; it gave us control of the
Mississippi river; it was the action of
great far seeing statesman. That
territory in the hands of a foreign
country was constant menace to the
| peace and welfare of our country.
''The Philippine islands cost us $20,-
| 600, 900; il gave us an expensive war;
it violated the principles of the Mon
roe doctrine, which for over one hun
dred years had been our safeguard
against foreign entanglements; it has
| forced US to maintain large army
and navy, which while not as large as
| the European countries have, costs
just as much and it has fastened upon
| our free America an expensive Euro
pean colonial policy. 1t has doubled
the expenses of this country in the
last twelve years."
My mamma says: Don't fill Tom
my's head with such things, it was
| grand thing to get those islands and
have a chance to make christians out
of those poor natives" Then my
| papa grabbed his hat and said Chris
tians, you mean corpses; we have
killed more of them in twelve years
than Spain killed in two centuries,
and then he went down town.
| want to be an editor and know
everything, when | get big. Do you
think could write pieces for you
when vacation comes because | must
practice on weekly paper before |
get so can run big daily like the
Wausau Record Herald.
Be sure and let me know if that
history of mine is any good
Your friend,
TOMMY j. JACKSON.
Humboldt school.
Your school history is correct.
| Thomas Jefferson was the man who
was responsible for the Louisiana
purchase. Even before he sent Mon
roe to France TO negotiate for New
Orleans in 1903, he was planning to
have the country west of the Missis-
Sippi explored. His plans in this
| direction were so nearly matured that
five days after the news of the success
of Monroe's mission reached America,
in the fall of 1903, the Lewis and
l-Clark expedition started down the
Ohio river. They met with so many
| delays that they We're compelled to
winter at st. Louis. The expedition
started from st. Louis, May IA, 1904
The gallant expedition reached St.
Louis on the return trip Sept. % 1906.
They had travelled to the mouth of
| the Columbia river, Oregon, with a
loss of one man out of about 81 in the
original party. They had killed only
one of the natives through whose
haunts they had passed. The hardi-
hood, perseverance and skill of the
leaders, Merriweather Lewis and
VIM. Clark, made the expedition one
of the greatest achievements of
American history. Careful diaries
were kept by both men, of the physi-
cal geography, soil and animal and
vegetable life of the country through
watch they passed. Even in this fea-
ture of the expedition the credit be-
longs largely to Jefferson, who had
planned and ordered the details in adj
vance. One of the leaders 1--WE forgot
whichhad, at Jeffersons suggestion,
taken short course in surveying, in
order to be fitted for the work ahead.
Write again when vacation comes.
EDITOR.
An Unpopular Official.
There is one public official that goes
begging In many small suburban
towns Nohndv uaufS tho roSit{nn of