New-York tribune., 1911-11-29
GROWTH OF TERRITORY
Within Memory of Many United
States Has 0utstripped All.
MUCH RICH LAND ACQUIRED
From Texas to Strip on Isthmus
of Panama One Third Has
Been Added Since 1841.

Along with the development i'm industrial
educational scientific and religious lines,
i'm the last seventy years the United states
has made great strides i'm the acquisition
Of new territory: more than one-third oi
tho 3.Oe6IS9 square miles of territory which
now are under the Stars and Stripes have
heen added. by conquest or by assimlls-
ton. I'm small lots or I'm large. within the
remembrance of many alive to-day. Inc
United States has gained more territory
i'm the last threescorc and ten years thah
any other nation I'm the world.
Nor has the new land been worthless
territory which no other nation wanted.
Some of il is the fairest and most frulttul
i'm this broad land Of ours The fertile
valleys OF California. the broad plains oi
Texas. the rich mineral beds IN the west
crn States. the great timber lands OF oregon
the rich salmon fisheries Of Alaska WIN
its untold millions i'm gold are all tho prizes
Of nation which has marched steadily
onward I'm spite of the (act that she Is
newcomer among tho powers OF the World.
and that ahe has wagcd two great wars
meanwhile. ore ot which Tor time tore
her asunder with strife and bloodshed
When our forefathers bought the Louis
lana Territory from the French and
added its 10000 square miles NJ terri
tory In the 7B.Is9 they already possessed,
they thought they were accomplishing a
hold stroke. and never in their widest
dreams thought Of extending their terri
tory 10 the Pacific Indeed. they even
doubted II they would ever be able to set
tic and colonize what they had Just pur-
chased But immigrants poured into the
new lands. Hardy pioneers braved the
unknown wilderness sweeping westward
YEAR by year and Wrestling th" land from
the red man wherever they went
Texas Joins Union in ia45,
Pioneers had been settling in Texas,
while from the Mexican side Of the bor-
der the Mexicans had begun 10 pour in on
the south. Texas. less than half Of what
n now is. was admitted to the Union in
1Si5 little strip of land was contested.
bIoodshed followed, and a small army OF
United States regulars humbled the pride
Of Mexico and forced her 10 relinquish
California. Utah. Arizona and New Mex
ico. together with the contested territory
in Texas Exclusive Of Texas. the new
territory was over 10000 square miles.
while about l2i.coo square miles were
wrested from the Mexican claim in Texas.
The Gadsden purchase of 1875 added an
ether bit OF contested land.
For many years oregon had been i'm dis
pute between Great Britain and this coun-
try. Both nations claimed the land be-
tween the i2d and 4eth parallels, aud
neither wished 20 relinquish one foot Of the
disputed land In 1918 an agreement was
made on the joint occupancy Of the disputed
land for ten years. In 1927 a further
agreement was made to continue the Joint
OCCUPANCY until either nation gave tho
other twelve months notice Of its desire
10 abandon the plan.
In 1914 the Democratic party made the
settlement OF oregon a part Of its party
platform and adopted for its campaign
slogan the cry of $40 or fight Naf
with England was narrowly averted. Inc
Democrats were determined 10 seize me
contested land as far north as the oAtl
parallel. and England was just as dcte! 70
mined 10 hold Oregon for herself
Finally. by the treaty OF lSi6, the qucs-
ton Of the northern boundary was settled
and the United States obtained oregon az
far north as the 10th parallel. That added
9s.6fa square miles TO our territory on the
west and IL seemed that at last this cpuii-
try had acquired her full quota OF land.
Russia had failed in several projects in