The Washington herald., 1912-07-14

Since the American colonies threw on
the CALLING yoke of English rule and be-
came an Independent nation. Uncle
Sam has been the largest real estate
dealer the world has ever produced.
Instead of trading in a few town lots
or an occasional thousand acre farm,
the government fas transacted whole
sale business, dealing in thousands OF
square miles and on three separate oc-
casions the transfers have involved
more than half a million square miles
each.
Commencing with the purchase from
Napoleon in 1893 of what is known as
the Louisiana Purchase" a tract Of
S7502s square miles, extending from the
Gulf of Mexico to the Canadian border
and from the Mississippi River TO the
Pacific Ocean. for which sl5,oo8,0o0 was
paid, the United States has bought land
whenever opportunity presented itself,
until no European power owns a square
foot of the territory on this continent
with the single exception of England,
who still retains her Canadian Posses
sions-
Originally the English colonies were
supposed TO extend from the Atlantic
TO the Pacific Coast but in reality no
effort was made by them or the mother
country to occupy any part of the un-
known country west of the Mississippi
River. Even their attempts to expand
beyond the Allegheny Mountains were
strenuously and successfully opposed by
the French for many years.
By virtue of owning land on both sides
of the mouth of the Mississippi. Spain
claimed control of that river. thus shut
ting in without an outlet all the country
west OF the then impossible mountains.
Napoleon Sells.
Later Spain was forced to cede the
Louisiana territory to France, but her
sovereignty lasted a comparatively short
time. When Napoleon had become so in
volved in wars that he stood alone
against the whole of Europe, he saw the
utter impossibility of protecting his
American possessions against the supe-
rior navy of England, and gladly seized
upon the opportunity to rid himself OF
something he could not hold and at the
same time put 100000 gold dollars into
his Golfers in Paris. Mr.. jefferson. Pres
ident of the United States, no less gladly
accepted the chance OF acquiring the ter
ritory at an almost nominal cost and at
the same time taking the first step to-
ward what afterward became known as
the Monroe Doctrine, America for
Americans"
This territory, S75,O95 square miles,
nearly eighteen times as large as the
State of New York, contains the great
gold, silver, and copper mines Of the
Black Hills and the wonderful prairie
lands which have become the granary OF
the world. For this rich country the
United States paid 2 % cents per acre.
Think of buying eighteen States the
size of New York for SIS, ZOO, the cost
OF one bridge across the East River!
Our next royal customer was Ferdi-
nand VII of Spain.
Having squandered his ready cash In
vain attempts to regain his South Ameri-
can possessions he was sadly in need of
money to keep up his dissipated court
and licentious indulgences, which had
cost his country so dearly in men, NOR
ais, and money.
King Needed Money.
Ferdinand's Minister of Finance, hav-
ing exhausted every source from which
funds could be procured, suggested the
sale of the Land of Flowers" Florida,
as last resort Negotiations were i'm
mediately entered into with the United
States which resulted in the transfer of
this jewel from the Spanish crown TO
the starry field of the Union flag. Thus,
for five and one-half millions, sufficient
TO enable Ferdinand to continue his ex-
trayagant pleasures for a brief period,
Uncle Sam became the possessor of
70.1o7 square miles of territory and one
more European thorn was withdrawn
from North America.
While the cost, twelve and one-quarter
cents an acre, was considerably higher
than the Louisiana Purchase. It must be
remembered that in those days Florida
was much more accessible than the ter
r!tory west of the Mississippi