The Washington times., 1913-03-16

by aristocratic Frenchmen, who en-
ployed slave labor to cultivate their
lands.
October 1st, 1900 Spain ceded Louis
lana to France by secret treaty, for the
Kingdom of Tuscany. in order to pro-
vide a kingdom for the Duke Of Parma.
whose wife was a daughter of the King
of Spain. The transfer of the province
was not known at Washington until
January, 1902.
April 3Oth, 1903, Napoleon Bonaparte.
against the advice of many of his coun-
sellors, sold Louisiana to the United
States for Fifteen Million Dollars. TO Sc
cure funds for his war chest
Spain protested, asserting that France
had promised her the opportunity or
purchase IL the province was ever sold.
President jefferson purchased Louis
lana without authority from Congress.
and many American citizens criticised
his act, claiming that the United States
had no right to buy more land.
None knew the magnitude or value OF
the province. In the territory OF
Louisiana, the United States acquired
about SIS, 900 square miles of land. 1900
nal thirteen states. more than doubling
the area of the United States, and
total of more than $50, ,0O0, 900 acres of
land for less than three cents an acre.
The following thirteen states have
been created in whole or in part out OF
the purchased province:
Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas,
Louisiana. Minnesota, Missouri. Mon
tana, Nebraska, North Dakota. Okla
homa, South Dakota, and Wyoming.
The area embraced almost equals that
of Great Britain, the Netherlands, Bel
gium, Germany. France, Spain, Italy,
and Switzerland combined.
In speaking Of the Louisiana pur-
chase, ex-President Roosevelt said: 1t
stands out in marked relief even among
the feats of a nation of pioneers, ma
ton whose people have from the begin
ming been picked out by process of
natural selection from among the most
enterprising individuals Of the nations
of Western Europe. The acquisition of
the territory is a credit to the broad
and far-sighted craftsmanship of the
great statesmen to whom it was i'm
mediately due: and. above all, TO the
the hardy pioneer folk to whose rest
less energy these statesmen gave eX-
preston and direction. whom they fol-
lowed rather than led
In the Louisiana Purchase, President
Jefferson brought under the American
flag an empire. parts of which had been
under the French, the Spanish, the Eng
lish, and, again. under the French
flags: an empire sacrificed through one
mans ambition; an empire valued
century ago at Fifteen Million Dollars
altogether, and whose valuation Of
farm property alone now amounts TO
more than Sixteen Billion Dollars
Truly did a great historian say:
The annexation of Louisiana was an
event so portentious as to defy measure
ment. 1t gave new face to politics
and ranked In historical Importance
next to the Declaration of lndepen-
dence, and the adoption of the Consti-
tuition, an event of which it was the
logical outcome
One more conflict remained before
Louisiana should rest secure in Amer
ican hands.
In June. 1872, Congress declared war
against England The British. after
having spent nearly two years on the
Atlantic sea board and the Canadian
frontier at the close Of 1914 turned their
attention toward New Orleans because
OF its strategic position as the KEY TO
the Mississippi River.
one of their officers in his dispatches
home wrote:
Whatever nation, therefore, chSnces
hi -.
reality the command Of a greater OK
tent of country than is included within
the boundary line of the whole United
States
The British military and naval forces
reached Louisiana in December. 1914,
and captured the American gunboats in
Lake Borgne.
After several skirmshesa a decisive bat
tie vas fought on January Sth, 1915, IN
which the English were completely
routed. with 100 killed, 1.i00 wounded.
and 800 taken prisoners. with an Ameri-
can loss of only seventeen.
The victory OF the Americans proved
the raw militia of Louisiana TO he
match for the veteran troops of the
Old World, while IL covered General
Jackson. the hero of New Orleans"
with glory and paved the way for his
reaching the Presidential chair
La Belle Louisiana" petitioncd for
admission into the Union as State in
1904. but was only accepted as the ter
ritory of "Orleans'' at that time.
Another unsuccessful effort TO be ad-
mittcd was made in 1911, and on April
Sth, 1872. Louisiana was formally admit
ted as a State. being the first State
within the purchased province and the
eighteenth State 10 be admitted into the
Union.
The State comprises about 5Is per
cent of the total acreage of the original
Louisiana Purchase. and in 10 other
part of the Union has France left 80
many footprints: twenty-five OF Louisi-
ana's ffty-eight parishes retain their
French names; the names of the State
and its principal city are French. and
the customs, habits and language of the
French stiil exist In many localities.