The Washington herald., 1915-01-25
HISTORY BUILDERS.
Stewards Dream of American Great
ness.
written Expressly for The Washington Herald.l

| ness.
| Written Expressly for The Washington HeTald.)
BY DIR. f. J. EDWARDS.
Il suppose that everybody in the
United States believed when it was an
nounced that William H. Seward, Sec
retary of State, acting for the United
States government, had bought what was
called Russian America-now known as
AIaska-by the payment of S,2OO.OOO to
Russia that he did it because the idea
| occurred to him at the time of the
civil war when Russia sent her navy to
/ the United States with intent to pre-
! vent England and France from under
J taking to break the blockade of the
| Southern ports. That was the impression
| which prevailed at the time Seward made
| the purchase and l have no doubt that
| it will always prevail"
This statement was made to me some
| years ago by Commodore Alfred Van
| Santvoord. who was for many years a
loyal political follower OF William II. Sc
ward. He was already beginning the ac-
| tive career which at last made him the
| dominant figure in Hudson River steam
| boat transportation when Mr.. Seward
was first elected governor. in 1859. Seward
| never passed through TtiCa-whiCh was
| the CommOdore'S early hOmC-withOut
| calling upon the commodOre's father or
| receiving n call from the senior Van
| Santvoord. Gov. Stewards intense inter-
| est in the material development not only
| OF New York State. but of the United
| States. was frequently revealed in con-
| Yersation with Commodore Van SAINT
| Voord. The commodore was, therefore,
| in a position to know that many years
| before Seward bought Alaska from Rus
| sia he contemplated the purchase by
| the United States OF Russian North
| America.
Il happen to know that Gov. Seward.
when he was a United States Senator
| from New York, frequently said to his
| friends that the United States ought
| to possess the entire Pacific Coast line
| of the North American continent" con-
! tinued Commodore Van SantvoOrd TN
| fortunately. We could not secure part
of that coast line because Great Britain
| already possessed it, but he hoped the
| day would come when We would be able
to get the coast line which was within the
sovereignty of Russia.
Il think, however. the first public ref
| erence that Seward ever made to his
belief that the United States ought to
| have Alaska was in a speech which he
made at St Paul before the Presidential
| election of 1860.
Seward was always greatly impressed
with the future OF the region Of which
st. Paul and Minneapolis are the CEN
ter. He believed that the great COM
mercial metropolis Of the West would
some day be established there. He was
full of this idea when he visited St
Paul and he alluded to the fact that in
that region the headwaters OF the two
mighty streams of the American con-
tinent. one of which flowed to the Gulf
OF Mexico and the other to the At
lantic. at the Gulf OF st. Lawrence, prac-
tiCally found their sources Then there
was the unknown but majestic North
west. After alludinE to this geOgra PHI
iCal advantage. Seward said that ulti-
mately the ports. harbOrs and facilities
which Russia possessed upon the Amer
lean continent would surely become the
possession of the United States, for while
this vast territory and its Pacific Coast
line could be of no advantage to Russia
it would be Of inConceivably great ad-
vantage to the United States.
That speech was made before Seward
became Secretary of State. and he did
not complete the purchase of Russian
America until nearly eight years had
passed"
,Coryright 1915, by Z. J Edwards All rights re-
sCryedJ
Tomorrow Or. Edwards will tell OF The
First Rich American Minister to Eng
land