Conservative.
the vast deposits of gold and silver aud
copper of the western mountain ranges ,
with no roads across the continent , with
no harbors on the Pacific coast , with
out possession of the mouth
of the Mississipi , without any ac
cess to the Gulf of Mexico , above all
without the inspiration to our individual
activities and national development that
these sources of wealth have afforded
no human intellect , no poet's imagina
tion , can portray what would have been
our fate or our condition today , as in
fluenced or controlled by the nations
which might have possessed them.
"What wars might have ensued , what
liberties might have perished , what
miseries might have befallen !
But at the providential moment there
appeared upon the European horizon a
new and dominant personal force in the
French republic which overawed Spain ,
and her king yielded to the demand of
"Citizen" Bonaparte , and restored
Louisiana to France. This again threat
ened to be a more serious obstacle to our
growth than was the power of Spain ;
for the military force of France was far
greater. But two years later France
finds it impracticable to retain Louisiana
owing to her naval inferiority to Eng
land , and Bonaparte suddenly , without
the knowledge of the government at
Washington , conveys the title finally
and forever to the United States. Even
then Spain , alarmed at the absolute and
final disposal of the country by France
protests our title because of an alleged
condition attached to her retrocession to
France. This condition was officially
notified to the United States , tha
Louisiana should never be conveyed by
France to a third power. But Bona
parte imperatively insisted that deliverj
should be made to him under the cession
of 1800 , which was done ; and he imme
diately thereafter , on the 20th of De
cember , 1808 , transferred the possession
of New Orleans to the United States.
The Lewis and Olark expedition , con
ceived without expectation of our pos
sible ownership , was thus enabled to
explore the territory of Louisiana under
our own flag. But we had at that time
no acknowledged title to the country
westward of the mountains to the Pa
cific coast. Spain , Great Britain and
Russia were on the coast before us.
Equally in the order of providence , and
just in time , the New England Oapt.
Gray , under the American flag , was the
first to enter the mouth of the great
river of Oregon in 1792 , which under in
ternational law gave to the United
States the claim of discovery ; and this
claim was strongly reinforced by the
succeeding exploration of Lewis and
Olark. With this inchoate right on the
Pacific coast the United States was able
by later treaties to permanently estab
lish our title on that shore , with well
defined limits between the Spanish ter-
ritory on the south and the British on
the north.
Held by Force of Arms.
Our acquisition of Louisiana had been
accomplished by the pacific methods of
diplomacy. But the permanent pos
session of it by our union was only to
be preserved at the cost of great treasure
and by the sacrifice of many lives. In
ess than twelve years from the date of
; he cession by France , while we were at
ivar with Great Britain , that power dis
patched an expedition to seize the mouth
of the river , accompanied by on army
for the capture of New Orleans. The
men of the lower valley rushed to arms ,
met the enemy , and drove him back to
the sea. The dramatic feature of
Louisiana's history again appears in the
fact that this battle was fought after the
signature of peace , of which the tidings
had not yet reached the combatants
This battle , however , brilliant as it was
on the part of the American volunteers
hardly rises to the dignity of tragedy in
comparison with the prolonged struggle
which followed a half century later.
This incomparable valley , dowered
with inexhaustible wealth , and like
Helen , of Troy , possessed of the fata !
gift of beauty , was destined to becom
the scene of the greatest conflict known
in the history of the American continen
a conflict , please Godl never to be re
uewed. On the 80th day of May , de
voted by the affection of the American
people to the memory of the heroes o
the war for the union , we cannot forge
tlie splendid services of the men , wh
by their indomitable courage again
saved the lower Mississippi to the
United States , together with all th
original Louisiana on both banks below
the mouth of the Ohio.
In our great civil struggle Louisiana
and its river once more became th
mighty stake played for in the terribl
game of war. Again the question was
presented of the northern right of ao
cess to the sea by way of the river , , am
of the control of the delta at its mouth
Vaster commercial interests than eve
before were in suspense. Once more ,
also , a Bonaparte appeared on the bord
ers of the scene gazing eagerly from
Mexico upon the still coveted territory
which had been ceded by his great
predecessor. The brave and stalwart
men of the valley , in former contests
united , were now unhappily divided into
hostile camps. As never before , it was
now a battle of giants , equally brave ,
equally resolved. The issue hung long
in a balance , the opposing scales of
which were filled with the blood of the
brave. But the great hearted men of
the upper valley clothed themselves in
the panoply of the union , drew in a
mighty inspiration from the sentiment
of expanding human liberty , and
fought four long years to regain the untrammeled -
trammeled freedom of the great river
from all its sources to the sea. The
bones of our heroic dead who perished
in that fearful struggle lie scattered
along nil the river shores from the Mis
souri to the gulf. But they did not die
in vain. We owe it to their unfaltering
ourago that since the end of these '
years of battle , and we trust for all
ime to come , every rivulet that falls
astward down the rugged ranges of the
rlooky Mountains , or that ripples south
ward from the far springs of the Cana
dian frontier , or that leaps westward
down the slopes of the Alleghanies ,
dances along all its winding way
; hrough the old Louisiana to the south
ern sea under the folds of the star
spangled banner , and to the music of
the union. All hail to the memory of
these heroic dead ; and all hail to then ?
lomrades who live to salute the dawn of
this day dedicated to the memory of
their deeds !
Such is the outline of the story of
Louisiana , first tossed to and fro be
tween France and Spain , and then im
periously tossed by the French executive
to the envoys of the United States.
Later it was twice subjected to the
wager of battle. Its acquisition is es-
peoially significant in our history , as it
was the first enlargement of that origi
nal territory which our fathers thought 4 $ 3
sufficient for our children until the
"hundredth generation. " Based upon
Louisiana , the republic continued its
expansion across the middle of the con
tinent from the great ocean of the sun
rise to the greater ocean of the sunset.
Our republic did not dream yet of the
wider expansion which was still enfolded
in the shadow of her future destiny.
She awaited the reappearance of the in
dex finger of Providence.
Conclusions.
But important events of history have
taught us one great truth of our hered
ity as a people. Expansion is in the <
blood of our race. Organized liberty
demands a broadening sphere of action.
A single generation may pause to or
ganize and utilize what a previous one
has acquired. But a succeeding genera
tion will reassert the inherent impulse
of the race. Under Christian auspices
f "SfSiS
it is the providential law which from - rage
> i
age to age opens up new regions to the
influences of higher oivilizatioriand up
lifts the inferior races by contact with
the superior. The right to enforce the
civilized usages among mankind is
higher and holier than the right to
maintain barbaric practices and inhu
man laws. The better has an inherent
moral right to expand over the worse.
The justice and humanity of the motive
will forever consecrate the onward
movement with a divine sanction.
Peace and order , liberty and prosperity ,
education and morality , have hitherto
followed the advancing flag of the
American republic. ' Wild beasts have