ADDRESSES OF MAJOR LACEY 133 



realize the time when the principles of these two great 

 charters were not recognized by all mankind. 



The Constitution did not prepare the way for our pub- 

 lic domain. It was that domain which prepared the way 

 for the Constitution. 



The cession of this great western empire to the nation 

 at large was essential to the adoption of the Constitution 

 itself. 



The Englishman, it is said, always has a "hunger for 

 the horizon," which is another way of expressing the 

 thought that land hunger is a characteristic of the race 

 to which we belong. It is a chronic condition of the 

 Anglo-Saxon. 



In 1763 Great Britain very seriously discussed the pro- 

 priety of giving up Canada to France and taking Guade- 

 loupe, including all the little islands around it, in ex- 

 change. Dr. Franklin wrote a pamphlet of fifty pages, 

 to prove that Canada was worth more than Guadeloupe. 

 Franklin's argument prevailed, and in 1764 France sur- 

 rendered all claims east of the Mississippi River to Eng- 

 land, and soon after, all west of the river to Spain. 



I will not follow up in this discussion the great event 

 of the acquisition of the Louisiana Territory, our pur- 

 chase from Spain and Mexico, nor our title by discovery 

 and settlement in Oregon and Washington. 



The old Northwest is now occupied by Ohio, Indiana, 

 Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and a part of Minnesota. 

 Minnesota was only half in the old Northwest Territory, 

 and has been said to be only a half sister to the other five 

 states of that territory. But the same public land sys- 

 tem has been extended to our other continental acquisi- 

 tions. 



The next great step in relation to our public domain, 

 was the free homestead era which began in 1862. This 

 was second only in importance to the ordinances of 1785 



