With the success of our effort to combine a
strong and efficient national union, able to put down disorder
at home and to maintain our honor and interest abroad, I have
not now to deal. This success was signal and all important, but
it was by no means unprecedented in the same sense that our type
of expansion was unprecedented.

The history of Rome and of Greece illustrates very well the two
types of expansion which had taken place in ancient times, and
which had been universally accepted as the only possible types
up to the period when, as a nation, we ourselves began to take
possession of this continent. The Grecian states performed
remarkable feats of colonization, but each colony as soon as
created became entirely independent of the mother state, and in
after years was almost as apt to prove its enemy as its friend.
Local self-government, local independence was secured, but only
by the absolute sacrifice of anything resembling national unity.

In consequence, the Greek world, for all its wonderful
brilliancy and extraordinary artistic, literary, and
philosophical development, which has made all mankind its debtor
for the ages, was yet wholly unable to withstand a formidable
foreign foe, save spasmodically. As soon as powerful permanent
empires arose on its outskirts, the Greek states in the
neighborhood of such empires fell under their sway. National
power and greatness were completely sacrificed to local liberty.

With Rome the exact opposite occurred. The imperial city rose to
absolute dominion over all the people of Italy, and then
expanded her rule over the entire civilized world, by a process
which kept the nation strong and united, but gave no room
whatever for local liberty and self-government. All other cities
and countries were subject to Rome. In consequence, this great
and masterful race of warriors, rulers, road builders, and
administrators stamped their indelible impress upon all the
after life of our race, and yet let an over-centralization eat
out the vitals of their empire until it became an empty shell,
so that when the barbarians came they destroyed only what had
already become worthless to the world.

The underlying viciousness of each type of expansion was plain
enough, and the remedy now seems simple enough. But when the
fathers of the Repub