The Davenport gazette., 1851-11-13

N"V ever b"iheu upon Tue t1aD WHeTe, VI
he Ear North, the sources Of this might,
stream interlock with those which turn thr
other way aud emerge into the frozen sea
lave yon ever realized that the Eastern
ill. which ,rickle down 10 the vast expanst
,fihe Atlantic? Have you ever realized.
ha, The mighty source in the West, which
also swell our mighty stream, pass six
miles through the gates the Rocky Monn
,ains, thonph snlid rocks on either side.
twelve hundred feet above them, and IN
Texas where The distant waters pass
through the Red River. to increase this
torrent? Sir the mind is filled with aston
ishment as il looks upon such nm expnnst
Of country % that which is irrigated bv this
world Of waters. And wha, nre the stats
tics connected with this river. in its course
which il follows from its source 10 th.
place where by its score Of mouths il emp
ties itself into the Gulf-a distance Of Nv,
thousand miles-it receives the waters Of
ten thousand miles Of direct tributaries, all
Of which nre worthy OF note-ahd nt this
ten thousand miles, five thousand are nav
igabIe; but still further, these trihutarie,
receive other tributaries which are indi
rectly tributary 10 The great Mississippi oi
eight THOUSAND miles oi which FIVE thousand
are in like manner nayig,ble. Thus, sir,
he tributaries, direct and indirect Of thi-
great stream, amount IN ten thousand miles
If navigable waters. BIZ, are you aware
pf the fact, fellow citizens, that no less
than eighteen States and three Territorie.
IT this mighty expanse, contribute TO thf
value Of this great river? Four Of these
are Of the original Thirteen, which existed
in the first organization Of The Federal Gov
ernment, and border on the Atlantic coast
MARYLAND, Virginia, Pennsylvania and
New York. Sir, no common boundaries
hem in this valley-ihe great likes, the
ice bound regions Of the North, the laurel
covered Alleghanies in the East, the snow
-npped CordilIerns on the West, and the
Atlantic and Gulf Of Mexico on the South
hem il in with walls which the invader car
never pass.
And here il Is that the huu,a n race have.
indeed, found happy place of rest. First
nd foremost. the Anglo-Saxnns are here
where they have found garden spots or
which 10 live. An area nf three millions
f square miles, or nearlv one-half of the
continent gave ample scope for the pio
neer. Here, too, wns found every variety
nf climate and soil, for the production Of
every useful vegetable; unlimited mineral
re sources and comforts of life. and n hound
less exp,nsc for the cultivation OF the hu-
N N mind Aud, sir. how long has il been
.ince these regions. which now are 81.
lcnselv peopled, were m unproduc'v'
~iiierness2 Two centuries ng,, some
French and Spanish priests meanderine
this Mississippi. A few entered here and
there. but their numbers were never large
Il is bu, three quarters Of n century si::ce
rhc people east ofthe Allcghanies saw ,hi'
nd, which stretches over t. the peaks o.
he mountains on the opposite side Of the
ointment. What has been the result IL
hat time? They looked from the top 81
Laurel Hill, and thev saw the image 1t IN
ini,y written on the territory which II,
before them. Had they been French.
Spanish, or anything but Anglo-ssxons
" perhaps should say American Saxon
the sight would have appalled, them, nnd
lhey would have gone back agan 10 lheit
homes and told those whom ,hes left there
Sas a region too large too vast in extent.
Tor them TO cope with. But, sir. 10 sec.
With American Saxons, was sufficient
They saw a stream next, aud what has
been The RESULT Why, sir, sixty -one ear
go, in 1880, where was the centre If th
representative population Of the Un'ec
States Of America? Il was % miles easl
uf Washington City. But, sir. the stream
# emigration had begun 10 flow through
The gates, and over tho peaks Of Tho
MOUNTAINS, aud in single decade, in $500.
il had changed to thirty miles west "I
Washington; fiiiy-two miles i, had Travelled
westward in that time. In 1890, il was
seventy one mites wes, in 1880 one hun
ired aud eight miles; in 1910, one hundred
aud sixly, mud now where is il in 1851? |?
Planted down 10 the young State Of Ohio.
Well, sir, where will il he in another de-
cade, and where, before YOU, sir, shall have
seen your grand children? As il proceeds
no,ihward and westward in its travels, we
NAV sec lfiG udy WUeU " suaII bC utICs W
YOUR new n nd beautiful city of Burlington.
This westward movement began, it coniin-
ned, j, has continued, and il will continue
it has already, not waiting for anything
to help il along, with one bound gone a.
round the Rocky Mountains on the other
side. Already there are nine States and
one Territory bordering on the river which
runs past your doors. These States con
thin six hundred thousand square miles,
aud five and one half mil!iens Of people
Aud there sre seven other States whose
interests nre Immediately connected with
these, and contain six millions Of people
and two hundred and seventy thousand
square miles, and population OF eleven
and half millions Of people who are dl-
rectiy interested 10 this great stream; more
,han half Of the territory Of the Union
more than half Of the people. And yet
there crawl somewhere npon its ba nks, per
mitted by an omnipotent Providence, some
,nen who are not like the snails who carry
their houses upon their back. but have their
houses and cannot carry them, and who
have more money than even "tfinence
should desire. and who call The improve
men,s of this mighty Mississippi, with all
its concomiiants. local and not NATION.
AL object