The weekly Placer herald., 1853-07-16

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agernent rf iyatfUn'S interests, they had
become Injured 20 hardsI1ips, and had
learned how to overcome the greatest diff
fculties. If they had not the endow,nen,s
of Chatham or Pitt they were accus.
toned to noble thoughts, and their deyo-
ton and patriotism added n beauty to the
expression of these thoughts which no
knowledge Of science however great can
produce.
Fortunate was it for these men that they
sc ected Il Washington to conduct their
army through this eventful struggle. I,
is not necessary my friends for me to say
anything concerning his character or sue
cess, for where is the person " no has not
heard and read of his faithful discharge
of that obligation; and where is the
tongue capnhle of expressing the grati-
tude Cherished for hin. in the hearts of
his coun,rymen? Can any man recur fu
this wAr xfld its results, and consider such
displays Of disinterested sacrifices for the
public good, Without being made a more
worthy and pathetic citizen? And is it
possible for the American citizen; wheth-
er he tie native or adopted, to recur to
these things without feeling a deeper in
teresf in the affairs of this nation, and
stronger obligation for him tn have her
wcll-being in view in al his actions.
We find the youthful nation at the close
of the war deeply in debt, and though
her inhabitants were left to conduct their
own affairs without interposition from
abroad, they experienced much difficulty
III extrlcatlng themselves from their en-
harrassi"g situation. They were not IA,
all discouraged by this-their experience
IN the most trying positions they found of
great service To them at this time, and in
this way their former hardships were
turned to good account. A few short
years found them out of debt; and since
that time, governed by laws based upon
the princip es contained in their Declara-
tion, and protected by the same God to
whom they appealed for success, they
have continued to prosper. The boun-
diaries. of this once small Republic have
heen steadily enlarged until they extend
from the great lakes and the St. Lawrence
on the north, to the Rio Grande on the
south, and her eastern and western boun-
daries are marked by the Atlantic aud
Pacific oceans. We, my friends, MEM
hers Of this Republic of which we have
been speaking, though thousands of miles
from our homes, are still in our own
country and enjoying her sa utary laws.
As we view the rapid progress of our
country in wealth and prosperity, and the
afri,iss sI.1 :. .',"hi,.ey .".i .h 49,:
nacle at Fame, we can zee In Imagination
all these hills and valIies teeming with
population, and the works of art scatter
I'd over their sarface. And while we are
thus transported, we catch the echoes of
The shnIts Of those whn shall ce citrate
his day in after years when California
will have become n wealthy and populous
State. We take great pleasure in con
temp ating these things, ant. the influence
they have upon our minds is truly bene
fetal; hut while we are thus delighted let
us not forget that to accomplish all we
have imagined every citizen of the Cum
must act rs well as think; we
must he careful lest we place too much
confidence in what has been done, and let
our country's interests suffer by our neg
lect We should ever be awake to the
truth that the necessity for noble deeds
and phi anthropic actions did not perish
with Washington and his conpatriots,
hut that since their usefulness has been
brnught TO a period, the necessity for
others to perform their duties is binding
upon US Individually, and that we are
cu pahle for their neg ect.
That our country has not yet arrived to-
that high point to which she may with the
proper exertions Of her citizens is unde-
niahle. Every feature of her territory,
and all its undevrloped RESOURCES of
wealth 90 to confirm us in this opinion.
Because a New York, Boston, and
many other large rities have sprung up
and become wealthy in few short years,
shall we conclude that our country has
gone to the extent of her abilities and
the advantageous places still left will re-
main unocrupied? Because the O,irinal
thirteen States have in so short II time
been augmented in number to thirty-one,
that no more shall arise from the vast ter
ritory now unoccupied' Because its pop
uIaton has increased in seventy five years
from three to twenty mi lions are we tn
calculate that this is the hounds of her
popu alton: la my opinion these things
should he looked upon in a very different
light. IL our cities supported by sparse
ly inhabited country have gained their
present position, how much more are we
to expect from them during the next sew
enty years, surrounded AS they now are,
with Il thicky settled country, demanding
many more foreign productions, and al
the same time producing "A surplus OF their
own for exportation3 AS to the increase
of our States, we no doubt shall have