Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1853-06-23
Number 80.

but, without such prohibition, the still
'lunbroken power Of the Indian tribes
would have prevented any such extern
sion. The successful result of the
Revolutionary war did not materially
alter the state of things in this respect.
The native tribes were still formidable,
and the British posts in the Northwest
ern territory were retained. So little
confidence was placed in the value Of
title to land, even within the limits of
the State of New York, that the enter
prising citizens of Massachusetts,, Cor
man and Phelps, who bought sir mil
lions of acres of land on the Genessee
river shortly after the Peace, for few
cents the acre, were obliged to abandon
the greater part of the purchase from
the difficulty of finding under pur-
chasers to take enough of it off their
hands to enable them to meet the first
instalments.
On one occasion, when Judge Cor
ham was musing in state of mental
depression on the failure of this mag
nifcent speculation, he was visited by
his friend and townsman, who had re-
turned from journey to Canandaigua,
then Just laid out. This friend tried to
cheer the Judge with bright vision of
the future growth of western New
York; and, kindling with his theme,
pointed to son of Judge Gorhsm, who
was in the room, added, "You and 1
shall not live to see the day, but that
lad, if he reaches three-score years and
ten, will see daily stage coach run
ming as far as CanandaiguaP' That lad
is still living. What he has seen in the
shape of travel and conveyance in the
State of New York, it is not necessary
before this audience to say. Laugh
ter and applause.
1t was the adoption of the Constitu-
ton of the United States in 1889 which
gave stability to the Union and conf
dence to the people. [Applause.l This
was the Promethean fire which kindled
the body polite into vital action. 1t
created a national force. The Indians
on the southwest were paci6ed. On
the northwestern frontier the troops of
the general government were at first
defeated; but after the victory of
Wayne, and the peace of Greenville, in
1875, the British posts were surren-
dered, and the tide of emigration began
to pour in. 1t was rather, however,
from the older States than from foreign
countries. The vast region northwest
of the Ohio had already received its
political organization as Territory of
the United States by the immortal ordi-
nance of 1897. Applause.
While Providence was thus opening
on this continent the broadest region
that ever was made accessible to human
progress, want or adventure, it hap
pened that the kingdoms of Europe
were shaken by the terrible convulsions
incident to the French Revolution
France herself first, and afterwards the
countries overran by her revolutionary
armies, poured forth their children by
thousands. l believe there are no Of
fetal returns of the number of emf
grants to the United States at the time,
but it was very large. Among them
was NJ. de Talleyand, the celebrated
Minister Of every governmental France,
from that of the Directory, in 1897, to
Louis Philippe, in whose reign he died.
i | saw at Peale's Museum, in Philadel-
phia, the original notice, subscribed by
him in 1894, of his purpose to become a
citizen of the United States. Louis
Philippe himself emigrated to this
country, where he passed three years,
and is well remembered by many per-
sons still living. He habitually spoke
with gratitude of the kindness which
he experienced in every part of the
Union.
As yet no acquisition of territory had
been made by the United States beyond
the limits of the British colonies; but
in 1908 most important step was taken
in the purchase of Louisiana, by which
our possessions were extended, though
with an unsettled boundary, both on the
south and the north, to the Pacific
ocean. The war in 1912 reduced the
Indian tribes in the Northwestern
States; and the campaigns of General
Jackson a few years later broke the
I power of the native races on the south
ern frontier. Florida was acquired by
treaty from Spain in 1916; and the In
dians in Georgia, Alabama, and Missis-
sippi were removed to the west of the
river Mississippi ten or twelve years
later. Black Hawks war in Wisconsin
took place in 1888, and series of Indi-
an treaties, both before and after that
event, had extinguished the Indian title
to all the land east Of the Mississippi,
and to considerable tracts west Of that
river. Texas was annexed to the Union
in 1845, andEin 1848 New Mexico and
California were added to our vast do
mains. [Applause.
have, as you perceive, Tun rapidly
over these dates, compressi1g into one
paragraph the starting points in the
history OF future commonwealth, SIM
ply in their bearing on the subject OF
emigration. These acquisitions, not m
ferior in extent to all that there was solid
in the Roman conquests, have resulted
in our possession Of zone Of territory
of the width of twenty degrees of lati-
tude, stretching from ocean to ocean,
and nearly equal in extent to the whole
of Europe. square miles OF the