Smyrna times., 1856-07-23
The l4rsat West.

III NeW A0Tk CITY, as PIttsburQ was in Phila-
delphia. man who performed Journey to
. either OF 'hem. was regarded in the light of an
) adventurous hero. Now, these cities are hut
the first stages of that immense line of travel
necessary to be performed to reach the West
When yon have reached Cleveland and Gin.
) clnnatl' at the present day, hundred of miles
turther west than they, people only begin to
; 'alk oi gong West. AT Chicago aud St. Louis,
they still speak of the far West Its bounda
rlcs seem to rccede as you advance, like the
; Iilnsory lakes OF the desert, or the apparent
horizon ofihe prairics. You are always going
West until you reach San Francisco, Columbia.
F or Olympia.
That portion of The West, however. which
will, from its fertility and exceeding great
'n'ure wealth. control the destinies OF the con-
tinent, lies within the Mississippi valley. 1t
VIII control not only from its immense proluc-
tive power, but from the fact that it will con-
tain larger population than any other section
o! the contederacy. Its immensity is scarcely
realized, even by the best informed men in the
land. The chief rlyrrsand its tributaries wash
the shores of fifteen States and three Trrrito.
rlcs' IL affords steamboat navigation Of over
twenty thousand miles, and an immense oJdi-
''"nal navigation for keel and fiat boats, and
other river craft. Its capacity then for COM
InercIal purposes is beyond all question. No
matter how far the 7roductlveness of the vol.
les goes, its power Of transportation is fully
equal to it.
! The State of Ohio furnishes an cxampIe of
The magic changes which have been produced
there ~ half century. In 1902 Ohio w,s
admitted as a State into the Union with ponu.
laton OF 10000 Now she has j. 800 OuO and
chief city. which, at the end Of this decade
Will nave over quarter of million inhabi-
tants. Everywhere within her limits VILLAGES
have grown into towns, towns have snrunp
INTO cities, until her whole surface is dotted
WIN these evidences of her prosperity. her
power and her greatness. She stands now IN
the thIrd rank IN the confederacy, and 1t is not
impossible that in twenty years she may be
first.
but west OF her lie Indiana, Illinois, lows.
Wisconsin and Michigan, with the three Ter
rltores of Kansas Nebraska and Minncsota -
Two OF these States have already reached the
ranks of the fourth class in resources, in wealth
ana IN population. The other four are bonnd-
ing rapidly onward in the race of p-osnar;,v
Inc three Territories have space enough 10
AFFORD to be cut up into halfa dozen more States
ana doubtless will be. Two of them are nov
knocking at the door OF the Union for adms
sion. We may calculate with safety. that
there will be at least ten, if not twelve Stut.s
North OF the Ohio aud the State of Missonri
ana East olthe Rocky Mountains. When these
shall have reached the same position relativrlv
10 "h'o' that OHIO now bears to Pennsylvania
and New York, they will afford magnifcen,
theme to the future orator and historian.
We may Calculate with safety that by ,he
emu OF the present century, they will all have
reached u magnificent state of develonmar,
The powers of their soil will have. been fully 5
tested their mineral rcSonrcrs brought out. The /.
productions OF their forests made yaluablc L
manufactures opened. and art, science and r4.
hnement IN their very highest Implications have ,
onnd home, where all is now or has recrn,Iv
been an uncultivated wild.
Their position upon the centre of the Conf.
lent and in the very heart of the tempcratc :
'ohe' lends to othema vast Importance. Throuyh
mem must run the great road which will be the :.
horoughiar~ for the worlds commerce.. Tina,
Dad passing from the golden shores of C,I;for-
ia To the Atlantic slope, will cast all alonp ,s
curse perfect shower OF opulence There I"
ever has existed n vast commercial arterv t
Fhich has not done this. The trade of the y
'astern caravans, AS they march wes,w,rd "'
1rough central and southern Asia, WAS dot,cd
'''h great towns aud Furnishing cities, which n
'ere built from the wealth they diffused. Ina =
II higher and wider sense, will this be tru,. -, u
he FdcIilc road. The trade borne by the ca.
vans, compared with that which will ms.
ong 1t, was as the rivulpt is Ia tho I,Lo H.
eh"ylk'lI to the Ocean. They will indeed be of
e real seat OF empire upon the continent - ell
est OF the Rocky Mountains, as thev were 90
lclently called, lies the rich anriGrous r..
on OF California. The supply of her precious
neral after seven years Constant drain s.er. ga
ABUNDANT as ever. The amount it has aIrra Pr
gwen to the world is almost fabulous. Grsa, Ho
IL the wealth California will draw from her d.
nes that which she will EXTRACT from her NJ.
nre Asiatc trade will be equal TO il. She i, c T1
ssessed of the great harbor on the Pacific ,o -
''" "'"t troue must come for convenience ing
safety. And to that point must 20 the COR
'at trunk road to the Mississippi valley pGO
Is young Queen of the PaciGc whose cor. IN T."
'us robes are inwrousht with gold" may We, lea
Al any of her Eastern sisters in develonncu,
''.' '"' nus US YET accom- yea
he'd ls but starting point, mere incipien. told
with the glorions and brilliant fin. Stat
2 which awaits her vest