The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1857-05-23
THE ON WARD MARCH.

Mr.. Gushing, in his great speech here last
week, spoke of the destiay OF the two coll
umns pushed out from Plymouth and James
town and their mission Of progress for the
redemption Of the continent. No one can
have failed, however, to observe the unequal
step with which they march, march, march,
Plymouth stands seventeen millions to-day
to Jamestown's eight millions; AID what
viii be the result when, at no distant day
speaking Of the life of nation-it shall
stand seventy-fve millions to twenty-five?
The jamestown column, as it has passed
along, has devoured what was before, and
killed what was behind. As with the hoof
OF the ancient conqueror's horse, the grass
has not grown where it passed. Virginia is
but the shadow Of what it was, and fading
out at that. The plymouth column has eie-
waited, strengthened and advanced
! ke the breath Of spring, making the wilde
less to blossom, the solitary plac 10 BE-
glau and the voice OF singing to be heard In
the land. While jamestown is blotted out,
and has left no mark where it was, Plymouth
remains fourlshing town, with its church
and its school house, as two hundred years
ago. While Norfolk is in decay, and its
spacious harbor given up to few oyster
gatherers and the 'scutter' for the collection
of the Virginia negro tax, Boston is full of
palace warehouses, where are gathered the
riches Of the Indies-of princely houses
where merchants SURPRISING those of Tyre
and Venice, reside-of temples Of religion
and schools of learning and works of art,
that entitle her to be e"iiod .h. h,hcns OF
America, while commercially she stretches
e IL or
her broad bay tn receive the commerce of
the nations. Virginia has dwindled at evt ~
census, and is destined yet more to dwindle,
till a new race shall infuse new blood and
new life into her veins; Massachusetts has
grown stronger, sturdier, richer, and at the
last apportionment for members of Con-
gress, was the only State upon the Atlantic
that increased its number. ~. -.
There are two columns moved BIZ destiny,
it is true; but the one travels in Virginia
two-wheeled cart, without springs, without
evidencing that there was wheelwright or
blacksmith in the world where it ssgrew,''
drawn by a half-fed donkey, with prime
val yoke upon his neck, and a negro driver
behind more stupid than the jackass; and
the other goes by steam with the iron horse
snorting over the railroad track, and as il
forty miles an hour was not fast enough,
holds the telegraph wire in its hands, and
breatkes lightning from its nostrils to an
nodnce its progress to the distant places
ahead. The Plymouth column starts from
the Atlantic with oae wing touching James
town, and the other resting upon the great
lakes, and when it has leaped the Rocky
Mountains, stands alone upon the Pacific
shore. The jamestown has no northern
side, and tapers away narrowingto the sim
gle State of Texas, of which it holds but
the southeastern side; and when it
marches, marches, marches" beyond that,
it must take short turn down over the Rio
Grande to plumber the half breed Mexicans.
Tamaulipas must be its next State: and by
the time it reaches fhcre, the point whence
it started will be lost, and like the tenn
pestuous cloud, we shall see it sinking away
into the dark southwest, while all the
heavens about are given to the sunshine Of
freedom. gF