The Portland daily press., 1862-10-25
Saturday Morning, Oct. 25, 1862.



naughty aristocracy has attempted the sub
version Of our Government, and failing in
that. seeks by force of arms to divide our ter
ritory, and destroy our nationality, that we
should study well the lessons of the past, as
well as the present, in regard to the history
and geography of our country.
OUR ORIGIN.
In the beginning the people emigrated to
these shores but not the monarchy, the aris-
tocracy, the hierarchy. Wilderness homes, log
cabins conflicts with savage beasts. and with
savage men, as well as with those mighty for
ces OF nature which were to be met and con-
quered, had no charms for these gentry; and
SO, thank God, we got rid of them BY simply
leaving them behind. Thus this scion OF the
old Anglo Saxon stock, translated in the soil
of the New World, was left to grow without
the burden of these parasites. Society with
us, with simply the Bible, the hdbeds corpus,
the right Of trial by jury, the great principles
of Magma Charta, the constitutional rights of
Englshmen, as finally settled by the Revolu-
ton of 1888, was left to grow, untrammeled by
the barbarous usages of pagan times-laws
which had been made for the few, and not for
the maryland the efiete politics of the Old
World. We were left free to choose all that
was good in lands from which we came. and
to discard all that was base and worthless
Hence our growth in population, in arts, in
arms, in civilization, and in religion has been
without precedent.
Two and ahalf centuries ago, when thepow-
er of old Spain had eliminated, re had no ex-
istence at all. Two centuries ago, when the
glory of France and the power of the Bour-
bons were at their zenith, our infant nation
consisted of but few feeble settlements, eX-
tending from the Piscataquis to the James
River, scarcely extending thirty miles inland,
except upon the navigable waters, and these
were struggling with numerous and powerful
savage tribes, even for their existence A CEN
tury later, even, they extended only from the
Kennebec TO the Altamaha, and were not only
contendiDg with the savages, but also with the
French and Spanish, for their territory, their
right to the fisheries, and for theic lives.
OUR TERRIToRY-wHAT 1T HAS COST US.
The intelligent reader will have a good map
of the United States before him, as he reads,
and reference to it will illustrate the follow
ing geographical facts with the greatest clear
ness and force. The statistics are authentic,
and tell their own story.
At the time of the Declaration of our Inde-
pendence, when we boldly stood up against
the most powerful nation in Europe for the
achievement of a separate and distinct nation
alty, we hardly exceeded 2.500000. And
en- years later, our population was comprised
In thirteen feeble States, but recently depend
ent colonies, almost wholly confined to the
eastern slope of TIE Aleghanies, hardly
amounting to 3,000,00l-not so many as New
England, or the single State of New York row
contains, and far inferior in wealth and re-
sources, without federal government, without
an army, without navy, without treaties with
foreign powers, and without national treas
ury; while we were oppressed with 4 national
debt OF SI3O00OOo, which would be more than
equal to Sl,0OO,000000 now.
But strong federal government has been
formed; profitable treaties with foreign ma
tions have been made; our army and navy
have been created; treasury has been filled;
the original debt and another besides have
long since been PAID with ease: our popula-
tion, pouring over the tops OF the mountains,
as with the tread of an earthquake, has trav-
eled westward at the rate OF seventeen miles
year; has already filled up the eastern portion
OF the valley oil the mississippi, and crossing
the "iather OF waters has founded large and
nourishing states upon its western banks,some
oil which are larger IN area than all England
and are bigger even than France. And still
the mighty tide OF human life rolls on resistless
toward the setting sun, founding powerful
states upon the distant shores OF the Pacific,
a land. which, even within the memory OF man,
was terra iRcognito.
In 1903, at an expense of S15,000,000, we
purchased Louisiana OF France. which gave us
the entire possession of the valley of the Miss
lsslpp the largest and most fruitful on the face
OF the globe, which extends north and south