The New York herald., 1870-05-30
The Astonishing Growth and Future Oh
the United States.

Inc progress OI tn0 Ohisou o'"'oo Nv" ~
parallel In the history Of nations. Nothing
has been seen comparable to 1t either In ma
terial development or in moral power Less
than century ago there were but two to three
millions of people, then forming remote de-
Tendencies of a monarchical and European
Power. Now the republic has population Of
forty millions or more For long time even
after the independence of the country was es-
tablished the settled portion Of it did not ex-
tend west of the Allegheny Mountains, except
through few little bands of pioneers mostly
engaged in the Indian and fur trade. Though
few sagacious statesmen had some scintilla-
tlons of light as to what the country might be-
come in the distant future, no one realized its
rapid and wonderful growth. The stream
of immigration from the Old World
was steady in former times, 1t is true;
but that was slow, and Of course the natural
increase Of population could not within so
short time make the mighty empire we now
see Still the American statesmen of the
early days of the republic began to lay the
foundations of continental republican empire.
The acquisition of Louisiana was great event
and the first one to carry the people in large
numbers to the immense and rich valley of
the Mississippi. This was really the initial
| step to our wonderful territorial expansion
and development. The ambition and national
pride of our people received powerful
stimulus in that. The acquisition Of Florida,
| of Texas, of California, of New Mexico and
| Arizona and of Alaska was but the sequel Of
| that act and followed the natural law of our
| development.
But new agencies began to work In the
course of time to increase the population Of
the United States and to spread it over the
| Continent from the shores of the Atlantic to
the Pacific The wonderful natural wealth,
variety of products, cheap lands, free repub-
lican institutions and glorious future
attracted the people of all nations from the
| Old World. vast stream of immigration
poured in and cultivated the soil, built up cities
and made the wilderness blossom as a rose.
The redundant population of Europe, with the
poverty, tyranny and political troubles there,
increased the volume of this immigration from
year to year, and it continues to swell more
and more. Here was the home Of the
oppressed and poor, and here they could find
welcome and abundance. There is not
village or hamlet in Europe where this fact is
not known. Then came those mighty agents of
modern civilization and science-the press
steam power and the magnetic telegraph-to
increase knowledge, facilitate communication
and to inspire admiration for this great repub-
lican and conglomerate representative nation
of the world. The late war startled mankind
with the wonderful power and resources Of the
republic. It revealed the fact, of which we
were hardly conscious ourselves before, that
the United States is really the most powerful
nation on the globe, and as regards foreign
nations absolutely impregnable. Within the
course of few years railroads and telegraphs
have covered like network the vast area of the
interior and have spanned the Continent over
distance of thousands of miles. A national
debt of enormous magnitude, created in four
or five years, that would have overwhelmed
any other nation under such circumstances, is
to us comparatively bagatelle, and is now
being paid off at the rate of nearly hundred
millions of dollars year. Such progress,
such wealth and resources and such power
have never been known before.
All this, however, glorious as it is, only
foreshadows the mighty future of the republic.
By the natural increase of population and the
enormous stream Of immigration we shall
have, probably, in thirty or thirty-6ve years,
hundred millions Of people. The augmenta-
ton of wealth will be still greater. Whatever
difficulties we may labor under at present with
regard to the development of our mercantile
marine, commerce and naval power, we have
such resources, such geographical position
and such harbors and vast seabOard that we
must become the first maritime and CONNER
cial nation. Nothing can prevent this. And
what is thirty years in the life of a nation or in
history? Other nations may and perhaps will
advance under the new and progressive dis
pensation Of modern sciences but relatively
they have not the resources and means that we
have. Already we see the moral influence
of American ideas and institutions upon
Europe and the rest of the world, and the
time is not distant when this country
viii control indirectly, if not directly, the
destinies of mankind. There is but one thing
we need, and that is, statesmen who can COM
prehend the position we occupy and the
glorious future before us. Instead Of being
| bound by the precedents of the Old World or
| of the past we should strike out policy for
| ourselves in consonance with our destiny.
| We should throw off the swaddling clothes
| that Europe has placed upon us and assert
our manhood. It is our destiny to give the
law to nations, for the people everywhere are
with us, and there is no use of resistance, if
we be wise, to the moral and political power
we may exercise. AS to the affairs and in
terests Of the American Continent this republic
can do as it wishes, and no one will presume
| to interfere Do the people realize their