The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1872-01-25
BACK FROM THE WEST
BY REV. W. BARRows, d. b.

Back from tho West." No, that
is mistake. We did not 60 out West
when we attended that noble Congre-
gational Council at Oberlin. A man
may go west when he goes from his
house TO the barn; but going to The
West is another thing. We in Coun-
Gil seemed to be Down East" when
DR.. Atkinson came in from Oregon,
thirty four hundred miles. His neigh
Dor, the Washington Territory dele,
gate in Congress, draws $ll,0 900 per
session as mileage, and when one
comes from Alaska it will be $2O, 900.
Such mileage would have been com
fort to the Oregon, California and Col.
orado delegates In the Oberlin Con,
gress.
A really western friend OF mine has
recently come East. When asked
whether she had been East before, she
innocently replied, Yea, as far a.
Chicago" That was putting the fact
correctly. Chicago il All eastern city.
It Is only 900 miles from the Atlantic
tide water, but 1850 from Pacific
Even Omaha is eastern, being $50
miles east Of the center Of travel and
settlements. Men speak of Illinois as
Western State; it is not even cen
trail, so near to New England is it,
Our central territory lies between til.
Mississippi and the Rocky Mountains.
and, strange as 1t may seem to some
we have more land west Of those
mountains than we have east of that
river. The opening Of the Pacific
railway moved the West at least 200
miles toward sunset, while it moved i,
nearer to the East by four months
travel. Some, who studied Amer lea u
geography in Morse's early editions
are apparently still thinking of the
Union rs the "old thirteen Of the
Revolution. That same geography
says: Albany has four hundred
dwelling houses. and two thousand
four hundred Inhabitants, all standing
with their gable ends to the streets"
By the Louisiana purchase, 1903,
we doubled the area Of the original
thirteen States by more than $4,000
square miles. BY the purchase Of
Florida, 1921, the annexation of Tex
as, ls45, the treaty of Oregon, 1876
and the conquest Of California, ls47,
we increased two and half times the
area Of the old thirteen" Of the Rev,
olution. Then come New Mexico by
the treaty Of 1854, and Alaska by the
purchase Of 1866. Here is . grand to-
tai OF four times the area Of the Union
of Independence, and surplus Of
3l5, $50 square miles. With our latest
geography in hand, one will find him
self far into the plains Of Kansas or
Nebraska before hs has crossed the
eastern half OF our domain and entered
el the West proper.
Prussia and France have lately been
painfully conspicuous by their nation
al duel but we have territory enough
fer eleven such pairs Of ombatants,
with wide margin outside the ring
to watch the issue. Alaska ilone wou Id
take them both in, and perhaps COO,
them of. With such an extent OF
country, Out West" must be beyon-l
the Hudson.
Why, so immense Is the American
domain In the direction OF sunset, that
Congress has given away, to new rail.
roads, patches like ssacllusetts. as a
merchant clips . sample from his roi
Of goods. Prior to July I, 1870. enough
had 80 been given to make thirty -four
States OF the area Of Massachusetts,
An amount has been granted to the
Northern Pacific equal to all New
England aud An extra Massachusetts
And 1t pays the nation to do II. That
grant to the Northern Pacific hasten,
the opening, and against all prece
dentsIn human activities, OF y rail
road that Europe has not room for
Lay It ~ you will on that continent
1t would encroac on Asia and Africa
aud lap long way on tho Atlanti
ocean. What are social convenience
and commercial necessities with III
would be impossibiiities in Europ,
Our "Out Wesl" Is SO large, that tn.
railroad alone Is the leader and feed.
Of American industries for q belt Of te
ritory four hundred miles wide an
eighteen hundred long, equal In are