The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1875-07-08

truths and institutions are planted. It is the
preliminary organization of systems and
government, which thousand generations
yet to come are to administer and eniov.
And now, fellow citizens, having thus
briefly alluded to this first eventful period
iii our national life, let us consider for a
few moments the position which we &C.
cupy to-day, and the duties which rest upon
US as citizens Of this free Republic. Prob.
ably no other nation on the earth includes in
contiguous territory the same diversity of
climatic zones and natural conditions as
our own. The fervor, the flowers, and the
fruitage of the Sunny South are ours. The
boundless prairies of the West with the ca
pacity for feeding the world are ours.
Ours are the great mountain ranges travers-
ing the continent and intersecting our coan-
try, with bowels laden with gold and pre-
cious metals. The largest coal areas and
the largest iron and copper deposits of the
world are in our hands. And not only the
land, but the waters are laid under tribute
to us, and the thousands of miles of oceah
which girdle our country and the almost
equal area of inland seas, are charged with
exhaustless stores ofwealth in their fnny
tribes. Thus has nature provided for ua
and our children an inheritance grander in
extent and value than the golden dreams of
the ancients about the tabled Hesperides
ever reached. But, fellow citizens, attluent
az nature has been in. her bounty to us, the
genius, industry and enterprise Of our peo-
pie have been equal to natures graciousop-
portunity. The spirit of our institutions is,
without a question, mighty stimulus to
human thought and activity. 1t crowns
our common manhood with dignity which
inspires self reliance, rouses and developes
to the uttermost mans intellectual forces,
and with the peculiarly favorable condi-
tons afforded this has resulted in material
progress without a parallel.
In connection with this fact of our won.
derful progress in all that pertains to the
material welfare of our nation is one other
equally interesting to him who studies the
political history ofhi country, and that is
the exceptional character and constituent
elements of our population. With the De-
claration of independence our Fathers
threw down every barrier and opened wide
the gates of our common country to the
people of all lands and nationalities. In
glad response to this generous call the peo-
pie of the old world have flocked to our
shores to partake with us of the benefits
and blessings of our free institutions, to
Join in a common and equal citizenship,
and to aid in maintaining and preserving
these precious liberties and privileges. And,
fellow citizens, it is one of the chief glories
of our country and age that for the first
time on large scale, we are practically il
Illustrating the spirit and principle of COM
mon and universal brotherhood, where
every man, wherever born or reared, has
an equal right and opportunity to reap
the richest advantages which the bounty of
nature and the peerless benefcence Of our
institutions have provided. And right
here let me pay what deem to be but a
just tribute of praise to those of our fellow
citizens who, coming from foreign lands,
representing the best elements of the ma
tons from which they came, have at once
caught the inspiration of our American
institutions and contributed 80 largely to
in developing its magnificent resources
And so, fellow citizens, I believe that no
country and his times will fail to greet
W4IaA q 11Cd1Cy IhA1 Hall cVcIy ACW COuCI "
our shores, who joins us in the immunities
of citizenship with the view of identifying
the fortunes Of himself and his posterity
with those of the Republic. For one, I
entertain no fears that, in the somewhat
complex and, in the past, occasionally con-
fiicting machinery of our government sys-
tenn, together with the mixed character of
our citizenship as to origin, training and
early association, there will be found any
thing to operate against general spirit of
of patriotism among the whole people.
The cheering and gratifying fact that, dur
ing the century just closing, no native-born
citizen has been found more thoroughly
imbued with love of country or more ready
to fight and die if need be in defence of it
than those Of foreign birth, may we'll lead
US to dismiss all fears upon this point.
do not forget to-day, fellow citizens,
the fact of our recent civil war and the un-
happy alterations for time engendered.
But that great conflict grew out of peculiar,
local and temporary conditions, now past
never to return, and the old fires of pure
and lofty patriotism, for season seemingly
smothe-ed, are rapidly reviving, and the
memory of that glorious struggle which
gave birth to the nation, uniting with the
air of freedom breathed in common, will
speedily restore all sections to more per-
feet union than ever. The signs of the
times assure US that that suspicious day is
very near at hand.
As citizens of Minnesota all have right
to claim full share in all the glory that
belongs to our common country and our
common American citizenship. No room
or temptation to envy sister State il given
to us. We occupy position of singular
advantage in the very heart of the CONT
nent, with vast natural and artificial high
ways that link us not only to the other
States but to far off nations. The great
Father of Waters rises in our midst and
rolls majestically away to the Mexican
Gulf, giving egress to our products and in
gress to the wealth of foreign lands. The
great chain of lakes reaches us on the
northwest afording another channel for
communication and interchange with the
East and Europe. Railways completed or
soon to be will give US communication with
every part of the continent and make our
territory part of the great highway of the
worlds commerce. Our soil is of unsur-
passed fertility, perhaps unequalled for the
great staple, and we can challenge the fore
mOst OF the states 1Or progress IN every de-
partment of industry and material develop
ment. Yet in our ve1y infancy as State,
we possess population of 100000, and
have an annual cereal production of $780,
100000 of bushels, with a railroad mileage
of nearly 1000. Our common school sys-
tenn, the pride and glory of our State, in its
extent, efficiency and value of endowment
is, perhaps, unequalled when popula-
ton and age are considered. Our Normal
School system is far ahead of most other
States and merits our most hearty and en-
thusiasic support. The character of our
population for intelligence, morality and