The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1875-03-30

wealth of the growth of business and |
It's ultimate classification; of the erection
of churches and school houses, and the |
organization OF charitable institutions |
and fire companies of the terrible yisi- |
tation from water in 1858, and subsequent |
calamities from fires and pcstilcncc-of, |
in short, the gradual on-marcl of the |
city to its present prominence, need not |
speak, for all this seems but tale OF to-
day, and has no claim upon me for mi
mute rehearsal. Enough TO say that
score or more of my listeners have been
eye witnesses of the uniolding-havc
seen the monster sycamore and cotton
wood felled from our streets have seen
all the old landmarks even the last yestigc.
ofthe old Cairo oblitcrated, and noted. as |
have done. in the growth here of an al
ready considerable city,-a practical real.
ization, of the sanguinc predictions of
Col. Webb and Hacker and their COM
patriots in early days, who marked the
junction Of these rivers as q site upon
which would ultimately grow the great
central emporium of the Mississippi
valley.
And now, what Of the future The
two greatest natural highways of trade
and travel OH the American continent,
minglc here, in the play of giants waters
which they have drained from an agri-
cultural region abuudan; in extent
and fertility, to supply the civilized
, worlds demand for corn aud flour; We
occupy the southern extremity of a State
whose agricultural and mineral capaci-
:, ties. and whose miles of railroad exceed
those of any other state of our Union.
, Our location embraces the extreme South
, crn foot of Illinois territory-stands iut-
ted as wedge between Kentucky aud
! Missouri, the most thrifty and promis-
ing OF all the States of the
/ South. 1t stands near the
= center Of a valley that i. capable Of
: sustaining denser population than any
: other territory of like extent IN the known
world. II has the unrestricted Use,
. through the Ohio and Mississippi rivers
and their tributaries, of no less than
, seventeen thousand miles of navigablc
| waters. 1t is already the tcTD,iHi OF five
important lines of railway, one of which
, forms grand link ia the specdly-is-to-
be Southern International Pacific. The
head of uninterrupted navigation on the
+, Mississippi-a thousand miles from the
Mexican gulf, aud yet a thousand miles
from the upper line of the corn
r and whcat-growing regions Of the won
: dcrful Northwest, It's destined to be-.
come the gateway through which must
pass the interchanging products Of the
North and the South, aud to ultimately
become what is seeming paradoX-an
q interior. WiaHd seaport. Blessed by q
congenial and hcalihlul climatc-frcc
! from those climatic extremes that effect
both health and vegctaiion-it stands to-
day more muniiccnty blessed by a boun-
tiiul nature than any other locality In the
almost measurcless basin between the
Rocky and Allegheny mountains.
But. with all these advantages. won
! derful as they are, there remains hcrcu-
. lean work for the hand of man. The
SOIL the grand forests of useful timber.
> the hills Of iron and fields of coal; the
lodges Of rock and beds of marble: the
> stratas of pottcr's and porcelain clay
: our salt streams and mines of lrad--nonc
L of these will yield up their riches unless
touched by intelligent and wcll-dirccted
T industry. Our elements of wealth are
: matchmaking; but they generously re-
: pay, and to a limited extent are rcpaylng
every proper application Of brain and
muscle.
| We who are but the "bru.h-breakcrs"
the advancc-guard, are not equal to the
l successful working Of the great natural
| levers at our hand; but we can, by Gu
couragiug the up-buildng of manuflc-
tories; by associating our own and inyit-
ing other capital from abroad; by
scratching" as we may, the surface Of
the earth and dolvinS into lis bowels: by
originating and promoting such projects
: and enterprises a. are best calculated 10
Xix public attention upon us aud our
wonderful surrounding; by stand
: Ing shoulder to shoulder in
the promotion of all that
tends TO work cut the common veal; by
gaining and maintaining Il commanding
legal and social status-by lending mutu-
al encouragement and mutual aid TO one
anothcr-by doing this, by employing. NJ
best we may, the advantages with which
we are blessed, we can, Of our own
might adjust the .faicrum. This done,
constantly augmentlng strength will OPP
crate upon the lever, SO that, in time,
Cairo will be raised to that position
among the fraternity of cities that Ma
lures God manifestly intends she shall,
in the not every remote future, proudly
occupy, and permanently maintain.
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