Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1876-01-19

colonies as Alaska is to-day to us. j
was transferred with other territ0r
by Spain to France, and by France
!, the United States in 1908. 1t formc
at one time part of the Louisiana ter
ritory, then of the Missouri territory
then was attached to the territory q
Michigan, more recently wasa par
of the territory of Wisconsin, wa
with most of the present state o
Minnesota and of the territory of Da
. kota)constituted the territory of Tow
in 1893, and was admitted as state il
! 1916. In 1888 our population was %,
$50; in 1916 it was 81 .538 and i'm 1877
it was 1,350,544. BY the census o
1850, we were entitled to two repre-
sentatives in Congress, by that b
1870, we have nine. The debt of on
state is but nominal in amount. w,
have provided suitable homes for oul
affiictcd unfortunates-the insane, tn,
deaf and dumb, the hlind--and art
properly caring for them. We ar,
paying a small part of our debt o.
gratitude by supporting and educat
ing the children of our dead soldier
who need such care. We have estab
lished home and school for the re
formation of juvenile offenders. hop
ing thereby to win them back to tl,t
pheasant path of virtue; ;ss we'll as in
stitutions fer the punishment and re
clamation Ofolder wrong g-docrs. We
support schools open to all for tht
education of all, with colleges and /:
university for those seeking the higher
branches Of learning seeking in these
and other ways to show our gratitude
to God for his goodness to us by car.
/ ing for his children and our brethren
4 | cannot permit this occasion to pas
without a brief reference to the part
taken by Iowa in our civil war. She
/ was ever true as steel to the good
cause. Although yet i'm her homage,
having existed as state less than fif-
teen years when the war commenced,
she did her duty faithfully and thor
oughly. We, occupying this wilder
ness of thirty years before, sent to the
field forty-five regiments and two
battallions of Infantry, nine regiments
Of cavalry, and four batteries of artil-
lery besides companies, detachments,
and individuals in the regiments of
other states and in the regular army.
We gave In all to the service over 75,-
600 men and but give utterance to
what Won all know whenI say that
among the hosts of brave and good
men who rallied to the defense Of the
flag. none were found brayer or better
than the men of Iowa. There il NOT. r
think, a single one of the states which
so insanely sought our ruin and their
own, in whose soil Iowa has not de-
posted, as the best of evidence Of her
devotion to the Union, the ashes of
some of her heroic dead. MAY they
rest in peace, and may their example
lead US and those who will come after
us to guard with devotion and reycr-
ence that for which they so patiently
suffered and so nobly died.
Iowa has had a large measure of
growth and prosperity vel she has
but fairly entered upon her career.
and orr eyes have been permitted to-
behold only the beginnings. dazzling
though they are, of her glory. We
have hitherto been mainly an agric,il-
tural people, and doubtless will ever
remain so but capital is accommodating
amongst ns. This must shortly seek
investment in manufactures. and al
these are established and prosper, onr
population and wealth will increase
still more rapidly.
Yet, as | have said. agriculture will.
for many years to come. and think
for all time, be the leading pursuit of
our people and our greatest source Of
wealth. We have in our state sub
stantially no waste or untitled land.
Our soil is fertile and easy of cultiva-
ton beyond even the conception of
those who have not seen and tried il
and, Wha! seems incredible to the pro-
pie of the Eastern States, our uplands
are as fertile and easy OF cultivation
as the bottom lands of our streams.
Our winters are ut times severe. but
our climate is eminen,lv healthful.
Tho wealth of n state is at last measnr-
ell by its population. and ] feelentirc-
ly safe in saying that no state in our
Union of equal area can support from
lis own resources a population as
large as can draw bountiful living
from our soil.
Senators and Representatives To
you for the time being has been COM
mitted the grateful task of guarding
and fostering the well-being of our
State so far as the same may be affect
ed by the lawmaking power. Yours
is post of great honor and great re-
sponsibility. NV predecessor has
laid before you, in detail. such in
formation as his position has enabled
Ia Il 1. 4
tons ms his judgment and experience
have suggested to him. They will
doubtless receive your careful consid-
Grafton. Coming as | do, like YOUR
selves. fresh from private life. and
having no means of procuring in
formation not open to all of You rs to
the condition and wants of the state.
it cannot reasonably be expected that
! shall bring to your notice questions
other than those OF the most general
interest, or that shall discuss them
except in the most general way.
The subject of general education has
been, and must continue to be one Of
great interest. The intelligence of
our people measures, to large ex-
tent. the wisdom of the laws under
which we live, and also of the admin
istration of those laws. 1t likewise.
to great degree, measures the rapid
ity OF our growth in wealth. for the
reason that all pursuits which yield
wealth arc productive i'm proportion
to the degree OF intelligence with
which they are managed. Aside from
these obvious and powerful reasons
for providing the means of education
for all the youth of the state there Is
another reason. less obvious perhaps.
but certainly Important. Our popu-
lation comes from hli parts of our own
country and from almost all the ma
tions of Europe. and all are alike well
come. Many ofthose of foreign birth
come 10 ms in mature years, with their
manners and customs. their habits
and sentiments, formed and fixed hy
the surroundings Of their childhood
and youth. Ii cannot be expected
that they will, TO any great degree,
change their own for our manners
and customs, our habits and scnti-
ments bnt ii may be expected, and it
is certainly desirable, that their chill
dren and our children shall so far as
possible be combined into one mass
with manners. customs, habits, and
sentiments, partaking perhaps 10 some
extent OF the characteristics of the
different naiionalities, but alike, and
in the main American The common
school, bringing together the children
OF the nativc-born and forcign-born
in the same school-room, engaging
them together in the same studies.
mingling them together in the same
sports and pastimcs, will be a potent
means to bring about this desired re-
suit, and to make Of all our nationali-
ties one people.
Fears have of late been freely cx-
pressed i'm certain States, and to some
extent in our own, that il is settled
purpose with some to divert the
school-ftmd from its legitimate OBJ
ject, and use it, at least partially, for
the maintainance OF private and Sec
tartan schools. and thus eventually to
destroy the school system. hope
this is a groundless fear, or, that il
such purpose has been entertained, ii
will be abandoned. Persistence in IL
will certainly place those engaged in
d.