The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1880-02-07
John Bright ON America.


most eminent men who have ever adorn
ed the Senate of the United States
mean the late Charles Sumner-who fol
so many years was Senator of for the Stats
of Massachusetts,. It is book called
Prophetic Poices, and it purports to give
something prophetic with regard to thu
greatness of the United States, and going
back to very early period-you viii b.
be surprised when tell you that it goes
back to long time before the time wher
the United States were discovered. He
says In one of the opening passages oi
his book that the discovery of America by
Christopher Columbus is the greatest
event in secular history, and believe il
you come to examine it you will agree
with him in that opinion. But even
when America was unknown, imagina-
tion-the imagination of genius and oi
poetry pictured the discovery of a coun.
try, the grandeur and vastness of which,
perhaps, at that time, scarcely anybody
could dream of. Now, In this same little
book Mr.. Sumner has given us two Oh
three passages which I will read TO you.
One is from the writings of very cele-
brated Roman, who lived about the time
of the Apostle Paul--that would beaboui
l400 years before the discovery of Amer
ica-and in it he says: ssThere shall
come atime in later years when the oceans
shall relax their chains and a vast CONT
nent appear, and pilot shall find new
worlds, and Thule shall no longer be
earth's bound" Thule being understood
to represent some now not easily discov-
erable island in the north of Europe.
Not only the genius of Seneca gives us
the passage, but the poetry of Petrarch.
one of the greatest of the italian poets.
He says: 1.-THE daylight hanging with
winged steps, perchance to gladden. the
expectant eyes of far-off nations in a world
remote" There was an indication that
westward were great lands and q new
world to be discovered. Hear, hear.
These, to my mind, are very interesting
quotations, and show that there was In
the mind of the genius and in the mind Of
the poet foreseeing of great things te
come. Cheers. Finally, prophecy be.
came fact. Columbus lived among men
the curtain was undrawn, and new
world appeared; and think that there ii
nothing that is equal to that great discov
cry and that great transaction. Mr.. Bry
ant, the oldest of the American poets
lately dead, says in an ode TO The
Past"
Far in the realm unknown
Old empires sit in sulienRess and gloom.
And I think if we examine all thest
old empires the Assyrian, the Babylon
ian, the Parthian, or the Roman, or if We
come to another time and another place
and examine the empires of India and
China, or if we come to more modern
time and recall the fall of ancient Rome
If we look in our own time at the greai
growth of the Empire of Russia-if We
look at the French Revolution, with its
vast results-if we look at the present
power of Germany in Europe-if we lool
at the vast empire all over the world, al
most, of which We, in this little island
are for time the centre-I think W.
shall admit, after all, that there is moth
ing in all these transactions of history
which, for vastness, and for performance
can compare with the grandeur that Their
| is in the discovery of the American Con
! tinent by Christopher Columbus. / Cheers
| I say America, which is always under
stood to mean North America and tn
United States, other than that portion o
| it which is still dependent on the Eng
| lish Crown-that it is natural from il
vast advanced condition and its vast pop
ulation.
Allow me to point out one or tw
| things about these United States whic
We are apt to forget I should like t
cuss expenditure we speak of millions
but millions give very little idea {
| the immenseness of them. America
can hardly make you understand whi
the extraordinary expanse of America j!
| The United States-I exclude the Terr
tory called Alaska, which was bougi
some few years ago from Russia, an
which is not very vast or fertile-col
tains about three Mullins of square mile
of which one half are suitable for gen
eral agriculture. The other half is muc
more suitable for grazing, and ve1
large portion being mountainous an
rocky, it is probably not any good fl
agriculture of any kind You know tn,
France is considered rather big coul
try for Europe-it is great deal bigg,
than this country; but the United Stat.
would make fifteen times France,
would make fifteen times Germany,
would make twelvei lines Austria an
twenty five times England and IreIan,
There is the astounding fact that 20,
countrymen have gone over to that CO.
tinent and taken possession of q COUNT
twenty-five times as large as the COUNT
they left behind them. There is prob
bly, some one here who will say-or
least there is somebody outside who wi
| say it-that we have vast colonies
Canada, in Australia, In India and
!, South Africa nobody knows yet he
much. Laughter and cheers. B
you must recollect all these territori
In Canada, in Australia, in India and
South Africa, are neither in men n
: money nor in regard to revenue, al
strength to the people eof the Unitt
Kingdom. On the contrary, they a
continually drawing from our revenl
and our resources. Hear, hear. Ther
fore, when am comparing the terrific
of the United Kingdom, with Il
: United States, I am confning m
self to that which contributes to Il
material revenue of the country of whis
/ am speaking.
/ If you look at the map of the Unit.
States you will find at the extreme sou
the State of Texas, which was one tin
part of the Republic of Mexico. Subs
quently it became independent, and vi
then annexed to the American Unio
There has been some discussion as
whether il is desirable place to q
| All know is it is very hot there, al
a gentleman with whom I am a
quainted, went there to see wheth
his sons could settle there, but
came rather faster than he went, for
said If he had stayed much longer,
would have stayed there forever. Ho,
ever, it is q wonderful State fed Il
producing cattle and cotton, and I'll
size of the single state of Texas, whie
is only one of the States of the Uniol
is 247 900 square miles. Now csnsiu,
247 900 square miles. Austria has onl
240, 900, Germany has only 212, 90
France has only 204 900, the Unite
Kingdom has lac, 1000. Therefore or
single State in the American Union
Texas-is more than twice as Ilarf
as England and Ireland togethe
, But there three other States Rre
chan Great Britain and ireland
and there are three 9TH
Nevada and Colorads
square miles each
than Great e.
er, and