The Daily Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Or.) 1876-1883, 1883-09-11
offer their congratulations.

recent strides OF our country's pro-
gress in material development,
dwarf and belittle the steps in our
advancement which we used to
consider with complacency and
admiration. Less than forty years
ago, as lately as the year 1S47, in
the little state of New Hampshire,
the energy of its people, allied
with the wealth of Boston, had
pushed their northern railroad
over the narrow ridges of high
lands which divide the narrow
bottom lands of the Merrimac from
the wider valley of the Connecti-
cut. The opening of this section
of the road, from Franklin to Graf
ton, was an occasion of great exul-
tation, and a distinguished COM
pany of the solid men of Boston
had come up from that city, in a
forenoon, to meet the gathered
citizens of New Hampshire in Il
grand celebration. The road ira
versed the farm of Mr.. Webster,
and he took part in the pride and
pomp of the occasion. Magnify
ing, as an orator should, the
greatness Of this triumph over the
obstacles which nature had inter
posed, and over time and space,
and portraying the advantages
which were to flow from i:, with
out the least sense of hyPerbole,
he exclaims, "Fellow citizens, can
we without wonder consider where
we are and what has brought us
here?" How vast all the dimen-
sions and proportions of the COM
pleted enterprise we now applaud,
seen by the side of the achieve
ment which the great orator and
statesman of our country thus
proudly commemorated, to these
sober-minded New Englanders,as q
wonder! This last achievement ol
the intelligence and energy Of OuI
people climbs over the lofty range
of mountains which divides the
waters OF a continent between the
two great oceans OF the world. II
binds together by one more indis'
soluble bond the destinies of a
great people, who lock from the
window Of their habitation upor
the horses of the sun as they ris'
from the stormy waves of the AT.
lantic, and again when they quencl
their fire in the smooth waters o.
the Pacific. 1t forms one more
portage for the water-borne com
merce which plies between Europ,
and Asia. 1t brings new fields o
tiIlage adequate to feed tens o
millions, under whose healthfu
and happy toll their seed time AM
harvest shall never fail, and tens O
millions more, less fortunate, VIII
crowd the worksops and the fac
tories, the cities and the mines @
Europe and America in this az
of industry. 1t will help 10 assu
age inequalities of nature and dis
PARTIES of fortune among ou
people and to spread peace
plenty and prosperity to othe
nations. Nor does it lessen on
gratitude and gratulations tha
this is not the first, and that i
will not be the last, that this wid
land Of ours witnesses on the sam
great scale of effort and benef
cence.
As our flying footsteps leay
these heights of moral and naturs
vision, | am sure this compan
will feel this occasion was not vi
worthy Of assemblage which th
> secretary of the interior honor
with his attendance, and the illu:
trious soldier, after following b
own fame around the world find
attractive in its interests; to whic
the ministers of the powers {
Europe lend the favor of the
countenance, and which collec
so many eminent men Of our ow
country and of the old world I
assist in this international celebri
ton.