, 1883-08-30
Opening Of The Northern Pacific,

An eastern exchange. the New
York Northwest, il speaking of this
event of great Importance to the
whole country and especially the
great Northwest. speaks thus:
The event viii be worthiIy com
memorated. An Grafton will be de
livered by Hon. VIM. NJ. Evarts, ex-
Secretary Of State. Excursion par
ties viii go from New York. and from
Portland, Oregon. to witness the GER
emonies. Many distinguished guests
viii attend. The President Of the
United States has signitied his inten-
ton to be present. if his engagements
will permit Several members Of the
Cabinet and other officials holding
high station under the government
have accepted invitations, as well as
the Governors of the Northwestern
States and Territories and the May
ors of the great cities. The party
will also include Il number of the
foreign ministers resident in Wash
ington, many eminent guests from
Europe and representatives of the
leading American, English and Ger
man newspapers.
The last spike Will be driven by
Henry Willard, under whose able
management, as President of the
Northern Pacific Company, the last of
the Tanscontinentalr roads projected
by Congress in 1858, has been com
pleted. Although the last to be
built, the Northern Pacific is the
best of all the roads to the Pacific
Coast: it opens more valuable cOun-
try to settlement than either of the
Others; its tributary territory is more
extensive, more productive, and of
more varied resources.
The completion of the Northern
Pacific is an an event Of national in
terest- 1t links the Great Lakes with
that most capacious and beautiful of
of the worlds harbors, Puget Sound
It joins together by the steel ar
teries of commerce tho whole north
ern tier of States and Territories
from Lake Superior to the Pacific 1t
is building up new communities,
developing new industries, and open
ing new homes to hundreds of thous-
ands of people. 1t shortens by six
hundred miles the route from New
York to Japan and China 1t fur
nishes new channel for the trade
of nations
A generation has passed away since
the idea of a railroad along the route
followed by Lewis and Clarke first
occupied the public mind. How
many courageous and devoted men
have labored for the realization of
this grand enterprise! Honor to the
memory of those who have passed
from the stage of action-to Ash
Whitney and Josiah Perham, who
urged the project upon the attention
of Congress; to Edwin F. johnson and
W. Minor Roberts, the great engi-
neers; to Governor Isaac L Stevens,
the pioneer explorer and ,grveyor.
and to many more! Honor, too, to
the living the whole line of form
er Presidents of the Company
Smith, Cass, Wright, Billings, and
Barney: to President Henry Willard,
whose genius for organization and
finance has provided the means to
complete the road, and give it an ex-
tensive system of feeders and
branches; Jay Cooke, who, in 1870,
raised thirty millions to begin build
ing the road; to the officers of the
Company, and particularly to Thomas
E. Oakes, the Vice-President, and
Adna Anderson, the Chief Engineer,
who have directed the construction
of over 1000 miles of track ON the
main line and branches in two years
time; to General Sherman, who gave
to the enterprise the invaluable sup
port of the army, and to his subordi
nate officers who swept the savage
Indian from the pathway of the road!
Honor to them all! May they stand
on the grassy slope of the Main
Divide, on a bright September day,
listen to the eloquent words of the
great orator and witness the con-
summation of their hopes in the driv-
ing of the last spike on the Northern
Pacific Railroad.