, 1883-09-20
Our Past, Present ind Future.

AT the SCltllS Ct4cDI dIlOh VA
urdav Hon. c. VI. Bradshaw, OF Port
Townsend, was one of the speakers.
Here is what he said:
Mr.. President, and Ladies and
Gentlemen:-I had hoped that my
name would be overlooked upon that
list. l would have enjoyed the very
eloquent addresses to which you have
listened, had not feared the gentle
man who introduced me would see
my name. The immense audience L
see before me reminds me of my
first visit to the present
town of Seattle; it was thirty
years ago. 1 see before me the same
general outlines of the face of the
country; the same harbor, the same
placid waters lying at our feet l see
the same river emptying into the
head of the bay. l see the same
mountain sentinel standing and keep
ing guard over us here. But in all
else how changed is the scene! In
stead of the hut of the Indian, you
have the evidences of civilization;
in fact, the lu1uriant mansions of an
intelligent and enterprising people.
You have here instead of the tangled
forest, the graded street and beauti-
full, improved townsite. The COM
pleted railroad carries me back also
to more than thirty years ago, when
/ commenced my tedious passage
acrosss the plains. l climbed upon
the main peak near where Nebraska
City now stands, and gave one long,
longing look toward civilization, and
turned my face westward, and for SIX
months saw nothing of civilization
except what we had along with us,
and our OK teams, and we old pion-
ssrs who crossed the plains, who took
that long and weary journey, know
what the Northern Pacific Railroad
Company means. was here for six
teen months before I received a
scratch of a pen or any word from
any relative or friends ] had left be-
hind. Now we may before the set
ting sun speak to any of our relatives
in any portion of this union and get
a reply. We can in six days reach
any part of the union, and that we
can do because of the Northern Pa
clfic Railroad. We have many points
contending for supremacy on Puget
Sound. Seattle does not stand alone;
Tacoma, Whatcom, and I may even
say Port Townsend. They all expect
to be the terminii of railroads after
a while. 1 tell you we will have rail
roads wherever we have anything to
transport. Wewon't have railroads
much before that time. You people
ten years ago expected to become the
terminus of the Northern Pacific
Railroad. I tell you in my judgment
you are far more wealthy and far
more prosperous than you would
have been had you been selected %
the terminus. As it is it has been q
benefit. You have not mortgaged
your property, you have engaged in
commerce and you are today Queen
on the waters of Puget Sound You
built your steamboats, and went down
Sound and took away our trade, and
brought it up here to Seattle, and
built up your town. You reached
out in every direction; you built
wharves and manufactures; you en-
ployed men; opened coal mines; you
are twice what you would have been
had you depended on being the ter
minus of the railroad. There needs
to be generous rivalry between you
and all the points on the Sound
4 hc1 . 10 1OOIA 1OI IuIcC VI 1Ol1 tOW ho
on Puget Sound. People are going
to work in other places as well as
here. I might say one word in re-
gard to the President of the N. p. r.
r. Co. As he is not here it would
not be regarded as 'taffy." You will
never know what is is TO have prop
er man at the head of a corporation
until you get an incompetent man
there. When you get man who
will use the corporation to build up
one enterprise while he breaks down
another you will appreciate the diff
ference. But now we have man at
the head of q corporation who is
above such purposes. You have Q
man as President Of the Northern
Pacific Railroad Company with q
mind and energy to know that
when he builds up the interests
Of all the people he builds up his
own interests, and that when he tears
down the people he tears down him
self. (Applause.l 1 thank you for
your attention.
California has sddad IN ifs alread "