The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1885-04-03
GENERAL BAKNR's sPEDCH At
NEW ORLEANs.

on Minnesota Day at the |.
xrosition. Several prominent persons
poke appropos to the occasion, but as
ne appointed spokesman of the day,
ZEN. ]. H. Baker delivered the Grafton
roper, which is replete with facts and
CURES bearing upon the welfare OF the
tate in its entirety. The General was
fortunate OH this occasion In
he use of his characteristic fluency Of
speech, setting forth each idea with
orce and aptness. l.
To give our readersa slight conception
IF the nature and scope of the speech
we make here few extracts:
The Mississippi Is our common Inheritance
Its fountains are ours; It's gates to the ocean:
are yoursI Rising at the feet OF the frosted
pines OF Itasca, II pursues its way, now IN
again widening into picturesque lakes, or
foaming over cascades. gathering volume AS |
Il flows, IL descerds into the plain, irrigating
for strength, IL plunges over rapids and falls, |
driving the wheels where the skill or man
works out the polished products OF civillza- |
ton; at last, gathering Its great family OF riv-
ers and rills into one superb channel, mature,
deep and strong, IL bears upon lis stately po-
som the commerce OF the West. IL seems de-
sgns %r 1S S osnS az ihe neoneS on ms shores
into a single community OF interests ana ues-
tiny. Unlike as are the productions OF its
union, for Il substitutes inter:dependepen
for rivalry. Its social conditions, too, are not
the least of its benefits, While We may ty
from the pr4sraeted rigors Oh northern @,n
the enervating summers heat. and mud the
roses Of health among some OF the thousand
lovely lakes which ornament our state.
Youngest Of all the states which border thls
illustrious stream, Minnesota presents herself
81 RGSstff tdttf hsss 6tt re NE rte
veloped frpm barbaric solitudes into well or.
ganized and equipped republic. That We are
here to-day with a collective exhibit OF which
any people might be proud, with but twenty:
| seven years OF statehood behind Us, Is indeed
miracle OF creation. We represent mill
| lion Of kindred Anglo-Saxons, who, upon the
fertile lands Of Minnesota, are working out
the problems OF American life We exhibit
To you the evidences OF activity, the witnesses
But IL is the wise diversiflcation OF her crops
| and products that have recently accelerated
our growth and development We have for
| tunately reached that period when one inter
est no longer overshadows all others. but
| where each Is the correlatiYe OF the whole,
framing The beams and girders Of common
| wealth, solid aud Seli-sustaining. Tho ex-
| haustIng era OF wheat has given way to the
| era Of diversifcation. No cereal Is king, but
| corn, oats, TAX, barley, rye and sorghum are
|
wealth. Above all, grass development. Gull
tivatcd grapes flourish well, and 3Ou, 40 pounds
were reported Us tho procuct of 1884. Out Of
| these good wine Is produced. Minnesota was
and three silver medals for best grapes east or
| the Rocky Mountains. In all the varied fam
ny OF berries ana pl9ms, our cannot be excel
| Diversified horticulture Is one OF the perma-
nent and attractive industries OF our state.
This summary of our resources would be In
NlaHA kntN IN ha
deriul stone formations ana varied clays Of
the state. The beautiful stone shaft which
lifts itself nearly forty feet in height before
you, correctly represents the varied and con-
| secutive strata OF the extended formation
from which 10 was taken AT the City Of Manka-
To. The thickness and variety Of the strata,
its ability To sustain pressure and Withstand
the corroding influences OF the elements; the
pink-tinted stone, In tuxta-positiOn with IL, al
| kusUta, so well calculated and celebrated for
decorative work; but above all the marvellous
deposit OF hydraulic cement rock, west OF
| Mankato, which Is now admitted by experts TO
be the most tenacious Of any natural cement
rock-thesc combined make this one Of the
most remarkable families OF limestone known
To the world The manufacture Of this cement
is in full operation, and its approved merit ID
causing II 10 supplant even the artificial Port
land This. with the rich family OF clays, such
as the lire brick, porcelain clay, clay for tile
ing and pottery, which are widely scattered
over the state complete rare aggregate Of
permanent values. To these must be added
the splendid GRANTEES OF ST. Cloud and the
sandstones Of Duluth with many aud varied
deposits OF blue limestone, which complete
the endowment Of the state with q wonderful
| wealth of rock and clay equipment.
Upon no equal area OF territory has nature
The aggregate of these waterfalls is beyond
belief. Their individual force is such as u
merit mention. ST. Anthony falls equals 1856,
w horsepower, Sank Rapids, Pokegema, Lit
lie Falls, the Rapids OF St. Croix and the bells
of ST. Lewis will each average 90,OO0. There
are twenty-seren others well distributed and
worthy Of mention. This combined power
would turn the wheels OF the industries Of the
United States. They are incentives To the fab
rication of our raw material. We have not
only the motive power, but abundance OF
forces proper employment. They invite q
enterprise, and are u withdrawing power.
The browning glory of our state IL her SUI
perb system of public and higher schools. The
wisdu IN OF Minerva could not have pointed
out nobler or safer policy for the state than
ton OF her children. Minnesota believes tina,
the common school lies at the base OF the
problem OF self-government. The remarka'
BILE and unrivaled exhibit OF her school system
now before you attest their high character
| and excellence. AT the beginning, the munin.
| ccnce OF the national government equipped
| the state with dowry IL lands, princely In
| extent. The sixteenth and thirty-sixth sec
| tiOns I'm each township are devoted to this pur-
pose. Ii gives us u grand total OF 3,00O,UOC
acres, an area equal In extent to the state Of
| Connecticut.
| We might inscribe upon our shield that we
| are a "termnal state and Invoke that god,
| Terminus, whom the Romans set up TO mark
| the limits of empire. Here ends the western
| trend of the waterways OF the ST. Lawrence
| and the great lakes; here beGins the naviga-
| tion VI the Red river of the North; here closes
| the navigation of the Father OF Waters;"
| here is the limit TO United States railways,
stopping at the line OF the Dominion Of Cam
| ada; here Is the eartern teaminus OF the North
| Pacific. These conditions have given to the
| strte and its commercial center, st. Paul, q
| phenomenal growth. We stand at the gate
| way of the northwest To toll Its wealth We
are but in the early morning OF this exciting
| drama. The prolific power OF a cereal empire,
| the cattle upon ten Thousand hills, fabulous
| mineral resources and u thousand wealth pro-
ducing elements; these, under the creative
energies Of Anglo-SaXon civilization, are the
mighty forces that stand as sponsors for our
| future growth and greatness. The sober judy
ments of men are made almost incredulous
| by the immensely of our resources.
II will be noticed that the General
did not let slip unimproved this oppor-
tunity to speak a special word for Man.
kato and her abundant recommending
resources, for which her citizens feel
duly grateful, and We trust that our city
was brought into favorable notice, from
which may spring beneficial results.