The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-12-25
THE PHILOSOPHY or HISTORY.
Hon. Thomas 8. Reeds Brilliant Trib-
ute to the West.
The cIviIizIng Influence Of the Facul-
tyfor Accumulation.
Why the Puntans Succeeded SO Wen
as Pioneers.

1 NJ bhe Ddnquct OF tne sons OF New EnE-
land in New York Saturday Hon. Thomas
b. Reed responded to the toast "The Mighty
West in a brilliant and witty speech that
received the highest praise OF all present.
| He was introduced as the speaker Of the
next House Of Representatives and. according
TO the New York Press. was greeted with
''vociferous applause" Mr.. Reed spoke A.
| follows:
II am going to try to talk about the West
tonight not so much because l know a great
deal about 1t as because this audience prob
ably knows less. Laughter.l
1T Is on the well known scientific prinei-
| pie that tiye-year-old boy can teach a four.
| yeaT-old boy more than Plato or Aristotle or
| 81. raul, and possibly more than the PrOfes-
| sor OF Poll tical Economy Of a New England
college. My residence also Is advantageous.
Most everything Is west OF Maine Laugh
teri, and II 1t should be desirable to have a
nne and expansive peroratiOn the whole
boundless continent might easily be ours.
"One OF the strongest and most powerful
men Of California, a land Of vigorous men
not long ago declared to me, and i venture 10
shock the New England Society with his
declaration, that had the Pilgrim Fathers
landed on the Pacific slope instead Of on
1 Plymouth Rock, civilization would never
have got east OF the Rocky Mountains
| [Laughterl These people, after California.
would never have thought our part OF the
country worth the trouble OF settlement
whoever amid the warmth 0f the almost un-
ending summer and standing on the rich
soil OF those sunset lands, thinks Of the rock
bound regions and sterile coasts Of the
Northern Atlantic, may well indulge a day
dream OF the teemiDg empire which could
have been west Of the SierIas had an the en-
| ergies which have made this Republic zreat.
been concentrated on those wonderful val
leys. Nevertheless this day dream, entieing
| as II Is, Is all mistake. What seem 10 have
| been the chances Of history are always the
DEGREES Of 2 higher law. And this Is no ex-
eepti0n. Wherever within the temperate
| zone nature Is the most bleak, there she r.
| the weakest, and there must be the frss sue
cessful attack. New England SOIL Welded
little, but II yielded that little 70 labor with
out capital; And capital Is never hrst set
only with the labor Of their hands and the
scanty knowledge of Europe, been Dropped
upon tho San Joaquin valley, they would
have. perished mlsarably amid the riches
which our generation finds 10 be without
stint or limit. 1t took all the wealth which
the Atlantic coast could garner or attract In
hundred and nifty years to begin the ex-
ploltation of the West. [Applausel
DID you ever think how the map of
America two hundred years ago, II be could
have had II, would have deceived the wisest
observer as to our future history? He would
have seen on the Atlantic coast narrow strip
shut on from all the rest Of the continent by
LudAh VI hOuut0Auo 1lEtElNAuA ITnm Tie
White Hills almost to Florida He would
have seen the great valley open 10 access
only from the Gulf OF Mexico and the Gulf
Of st. Lawrence. Knowing that Spain held
the one ana France the other, not even the
boldness OF patriotism or of prophecy would
have ever dared to people the banks Of that
riches-bearing river and its richer tributa-
ries with an English speaking race. The
West was settled In defiance Of the map.
across the rugged mountains and across the
mighty rivers.
"The Spaniards wasted their energies In
In vain pursuit Of tabled fountains OF youth
and still more fabulous Cities Of gold. Ia
their vain search for the riches which cost
nothing they lost the riches which TODAY
astonlsh the world That wealth was re-
served for the descendants Of those who had
| learned on the tough soil Of the Atlantic
Coast that greet lesson that man must pay a
| lastPrlee for what he has. (applansel That
the French had the nobler motive OF gl0r
for their native land and the still lOftier hope
of bringing to the Christian fold the roaas :
ing Sayages, did not preserve for them the
empire Of the great valley. They left their
names and their whitening bones ON tha
banks OF many western river but the land
l and Its riches were for a people who had few
1 notions Of glory and still fewer designs for
the conversion Of Indians. applause and
laughter. All history shows that Il needs
| certain cOarseness Of fibre 90 conquer the
| world. The Pilgrims and the Puritans bOth
had 1t and gild their memories however we
may, they had as firm grasp on this world
| as they thought they had on the next
tLangnter. we cannot spare 50 many dne
| words on them as on the others Success i
1 always proSaic. Poetry clusters thlckest
| over failures as Ivy over ruins. The losers
have the garlans for II Is not always The
| saints who possess the earth. LOftiest mo-
| tiyes often brings smallest returns IL Ba
hard thing to say but It Is the truth, that an
honest and persistent desire for six per cent
1 interest, with willingness 10 take ten. has
done more to civilize the world than an the
courage q the Crusaders. Great applause
and laughter) And on this continent what a
world 1t has won. Did you ever look al he
map OF hundred and twenty years ago.
There lies the narrow strip close BY the mar
i gin OF the inaospltable ocean which Is the
germ oil the great Republic OF today. The
i Province boundaries 90 back "a few miles and
then lose themselves in a vast unknown
4 Today few spots nnexplored lie under the
daily pathway Of the sun from ocean 10 ocean
What a vast empire 1t Is! l say It with no
thought Of boasting but in simple wonder.
Most Of 1t lies beyond the Mississippi The
| Mississippi Is West no longer. Ohio has
ceased to be Western State except at polit-
ical conventions. lLaughter.l The great
| plains which stretch towards the sunset we
| nave carved into States and Territories so
immense that we have utterly disguised
| their greatness even from ourselves How
many men who listen to me here know that
California alone has hundred million OF
4 dttEo VI thb sui tllt sun ever NHNuF
on and under a sun the most benignant that
ever shone, capable Of filling the world with
grain and oil and wine and fruit and reasing
stalwart millions. How many know thar
the great Empire State Of New York could
be three times embroidered on the single
state OF California. and leave plenty Of room
for New Jersey and Delaware2 Spread up
on California, New York and every New
England State, and If you added Pennsylva-
MA only the bare edge would hang over the
4 Papi6n. kRnfmakV aufataua ATFaufaafs.r.t
and Massachusetts II fashioned into cOnve-
nient shapes could be slowed away in Mon
tana and never In the least jostle over anOth-
eT Dakota, which we refuse to admit into
the Union (shamel can admit within her
borders nine out of the IS original States
| But hLge extent Of territory and untold
wealth Is the least that we owe 20 the West.
Much that makes up American manhood has
come from there. Progress clogs In the old
ruts. Where society Is settled individuality
Is lost IN use and wont. But when men are
forced to face new conditions, when old
formulas have ceased to solve the world then
whatever Of power the brain holds CONES forth
| In fullness OF vigOr. The Western man had
to meet his new and untried problems face
to face and out Of that struggle eame with
much that was extravagant and much that
was grotesque an energy which knew no
obstacles, a courage which rOared defiance q
all its foes. What was extrayagant and gro
tesque ad0rns fiction In Elijah P0gram''
and "The POgram Defiance" but the final
result adorns history in Abraham Llneoln's
name blessed forever. Applause While
we In the East were untying the knots Of
old entanglements, were losing ourselves IN
sOphistical difficulties Of constitutions and
| statutes, the West was marching on the
Gulf! IL New England has given 10 the
| West capital and men, the West has given
back 70 New England no small measure Ol
yigor Of thought. uRlimited release from the
thraldom OF old traditions and many q use
ful lessons In craftsmanship and war. IAp
| plause
Much OF the West remains uneonquered
| Away OH beyond the Mississippi and bey0nd
the turbid waters of the muddy Missouri
| you may travel dav after day and niglt az
ter night over plains without human nabita.
tion, watched over by the melancholy noun
tains. But no man comes back from such
travel today without an abiding certainty
that the taird century Of the Republic will
see those tTeeless, waterless plains which Iie
| out so lonely under the lonely sky. swarm
Ing with mill Of rich, happy and content
ed citizens Of this republic, made stronger
| by successful battle with nature and mail