Daily Republican., 1889-10-26
TtLMAGEs SERMON.



First, consider the immensely of this
possession. II IL were only a small tract
OF land capable of nothing better than
sage brush and with ability only TO sup
port prairie dogs,I shou not have much
enthusiasm in wanting Christ 10 have II
added 70 His dominion. But Its immen-
sfty and afiluence no one eau imagine un-
tess, in Immigrant wagon or stage coach
or In rail train OF the Union Pacific or the
Northern Pacific or the Canadian Pacific
or the Southern Pacific, he has traversed
It. Having been privileged six times to
cross the continent, and twice this sum
mer, have come 10 come appreci alton OF
Its magnitude. California, which sun
posed In boyhood, from its size on the
map, was a few yards across, o ridge OF
land on which one must walk cautiously
lest he hit his head against tile Sierra Ne.
vada on one side or slip of into the Paci.
lc waters on the other-CalifOrpin. the
thin slice Of land, as supposed TO be in
boyhood, have found to be larger than
all tie States of New England and all
New York State and ell PENNSYLVANIA
added together; and II You add them to-
Relher their square miles fall far short OF
California.
North and South Dakota, Montana and
Washington Territory, to be launched
next winter into statehood, will be giants
at their birth. Let the Congress OF the
United States strain u point and soon
admit also Idaho and Wyoming and New
Mexico. What 10 the use keeping them
out In the cold any longer? Let us have
the whole continent divided into States
with senatorial and congressional repre-.
sentatives and we viii all be happy to-
gether. II some Of them have not quite
the requisite number of people, ok up
the constitution 10 suit these cases. Even
Utah will by dropping polygamy room be
ready TO enter. Monogamy has tri-
umphed in parts OF Utah and will proba-
bly, triumph at this fall election In Salt
Lake City. Turn all the territories into
states, and II some of the sisters are
smaller than the elder sisters give them
time and they will soon he as large as
any OF them. Because some OF the
daughters OF family may be five feet In
stature and the others only four feet, do
not let the daughters five ieet high shut
the door In the faces of those who are
only four feet high. Among the diving
utterances OF our good friend, the wise
statesman and the great author, the
bril- liant orator and magnificent soul, S.
3. Cox, was the expressed determination
TO move next winter In Congress for the
transierence OF other territories iuto
States.
But, say some one, Tin calculating
the immensely oil our continental acreage
you must remember that vast reaches of
our public domain are uncultlvated heaps
OF dry sand, and the bad lands oil Mon
tana and the great American desert"
am glad you mentioned that. Within
twenty-five years there will not be be-
tween the Atlantic and the Pacific coasts
n hundred miles OF land not reclaimed
either by farmers pillow or miners crow
bar. by irrigation the waters of the
rivers aud the showers of heaven in what
are called the rainy Seasons will gather
Into great reservoirs and through aque-
ducts let down where aud when tho peo-
pie want them. Utah is an object lesson.
Some parts OF that territory which were
SO barren that spear of grass could not
have been raised there IN hundred years
are now rich as Lancaster county farms
OF Pennsylvania, or West Chester farms
OF New York, or Somerset county farms
Of New Jersey.
Experiments have proved that ten acres
of ground irrigated from waters gathered
IN great Psychological basins will produce
as much as fifty acres from the downpour
of rain as seen in our regions. We bave
our freshets and our drOughts, but IN
those lands which are to be scientifically
irrigated there will be neither iresi eta
nor droughts. As you take pitcher aud
get IL full of water and set 1t on table
and take drink out Of 1t when you are
thirsty and never think of drinking a
pitcberful all Of once, so Mon aua aud
Wyoming and Idaho will catch the rains
OF their rainy season aud take up all the
waters of their rivers In great pitchers of
reservoirs and drink out of them whep-
ever they will and refresh their land
whenever they will.
The work has already been gradually
begun by the United States government
Over four hundred lakes have already
been oflicia ly taken possession of by the
nation for the great enterprise of irrlga-
ton. Rivera that have been rolling Idly
through these regions, doing nothing on
their way TO the sea, will be lassoed and
corrallsd and pepne up until such time
as the farmers need them. Under the
same processes the Ohio, the Mississippi
and aud all the other rivers will be
taught to behave themselves better, and
great basins will be made to catch the
surplus of waters In times of freshet and
keep them for times OF drought. The
irrigating process by which all the arid
lands between the Atlantic and Pacific
oceans are 10 be feriillzed is no new ex-
pertinent. 1t has been going on success
fully In Spain, in China, in India, in
Russia, In Egypt.
About eight hundred millions of people
Of the esrth to-day arc kept alive by
food raiped on irrigated land. Aud here
we have allowed to lie waste, giving up
to rattlesnake aud bat and prairie dog,
lands enough 10 support whole nations
Of industrious population. The work
begun will be contaminated. Here and
there exceptional lands may be stubborn
and refuse TO yield any wheat or corn
from their hard fists; but II the hoe fail
to make an impression the miners pick.
AZ will discover the reason for 1t and
bring up from beneath those unproduc-
tive surfaces coal and iron and lead and
copper and silver and gold. God speed
the geologs and the surveyors, the en-
gineers, and the Senatorial Commission
ers aud the capitalists and the new set
tiers, ard the huebaudmen who put their
brain and hand and heart to this trans.
fiuuratinn nj thu American continent