St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-10-20
FUTURE OF THE TWIN CITIES.


try, and there is general confidence in
this as great commercial and industrial
center. yet very few people have given
sufficient attention to the subject to
realize what great future there is for
us. In his lecture on "Ultimate Amer
ica," Joseph Cook represents the agri-
cultural center of the country in the fol-
lowing clear and forcible way: "When
was in St. Paul, Mimi, l asked man
who is thoroughly acquainted with the
country, to indicate the fartheSt point
to the northwest of that city at which
wheat would mature with certainty. l
then placed one point of my cOmpaSSPs
on st. Paul and stretched the other to
the place he indicated. | then turned
the point from the northwest 10 the
east, and it stood in the Atlantic ocean.
/ turned it to the south, and it stood in
the Gulf of MeXicO.'
This is Dir. Cooks way of showing that
there is more wheat-prOducing territory
northwest of Minneapolis and st. Paul,
than there is south or east of here. Mr..
Cooks demonstration is too clear to be
ignored; and it furnishes the basis Of
other interesting suggestions.
-
That the whole of North Amer
lea Except the part lying south of
the United StateSl will soon be united
i'll both political and commercial rela-
tons, is evident to anyone who cares to
study the present capitalization of pub
lie opinion. just when, or in what
manner the union or annexation Will
occur, may be difficult to f0retell. But
it requires no prophetic gift to see that
such consolidation will be made. The
Nnr tf,xn 81 IL, MI aHxrt 20
precedented strides in the Way of de-
velopment: but will soon take much
greater. The addition of four new
states in single year,all in the samesec-
ton is no INSIGNIFICANT matter. But there
are yet greater things to come out of the
Northwest. The United States already
has territory in the extreme North
west of the continent. 565, S62 square
miles in extent, and of great value on
account OF its mineral deposits. furS
and fisheries. While the vast interven-
ing scope of country includes exceed
ingly valuable DO les of land, such as
the Saskatchewan valley, east of the
Rocky mountains, and British Columbia
west OF them. In addition to these fer
tile lands, the mountain section is rich
in minerals and in timber; the whole
destined to become in the near future a
source of great commercial value to the
entire country.
~
Nor is the source of wealth from the
Northwest confined to the territory
mentioned; even the bridging of Behr-
ing straight is neither impossible nor
improbable. 1t is only thirty-siX miles
across, and this distance is broken up
by many islands. the water at no point
being more than twenty to thirty faith
oms deep. Russia is already prof.
Getting line of railroad into Siberia,
which will extend to Behring straight.
The Eastern and Western continents
can thus be connected by land. All this
StupendOuS enterprise will require time,
but it will doubtless be done. And in
the near future railways will be con-
Structed from the states through the
western portion of British America, con-
Meeting Alaska with us.
But what of all this prospective North
western enterprise on the future of the
Twin Cities? It's evident that all the
wealth from all the regions referred to
will flow TO the Southeast through one
great channel. And Minneapolis and
st. Paul will be the great distributing
center for it all. When the whole of
North America is consolidated. the stu
dent of ultimate America" will then
place one point of his compasSeS at the
Twin Cities. and turning the other to
the four winds will find that here is the
great central inland city OF North
America.
If these suggestions should seem in
ereditablc to anyone, let him think of
the developments here in the last TWEEN
ty-five years. Suppose some specuia-
tive journalist of a quarter of a century
ago had ventured the prediction that i'll
twenty-five years there would cities
arise here with population of 400,OOJ;
and that it would be the great distrbut-
ing centre for the grain OF the West and
Northwest; and not only OF grain, but
q great railway center. and the prlnci-
pal lumber city III the whole country.
Would these things which have already
materialized, have been any more credi-
bic than those outlined in the above
suggestions? 1t is just as certain that
the immense wealth of the great North
west Will be developed, as 1t is that there
is material there TO be developed. 1t is
equally certain that the Twin Cities
will be the principal distributing point
for it all. And this genera alton Will not
pass till many of these things shall be
fulfilled.
But the. cities which will be so greatly
blessed by these developments do not
have to wait for prosperity till all these
stall come about. The past has brought
growth and prosperity which is without
a parallel in the history of the country;
the present could not be more encourag-
ing. Scarcely week, or even day
passes without the announcement of
some new business enterprise; all of
which are constantly bringing in more
capital, and affOrding employment for
muItitudes of lab0rerS. The four new
states northwest of us are drawing and
will continue to draw vast multitudes of
settlers. for all of whom these cities
will, for years, if not for all time to
come. be the great wholesale market.
Every acre cultivated III the rich fields
of Dakota, and every mine worked in
Montana, means more business in Min
neapOliS and st. Paul. The prosperity
of the Northwest is our prosperity: the
increase of population in these new
states means more rapid increase
of population in the great cities. No
one can go along our streets at the pres
ent time and see the great number of
first-class buildings going up on every
hand, and the cable and electric car
lines projected. without seeing that we
are in prosperity without regard to the
future. The great commercial possible
tiles of this center will attract manufac-
tories of every kind; so that we shall
have all things necessary for great
metropolis.
The chief thing. however. seeing we
are surrounded with such Possibilities
for great future. is the life and spirit
necessary to the organization and COLI
troll of great enterprises. No better
evidence of this could be adduced than
the record of the wOcities in the past.
Nowhere in the world, in ancient or in
modern times, has there ever been
gathered so large population with
so much wealth and business enter
prise, in the same length of time.
as we have in these cities. The
men who are capable of laying such
foundations. vino have erected such
paIatial homes, who have erected such
churches, and founded such institutions
of learning as we have in these two
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