Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1889-08-10
sATURDAY----AUGUST 10, 1885
THE LAST HUNDRED YEARS.

w uei NuSilluBlOll was IhduEu
rated, the country consisted Of II
narrow strip Of thirteen sparscly-
populated states along the Atlantic
coast. II now stretches from ocean
TO ocean.
When Washington was inaugu-
rated, there were less han four mil
lions Of people in the entire country.
To-day there are probably siXty-fiye
millions.
Since Washing.on's Inauguration,
one hundred years ago, a 90 ntinent
has been redeemed from he wilder
ness, cities as large as European
cities thousand years old, have
sprung up over the sol enriched by
aboriginal forests. Great iron high
ways for heshless stecds, whose
breath Is smoke and whose hearts
are living fire, have spanned the
rivers, tUnneled the mountains and
made the Atlantic and Pacific neigh
bors. Since Washington was in
augurated, the continent has been
covered with network of slender
wires, the narrow pathway for the
fcet-footed lightning to carry the
messages Of the world.
Washington was, doubtless, one
of the noblest and best Of all ages.
Yet, he was slave owner. He
could hardly have anticipated that,
long before II hundred years after
his death, slavery would come to be
considered by large number Of his
countrymen as II gigantic and
monstrous crime, and be wiped out
of existence by one of the greatest
wars In history.
Ifanyone had predicted to Wash
ington the telegraph, the telephone,
the steamboat, the electric light,
and the thousand and one inven-
tons that have made our era epochal,
he would have looked upon the bold
prophet with an incredulous stare
OF amazement, and would have re-
garded his informant as II wild and
irresponsible lunatc.
II all these things have been ac-
compllshed in the past hundred
years, what may we not expect in
the next hundred years, now that
progress Is moving on at an acceler-
ated rate, and the thoughts of men
keep pace with the express train
rather than with the stage coach?
Surely, In the light Of past expert
encc, no man should be considered
visionary who predicts mexampled
advancement during the coming
century.
So is II not safe to say that the
second centennial of our national
existence will be celebrated from
Hudson's Bay 10 the lsthmus of
Panama? Continental absorption
is surely the tendency Of the times,
Canada has n large number of peo-
Pile who are In favor of annexation,
and this number Is steadily growing
In IA quarter of II century this am
nexation sentiment must be irrcslst-
IDLY strong In that country. Mexi-
can annexation sentiment will have
slower growth. but the great
railroads OF the future will bring the
two widely diverse races Of Ameri-
cans aud Mexicans together. A
mingling of interests and social and
mercantile communication, will, In
the process of time, unity the two
countries, and the advisability of
one common government will be-
come apparent.
There will be great industrial
and social revolution during the
next hundred years. The great la.
bor problem, In one way or another,
will have been solved. Men who
are willing To work will procure
work, and respectable poverty will
be unknown, from the fact that the |
conditions of life will be such that |
all poverty will he unnecessary, aud
hence disreputahle, The third cen.
tury Of our constitutional existence
will open with new problems before
II, OF which We, at the present day, |
cannot even dream.
PRoPLE who think that mission
arx work doe. nnf may una invital |