Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1889-07-06
PATRIOTIC SENTIMENTS.

a country eulJOr might WrlVc
week and produce nothing more
suitable or more worthy as
Fourth of July editorial than the
closing part of the address of Hon
Jhauncey M. Depew, at the recent
Inaugural Centennial at New York
ss THE NEW CENTURY.
We stand today upon the diyid
ing line between the first and second
century of Constitutional Govern
ment. There are no clouds over.
head and no commissions under our
feet. We reverently return thanks
to Almighty God for the past, and
with confident and hopeful promise
march upon sure ground toward the
future. The simple facts of these
hundred years paralyze the magma
tion, and we contemplate the vast
accumuIations of the century with
awe and pride. Our population has
grown from four to sixty five mil.
lions. Its centre moving Westward
five hundred miles since 1889, is elo-
quent with the founding of cities and
the birth of States. New settle
ments, clearing the forests and sub
DUNG the prairies, and adding four
millions to the few thousands of
farms which were the support of
Washington's Republic, create one
OF the great granaries of the world
and open exhaustless reservoirs of
National wealth.
The infant industries, which the first
act of our first Admiration sought
to encourage, now give remunerative
employment to more people than in.
habited the Republic at the begin
ming of Washington's Presidency.
The grand total of their annual out.
put of seven thousand millions of
dollars in value places the United
States first among the manufactur-
ing countries OF the earth. One-half
the total mileage of all the telegraph
lines of the world within our borders
testify to the volume, variety and
value of an internal commerce which
makes these States, if need be, indie
pendent and self.supporting. These
hundred years of development under
favoring political conditions have
brought the sum of our national
wealth TO a figure which has passed
the results of thousand years for
the Mother-land, herself, otherwise
the richest of modern empires.
During this generation, civil
war of unequaled magnitude caused
the expenditure and loss of eight
thousand millions of dollars, and kill
ed six hundred thousand and perma-
nently disabled over a million young
men, and yet the impetuous progress
of the North and the marvellous in
dustrial development of the new and
free South have obliterated the evil
dences of destruction, and made the
war memory, and have stimulated
production until our annual surplus
nearly equals that of England,
France and Germany combined.
The teeming millions of Asia till the
patient soil, and work the shuttle
and loom as their fathers have done
for ages; modern Europe has felt the
influence and received the benefit of
the incalculable multiplication of
force by inventive genius since the
NapoleOnic wars and, only two
hundred and sixty-nine years after
the little band ofPllgrims landed on
Plymouth Rock, our people number
ing less than one-tifteenth of the in.
habitants of the globe, do one-third
of its mining, one-fourth of its man.
ufacturing, one-fifth of its agricul-
tuTe, land owns one-sixth of it's wealth.
This realism of material prospect
ity, surprising the widest creations
of the rOmancers who have astonish-
cd and delighted mankind, would be
full of danger for the present and
menace for the future, if the virtue,
intelligence, and independence of the
people were not equal to the wise
regulation OF its uses and the stern
prevention of it's abuses. But follow
ing the growth and power of the
great factors, whose aggregation of
capital made possible the tremendu-
Gus pace of the settlement of our ma.
tiOnal domain, the building of our
great cities and the opening of the
lines of communication which have
unified our country and created our
resources, have come from National
and State legislation and supervis-
ion. Twenty millions, a vast majority
of our people of intelligent age, &C,
knowledging the authority of their
several churches, twelve millions of
children in the common schools,
three hundred and forty.five univer-
sites and colleges for the higher
education of men and two hundred
for, women, four hundred and fifty
institutions of learning for science,
law, medicine and theology, are the
despair of the scoffer and the dema.
gogue, and the firm supporter civil.
cation and liberty.
STEAM AND ELECTRICITY.
Steam and electricity have chang.
ed the commerce not only, they have
revolutionized also the governments
of the world. They have given to
the Press It's power, and brought all
races and nationalities into touch and
sympathy. They tested and are try
ing the strength of all systems to
stand the strains and conform to the
conditions which follow the germin.
ating influences of American De.
mOcracy. At the time of the inaug.
uration of Washington, seven Royal
families ruled as many Kingdoms in
Italy, but six OF them have seen their
thrones overturned and their coun.
tries disappear from the map of Eu.
rope. Most Of the Kings, Princes,
Dukes and Margraves of Germany
who reigned despotically and sold
soldiers for foreign service, have
passed into history, and their heirs
have neither prerogatives or domain
Spain has gone through many vic.
lent changes, and the permanency
of her present government seems to
dnnand unou the feeble life of an in.