New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-04-11
u.l.u.rs and Maryland, were an emlgrants from the

oone the mountains OF New Hampshire, but located
In this metropolis Of the New World, who again, seized
with the impulse Of the past ages, animated by the
nspirason Of the old Prophets of Judes, his soul
sro with the same enthusiasm that once directed the
vision of the young sailor Of Genoa started again the
x,nning cry for the movement of the human race Go
west Young man, This Seer Of the New World was
Horace Greeley, his mouthpiece the paper whose
semcentennial anniversary celebrate here tonight
The New-York Tribune. Applause.)
The people of this Nation and many from the Old
World acted upon his advice. From that day down to
the present time they have been constantly going West
II is certainly permitted to me TO speak somewhat Of
that West here tonight.
THE MAGNITUDE OF THE WEST.
Few people realize the magnitude Of that great en-
n;re You may take all the New England and Middle
states comprisng Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont and
New.Hampshlre Connecticut and Rhode Island, New
York and Pennsylvania, New-Jersey, Delaware and
MARYLAND and they contain only about $4,000 square
miles The entire South, giving them Missouri. Ar
zona New-Mcxico and the Indian Territory, have
600 600 souare miles. The West covers l. 500 900
souar miles of territory Do you know that into the six
new states Just admitted into the Union, You place
te six New England States eight times and then have
land enough left 10 make the State on Delaware?
There is land enough in those six States to the
entire thirteen original States that first comprised
this Government and then have enough left to make
three States the size of Newiork and still edgings
enough to make state as large as New-Jersey and
MARY land combined.
But you ask are not those six States mostly noun
tains BY no There is one valley in the
State of Montana that will take in the entire State of
Massachusetts, without its touching the mountains on
either side; and several more into which you could
tuck away the State of Rhode Island and the space
would hardly be missed Indeed, in my judgment,
there acres of good, arabic land in those six
new States than there are in the thirteen original
States Of this Union. And then think of Ohio Michigan,
No
braska, Kansas, Oregon and California stin left for
farms, and the mines Of Colorado and Nevada. So
much for SIZE
But what does this great West produce? Let me
enumerate Nearly all wheat; the bulk of
corn, most of OATS large part of our beef and
pork and mutton; the greater portion of our wool
and hides much the larger part of our poultry and
eggs, and butter and cheese almost all of the gold
and silver and lead and zinc about all of copper
onehah of all iron ore most Of the lumber, and
soft coal without any limit To move all these
products is small problem Do you know that the
tonnage which passes through the Sault Canal each
year is once and half as much again as the entire
amount that passes through the suez Canal, which
receives the freight from two hemiSpheres There
more of freight that go through the Detroit River
each year than enters the great shipping port of Liver
pool, that wonder of the East But those two arteries
hardly touch the carrying power of the West. There
are to-day in the United States about 167 900 miles OF
railroads. OF these New England and the Middle
States, the East, have 10000 miles; the South has
51000 miles and the West has 10000 miles. The
three States, Ohio, Illinois and Iowa, have miles
Of railroads than the eleven NewEngland and Middle
States.
Whatsthen you ask is left for the East to produce
what does she do! Evidently a great work. She
manufactures very largely the materials from the
South and West for our entire people; makes the
larger part of the leather the cotton goods the woolen
goods, the silk goods the clothing the boots and shoes
manufactures every conceivable kind of fabric; con-
vers the of the West into iron and STEEL and again
into rails and nails and wire and all kinds of ma
chnery and tools; utilities copper and zinc and
lead absorbs most of gold and sveru takes
mortgages farms, city property our rail
roads and Mines and cuts the coupons off from most
of our bonds
Yes, yes some one says, we know about the wonder
ful products of the West, but you have omitted the
greatest product of the East She also grows men,
wonderful men. (ApplauSe) / know that in the past
her efforts in that direction have been greatly blessed
One hardly say enough in praise of country that
has such list of great names. No land need feel
Inundated that can count among its historians such
men as Prescott and Bancroft in literature such
names as Washington Irving Nathaniel Hawthorne
and Ralph Waldo Emerson, among its poets, Long
fellow and Bryant and Whittier; theologians
Jonathan Edwards, Charming and Lyman Beecher;
among Its fnanciers Robert Morris and Galatin and
Fessenden one need look little further for statesmen
after naming Alexander Hamilton and Daniel Webster,
and there is little room left for Others in journalism
after two such names Benjamin Franklin and
Horace Greeley. (Appause)
THE HOME OF BRAVE MEN.
Yet, did it never occur to you that when the Lord,
looking into the future, trouble ahead for this
Republic, saw that He must have men of action, men
who would have the faculty of doing things TO meet
the trying necessities Of the coming conflict,
He turned His eyes toward the West and
planted Sheridan and Sherman and Grant and stanton
of in fha undaV OOad
West (Applause.) Such men must needs have been
placed where there would be room for them TO grow.
Where else would it have been possible to such
man as Abraham Lincolnl Call him frivolous If you
will. Cast at him gbes and taunts account of his
awkward person and lack of polished manners. Never
mind all that. The world viii write him as pos
sessg two qualifications that very essential in the
makeup Of a great man. lie had heart and brains.
Given these two essentials in such marked degree and
small defects count for little.
There are two men, both reared in the West, whose
places already assured in the history of the human
race-Grant and Lincoln. They will both hold their
positions through the ages. Grant the who
completely filed the BILL who did the work assigned
him. and did it we'll if it did take all and
Lincoln who had the intellect TO grasp the entire sua
ton and the heart to keep always kind and gentle and
considerable never tagging in his love OF freedom and
never losing sight of the union of all the States and the
perpetuty OF the Nation. Had the West simply given
TO the world these two her cup Of great achieve
ment would be well nigh full. Applause)
In naming the great men Of the East confined my
self mostly TO those that dead and gone not because
she has not now living many men of enown-
giants, tO0-but because to give the list here in
this presence tonight l fear would shock the we'll
known mOdesty of too many Of our guests
who dislike to their in the public print
If there is anything in which Western exhibits
almost religious ZEAL it is in his reverence for such
glrlish shrinking from public notoriety l know the
merits these men, but must respect their delicate
sensitiveness.
In the West you seldom find this peculiar self
abnegation strongly developed. Lack Of L" cheek"
is rarely mentioned Western weakness. Her peo-
pie usually know what they want and proceed at
to claim it. How else could they have secured the
Worlds Fair for 293, for which the contest
shaPp and Having location there