The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1895-04-18
Wilmington Star.l

puDllSnSO al CAlIdSt hOlI SPSSSh
delivered in 1852, in the Senate, by
VIM. H. Seward, which in ehe light of
events that have occurred and are now
occurring, reads very much like a
prophecy fulfilled. He was touching
on the foreign relations Of the United
States, when he said
Henceforth European commerce,
European politics. European thought,
and Euporean activity, although actually
gaining force, and European connec-
tions, although actually becoming
more intimate, will nevertheless rela-
lively sink in importance; while the
Pacific Ocean, its shores, its islands,
and the vast region beyond, will become
the chief theatre of events in the
worlds great hereafter.
The far-seeing scope and the bold
ness of this prediction will be the more
realized when it is remembered that
there was then little or no progress in
that Western world to which it referred
that we knew but little Of it, of much
of it very little, and of some of it
absolutely nothing. Our own country
then contained a population of but
a little over 2o,ooo,ooo, civilization
had not advanced far beyond the
Mississippi and Missouri rivers, and
beyond lay the vast wilderness that
separated our Atlantic from our Pacific
territory.
California was then State of
mining camps, and San Francisco
city not halt as large as Wilmington,
with three brick buildings, two of
these gambling houses and one
theatre.
Oregon was still the paradise of the
fur hunter, and Alaska, which Mr..
Seward about ten years later bought
for the United States at about half
cent an acre, was terra inc0gntfa to
all save the student of geography or
the whaler, who pursued his prey in
the waters of the North Pacific.
Until 1850 there was not mile OF
| railroad nor telegraph West of the
Mississippi, and but little West of
the Alleghanies. People who went to
California crossed the plains" in
wagons and fought their way through
Indians or went by sea and crossed
the isthmus.
Mexico, Central and South America
were but little known, and the world
had no conception of their resources
or commercial possibilities.
The islands Of the Pacific were then
peopled by semisavages, and were
visited by few but missionaries or the
occasional trading ship, while Austria
liza, larger than the United States
Excluding Alaska, } was SO little known
as to be classed as an island.
Then there were no vessels plying
between Pacific and Asiatic ports save
the ships that carried and dumped
the Chinese immigrants upon Cali.
fornia's shores, and there was not a
steamship on the Pacific but two tina,
ran between Panama and San Francisco
to carry to San Francisco the passen
gers who crossed the ishtmus on the
gold hunt.
Then there were but few CHINESE
ports open to American commerce
and Iapan's were closed to all tn,
world save Holland which by treat,
, had the right of entry into one o
them.
That was the situation, brief
3 sketched, when VIM. H. Seward mad
this remarkable prediction, which ha
: been fulfilled even bsyond his mos
+ sanguine imaginings. Today the ter
ritory that borders the greatest of tn
worlds watery domains, and the land
+ that lie within it are attracting NOR
o attention than any other part of tn
= globe, and the other nations of tn
!. earth are reaching out to get bette
II acquainted with them and to ente
into closer trade relations.
. The gold of California, the silve
Il of Mexico, the gold of Peru and tn
If gold of Australia, which did so muc
y to people the first and the last and t
10 center European eyes on the othe
y two, are now the lesser of the attrat
,ions, and are dwarfed in value
e other products which twenty fl,
'e e years ago were little dreamed O
! CALIFORNIA; fruit is worth more tina
4, 4, her gold and Australia's wool mo-
e than the product of her mines. Cel
:. trail Americas wheat crop and Il
at cattle in her pastures are worth mo
W than all the minerals dug from h
ot hills. The magic power of the loc
g motive and the telegraph have bet
w. felt there as in other parts of the worl
,ma m and these are all becoming product
,ir and commercial countries, whose DC
ch sibilites have not yet fairly begun
ne be developed.
Ill Who can follow up the prophecy
We Mr.. Seward and predict what tn
at may be two decades hence, when
10 trip by all rail from New York
even further South will be no INC
ep thought OF than riding by rail fro
ne New York to San Francisco now is.
,es Take it all in all the country lyi
MS on this side of the Pacific from Ca
is iornia to Chilli is the most delight
hat portion OF the world, rich in TINT
'up and mineral resources, and endow
es 'nd with agricultural possibilities that ha
to as yet been scarcely tapped. Nat'
by did SO much for it that the peo
grew up in Incidence and did as nea
nothing as possible. 1t was the ALT