The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-04-18


piness OF that territory. whose plenteous,
past and present. are but the promise OF
a glory unequaled In the annals of the
ports OF 1exas-spots OF beauty and OF
hopel tAppIausej.
The benencent results OF u mission 80
marked finds reflection in the brightest
OF the pages OF history. Commerce as the
handmaden OF agriculture, as an instru-
ment welded for the bene1t OF the pro-
ducing toilers of a country, and not borne
as weapon to strike down It's Idols and
ideals, has but expanded In every age 10
bless mankind. Guided by the adventur-
Gus spirit OF commerce, the ancient Arabs
supposed descendants OF Esau and lehmael,
bore to distant regions their bags OF sill
YER and other goods II was the spirit
of commerce. penetrating the Red Sea with
its vessels that laid the wealth OF Ophlr
at the throne OF Solomon, the king. It
was this same spirit, dauntiess in its dar-
| Ing, that so raised Carthage to her PIN
nacle OF greatness as to justify the his
toric record. 1.-THE strength OF Rome was
in her legions, but that of Carthage in
her ships; and her ships could reach realms
where legions were powerless." 1t was the
mariners compass, largely under the In
huence OF commercial exploitation, that
opened to civilization and its advance
ment the Azores and Canary islands, the
Guinea coast OF Africa, Jamaica. Puerto
Rico and San Salvador, Newfoundland
Labrador and Nova Scotia, and, eclipsing
! all in the discovery OF America, made
: possible for man the only real Republic
that had ever risen on his hopes OF free
dom or dreams OF liberty cloud APP
plause).
From the centuries Of the past over
which time has enacted his mausoleum
we drink in the present at fountains OF
/ inspiration. But great as were the achieve
ments OF the buried cycles, they are as
nothing to the extension OF commercial
relations In the century soon to close. To
such history has no parallel The causes
are obvious when 1t Is remembered that in
the year 1919 the first steam vessel crossed
the Atlantic, from Savannah to Liverpool;
when 1t is remembered that as late as
May 1874. there were only forty miles
OF Morse's magnetic telegraph in this
country while today submarine cables
link the nations OF the earth; when IL Ia
remembered that even In 1889 the ocean
steamers of the world might have been
numbered on the fingers OF a hand, while
low Great Britain alone counts them b,
the thousands In foreign trade and ali
the other maritime States have their lines
and fleets threading the great rivers
cleavlng every sea and gulf and strait. .
(Applause).
1 In this almost marvellous march of com
mercial progress there have arisen to con-
front you changed conditions. with new
wants and increasing products, creating
corresponding needs of new manufactures
and expanding trade. The arid regions Of
your territory may be made to blossom,
as rose, the verdant forests to yield
their product to mills and manufacture.
the agricultural lands to increase their
bushels of grain, where billions to trillions.
and their bales Of cotton, where thousands
to millions. But great as must be these
achievements what will they ALL at last
avail. If IT be, as the truth u.s. that the
profits OF this army of producers must lie
in the surplus above home consumption
and If 1t be, as the truth is. that the
prohts Will be consumed In the absence o.
competitive rates to and through the out
let's to The seas, and II 1t be, as the truth
49, that. to maintain this competition un-
der the pressure OF increasing yield the
deep water gulf ports available for the
near future are absolutely without ter
minal capacity, unless deep water, now
within your very grasp by proper govern
ment aid, shall be had ut the port OF
Houston. Oong and continued appause)
Pardon this apparent depression, but In
lit is the foremost herald of the work
In waiting for you, and with 1t we mingle
our God speed and welcome Were pro-
pheoy to us allowed II would be that in
time not far distant, when at the land
locked harbor OF Houston stately ships
shall thence spread sell to far off seas
when the light OF her beautiful sky shall
fall first on the flag OF the Republic float
Ing at high mast on our merchant marine
when that light shall spread In reflected
splendor on thousands of busy hands NOV
Ing your various products over the banks
of the trade-channel to the markets of the
world, pilgrims and tourists from every
| section, lingering In rapture at this scene
of activity and evidence OF widespread
prosperity in our Transmissssippi terri
tory, will eNultingly exclaim:
Was there ever SO glorious country,
was there ever so magnificent a clty!''
(Renewed applause).
Permit a few words in conclusion. 1t
! has been said that