The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-04-18
CENTURY OF PROGRESS
Speech of James A. TrOutman
at Houston, Texas.

Houston, Tex, April 1S.-The second
days session of the Transmississippi
commercial congress was largely attend
ed, the time being taken up mainly with
interesting addresses on various subjects
Mr.. James A. TroutmaI, of Kansas, de-
Hvered an address entitled "A Century of
Transmississippi Development"
He said that in 1886 Texas ceded terri
tory over which it asserted dominion to
the United States for 100000 In 1890.
the COWS of the state of Texas gave milk
enough at 10 cents a gallon to pay that
purchase price and leave 81 900 for pin
I'm 1903 Thomas Jefferson paid Napoleon
Bonaparte s15000.000 for Louisiana. The
hens that cackle around the pIentious
barns of the louisiana Purchase" lay
eggs enough every year to more than re-
imburse the United States for it's original
investment.
1.-The aggregate foreign trade of the
Transmississippi country for seven years
has been: Exports. Gulf ports 81, 15S 100000;
Pacific ports S347 000, 900: total, $1505, 600 600
CUT ports, $3.50, O00 zoo; PACING ports, $S2i,-
900 900; total. 1892, OOO, 600. Only a small por-
ton of what was produced, however,
reached the markets of the world through
the Pacific and Gulf ports; millions of the
products and commodities went down to
the Atlantic and crossed the water from
s'The farmers of the west had in their
bins March I, 1900, $297, 100000 of wheat.
corn and oats.
s'The superficial observer contemplates
the future congestion of future popula-
ton with gloom ana Despair he says
to crowd people together in this country
as they are crowded in Europe would be
to divest life of its compensation. And
yet some of our Atlantic states have al
ready reached that period. Massachusetts,
the ideal commonwealth, has an average
population of 27S to the square MILES
more than France and 81 more than Ger
many. Duplicate the Massachusetts pop
ulation of 27S per square mile in Texas
and you would have 1905, 900 people. The
same density would give the Transm1ss1s-
sippi country 5S7, 100000, or more than sew
en- times the present population of the
United States.
''Pessimistic students distrust the pro-
ductive power of the west to take of the
sibilities of western production have not
/ yet been approached. Only a 1.-THE Of the
! every acre of land west of the Mississippi
/ was cultivated to its full capacity, we
could raise food products enough to sup
/ ply the world.
successful life, occupying the happy med
| ium, equally removed from great indfvid-
/ ual wealth and extreme poverty. our ag-
! gregate possessions are great, but they
/ are more equitably distributed than in
| any other portion of the world. In the
/ race for civil distinction every man has a
| fair start with his rival.
"Our religion is varied and our politics
! checkered. We sometimes pray with the
/ pious and drink with the dry We have
/ PrOhibitiOnistS to close the breWerieS and
I Ants enough to drink all of their beer.
! Republicans enough to vindicate protection
| and Democrats enough to exempify free
! trade; PopulistS enough to sustain free
/ silver and Gold Standard men enough tC
! prevent the debasement of the currency
/ schools enough to Danish ignorance and
churches enough to extirpate vice; saints
! enough for the blessings of the Almighty
/ and sinners enough for the smiles of the
| devil people enough to found an empire
1 and patriots enough to support the God
/ dess of Liberty in her triumphal march
| around the world.