Mohave County miner., 1900-02-10
Prospects Of the West.

the fact that there is a west side to our
republic. 1t begins an editorial with
these words:
We used to look upon the Pacific as
a far off sea, containing many islands
aud strange peoples, whose manners
and customs were always interesting to
read about. 1t was to the earth's wa
ters what Africa was to the land-a vast,
dark and largely unexplored ocean,
clothed in the common mind with
much the stiffness of death.
How vast has been the transforma-
ton within the past fifty years. This
once practically untraveled and unex-
plored ocean is now travelled by scores
of steamship lines, one of which alone
has eighty-tive steamships. Numerous
coast towns, once never dreamed of,
have sprung up as if by magic. The
children in the geography class have
now to stammer over such words as
Nagasaki, Tacoma, Seattle and those of
score or more of other tiourishing
settlements that in their fathers days
had no existence.
II is good to see that awakening. As
yet our eastern friends do not beyin to
comprehend it, but they are growing in
their knowledge Just fifty years ago
bright man pointed out what waI to.
After pointing out that the mountains
of Central Asia have always con-ti
tuted barrier between the people east
aud west on the continent; that on the
east resides population of S40,0OO,OoO
and on the west 259000,O)O, he tells how
our country supplies the place where
these populations, that have stood back
to back so long, may look into each
others faces, and adds, "a divine light,
issuing out of the ob>curity of the past,
shines upon our country and our peo-
pie. They now reunite in the harbors
of California, Oregon and Washington,
about TO bring into existence upon the
Pacific commercial grandeur identi-
cal with that which has followed and
gathered to them upon the Atlantic"
That was when our nation numbered
100000 people; that was when it was
believed that all this inter-mountain
country was but a worthless desert;
that was before there was any transcon-
tinental road; when Alaska was part
of Russia; when such thing a a trans
Siberia road was undreamed of; when
Japan was closed empire and only
five ports of China were open. Still,
Governor Gilpin saw what was to be
and he shouted his prophesies to the
world when no ear was credulOuS TO
listen. But the mountains caught his
words and bid them away, and only
now are permitting them to be sounded
anew to the aStoni Shmeut of mankind.
But even he did not look for so swift
an unfoldment The new great empire
of the Pacific is already a reality; the
trade of the Pacific has doubled in
three years, ani i still oaly ia its in
fancy; better still, the United States is
swiftly advancing to the foremost
place among the nations in the deyel-
opment of that trade, and the young
man standing on the eastern shore of
the great ocean selects his field. He
can come north, where the great matrix
of the treasure of this continent seems
to lie, or south, under the sun of Mex
leo or South America, where conti-
nent awaits regeneration and transfer
nation, or off across the sea, where the
hives of japan and China are stirring
with irrepressible life, or to the north
of Asia, where in Siberia more surprises
await the explorer than have been met
with on our great American desert
which has been converted into great
American treasure chamber, or turn
ing south. the Philippines, with their
1900 islands, await the coming of a pro-
gressive race; while in Australia there
is a kindred race, swiftly advancing to
more than equaling our bullion pro-
duct aud to meet US half way in trade.
And we still have uncounted resources
awaiting development. Utah will soon
rival PENNSYLVANIA In iron production;