Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-11-25
A GOOD INVESTMENT
Congressman lacey Gives History
of Louisiana Purchase.
ADDRESSES MEN OF TRINITY CHURCH
Sixth Districts Representative in Con-
eress Delivers Eloquent Address at
Home Of Major Samuel Mahon Last
Evening.
Irrom 1'hnrsday's Daily. !

[Fron Thnreday's DaiiyI
Congressman J. f. Lacey delivered
an eloquent address last evening be-
?ors the men Of Trinity Episcopal
church, md their friends at the home
of Maj. aamuel Lacey, 40 East Court
street. Major Lacey spoke on the sub
jest. Tho Louisiana Purchase" and
gave in detail the history Of this
great purchase under the administra-
ton OF Thomas Jefferson. There was
!a,Ec attendance ara ct the close Of
sao actress a social hour was spent.
hefreshTacnts were served and 2
pleasant social evening was enjoyed.
At the close of Congressman Lacey,a
remarks. Row. Lynch, on behalf OF the
men of the church. tnaaked the speaker
and thanked Msjor Mahon for SO kind
y extending the hospitality OF his
nome. Major Lacey spoke as follows.
INSTRUMENTATION accepted the
invitation Of your rector to sneak on
this occasion. ] did not know that nv
audience would be limited to gentle
''hiS'A ei|C pliulSu luNlldulD0
came was surprised to observe that
was expected to speak to gentle
men only 1t brought to my mind
the way that Silas Wegg, the literary
man with wooden leg, escaped from
ms embarrassment when asked by Mr..
Rotfin, the Golden Dustman, the diff
cult question as to what constituted
the difference between the Russian
g
replied that here was a subject that
could not be appropriately discussed
In the presence of Mrs. Boffin'
But seriously, | always regret the
absence of the ladies', yet, will, on this
occasion, put up with the next best
thing, their fathers, husbands, broth
I ers, sons. cousins and nephews, and a
small sprinkling of grandfathers.
A Part of Louisiana Purchase.
Il have been invited to speak upon
this. subject, presume because of
some familiarity with the general his
tory of our public domain. In a long
journey through the mountains of Ari-
iona and New Mexico few years
ago, | had a college graduate cowboy
for a driver. He asked me if | had
seen much Of the west, and told him
knew it from Alpha to Omega He
quietly suggested that he knew it bet
ter still, that he knew all about it
from Alfalfa to Omaha The subject
allotted to me this evening covers a
wide range of time, latitude and long
itude. We are interested in the Louis
lana Purchase because we are part
of il. Let us go back few millions
of years and we will, in our minds
eye, see the land piled mountain high
with the eartl's great glacier cap and
behold the dynamic forces grinding up
the drift and preparing it for the soil
that was yet TO come.
Later on
1 hear the tread of pioneers
OF nations yet to be,
The first low wash of waves where
soon
Will roll a human sea-
God Has Guided Settlement.
God has guided the settlement of
this country. When Columbus started
on his venturesome voyage he firmly
resolved to sail due west and under
no circumstances to change his direc-
ton, but the flight of fiocks of parrots
to the southwest led his seamen to ap-
peal to the admiral to follow the birds
He finally yielded and landed in the
West Indies instead of upon the coast
of Georgia or North Carolina, thus re
serving the United States for English
occupation. In ancient times many q
battle was fought uron the favorable
omens of the 1iGht OF BIRDS But nev
er were such great results dependent
upon SO slight a cuuse, as when Co
l,.,,, ,f. Il; rf,,,
ed the settleniea: OF the Indies, Mexi
people instead OF the territory now &C
mics Of the United States.
The First Settlers.
"The Spanish exploration turned
aside, and different people, with DIFF
ferent language aud aspirations lait
the foundation OF our present srea
republic. The first settlers came il
search OF religious freedom; the Puri
tans to New England, the Quahers Il
Pennsylvania, the Catholics to Aiary
land. the Eugenots 10 South Carolina
These settlements in different prov
inces seemed simple tning at thu
Time, but the colonists builded better
than they knew, for they laid, broat
and deep, the foundation OF the sover
eign states of this Union. The frs
settlers of every LAND have excited thu
interest and admiration OF their de
scenGants. The nations OF the oil
world have sought their ancestors
among the gods. In our own brief his
tory we are able TO trace the Origin
and growth of our national life from
it's beginning.
De Soto's Monument.
THE mighty Mississippi flows owe
the remains of De Soto and serves a
once as his grave and his monument
The French pioneers of Canada hear
of the great stream near its sourc
and believed that 1t flowed into tn
Gulf OF California. La Sale, MAJ
quette, Jolist, Hennepin and De Tont
have written their names upon tn
map Of the future center Of the world
civilization. Following the river in it
majestic course to the gulf, there tn
French missionary voyageurs raise
the cross Of Jesus and the flag c
France and took possession in tn
name of their king and called the Ian
Louisiana.