The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1905-07-25
CROSS VS..
SWORD
THE SWORD OF THE sPANiARp A
AiNpRANcE-THE MIS-.
4 sioNARTs CROSS.
MEANT PEACE AND PROGRESS.
ADDED TERRITORY TO pos
SESSIONS OF REPUBLIC,

VI tho fNSW NoEtus ne set up u Cross,
and beneath 1t, with drawn sword, he
took possession Of the New World in
the name OF the sovereigns OF Spain.
The sword and the cross have deter
mined the development of the Ameri.
"a continent from that day. In due
time the Spanish adventures reached
the main land of the continent. They
explored the country Of the Gulf, In.
GLIDING the Lower Mississippi, and
made settlements within sight OF the
continental divide OF the Rocky
Mountains. The spanlard set up the
sign of the until he had reach.
ed tho Pacific ocean.
What he did west of the Mississippi
has had little to do with the country
to the east. What he did east OF the
great river was OF tremendous I'M.
portnnce. The first expedition OF con.
sequence to attempt the exploration
of the Gulf States was that OF De Soto,
an adyenturer, who hoped to find
gold. He sailed from Cuba to Florida
and then entered upon a march
through the wilderness, which ended
In his death on the Mississippi. His
track was strewn with the marks OF
violence, outrage and murder. wher.
ever he went the hostility OF the ma.
tiyes was aroused, and the prospects
of the peaceful settlement and deyel.
opment of the country made decidedly
remote. De Soto was a hindrance.
Spanish rule of the Gulf region was
the same wet.blanket until Spain left
the United States forever In 1919.
when Florida and the Gulf to the
Mississippi came to the republic.
The South, with It's fine climate.
navigable rivers, unlimited coast line
and numerous harbors should have
been as swift to develop as the North.
But the North was under different
influences. While the Gulf region had
Its De Soto, the Great Lakes, the 9th.
err extreme OF the United States, were
trayersed by a different man, Pere
Marquette, carrying the cross like.
wise, went UP the lakes, and down
the Mississippi to the Spanish terri.
tory. But with the cross Marquette
carried no sword. The contact OF
Marquette with the Indians was Of
such a nature as to inspire confidence,
and when the white men began to
follow the missionary to the west.
ward over Marquette's route, they
met with 10 bitterness. and no ven,
geance awaited their coming.
The French missionary opened the
country to the North. the Spaniard
~adventurer opened It on the South.
When the English colonist, who had
established his settlements between
the two. looked westward he soon
found that 1t was the Frenchman who
had paved the way for an extension
of exploration and colonization. The
French had blazed the way to the
head of the Ohio and to the Missis.
sippi The English followed the
French and took their posts away. It
was little use to follow the Spaniard.
He had nothing worth taking until
time had worked great changes In all
the region upon which he had laid
a covetous hand.
BY force the English took from
France her territory east of The Mis-.
sissippi. Then In 1903 France sold
her remaining possessions on the Mis-.
sissippi to the United States, adding
an empire to the budding nation. Look
at tho map. The track of France in
the United States is the whole Mis-
sissippi Valley, a country greater
than all of France. The French mis-.
sionary had, with his peaceful sign
Of the cross. saved for civilization the
most magnificent gift Of nature ever
falling at n time to the lot of the
human race.
The English settlers, pushing west.
ward. instead OF sailing around the
Gulf, with its convenient and easy
transportation. moved over the noun.
tains along the lines the French had
sought out. The Ohio and the lakes
were the favored routes. AS a re.
suit the emigrants from Virginia.
where settlement was begun. went
into the territory of the Ohio, rather
than to the territory of the Gulf. The