The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1907-05-31
me nPERIAI SOUTHWEST.

THE IMPERIAL SOUTHWEST
In an editorial in the Topeka Cap
ftaI OF recent date, the views OF
stuyvesent Fish on the future Of the
Rreat southwest territory are OF in
tsrest:
Shortly after leaving the Illinois
Central. fts longtime president, Ham
Hton Fish, connected himself with the
Gould lines Of the southwest, and re-
Gently Mr.. Fish came out into this
region 20 inspect these lines and the
general trade conditions with rela-
non 20 the future business Of the
Gould propertiez He was interview
ed at Kansas City and was gone from
New York long enough to give rise
to a good deal II inquiry as to what
he was doing. Now Mr. Fish has re-
turned to New York and has stated
some things about the great south
west that the Wall street correspond
ent Of the Philadelphia Press, 'HOI-
land says have opened the eyes Of
dnanciers-
IN a letter on bIr. Fish's journey
Holland recalls that William H. Sew
ard a decade before the civil war pre-
dicted q great interior empire. parti-
cularly in the northwest, with its
capital or metropolis at St. Paul or
Whereabouts. That section the pur-
chaser Of Alaska believed would in
the course OF years become the rich
est region on the continent and with
It's wealth and imperial population
would largely dominate. This view OF
the northwest first expressed by Sew
ard has been the key Of the life work
OF J. J. Hill. the great railroad mag
nate OF st. Paul Mr.. Hill has had
visions OF commerce with St Paul as
its headquarters. extendfr~ not to
Alaska only and the wheat, timber
and fruit and fish regions Of Wash
fngtOn, Oregon and Manitoba, but
extending to Japan, China and the
Philippines.
On the other hand, Holland recalls
that when Hamilton Fish was Grants
secretary OF state, affairs which
brought his attention to the south
west convinced him that the center
Of wealth and power on this coatin-
ent was destined to fall in this local
fty. and during the late years Of his
life he was in the habit Of expatiat-
Tag on that topic among his friends.
According to Holland, this opinion OF
Hamilton Fish has descended to his
son. Stuyyesant Fish, and the pres
ent Mr.. Fish tells his friends in New
York that the great southwest has
q future that cannot be calculated at
this time, but such as warrants the de-
velopment OF transportation facilities
-
expected to handle all that this re-
gion IS capable OF producing. It is
one garden spot Of unlimited produc-
tivity. and MI Fish was particularly
impressed with the gas and oil de-
velopment and incidental to them the
establishment Of factories on such a
scale that they find a distant market
ali ready for their productions.
Whether the Seward and Hill or
the Fish and Hartman theory is cor
rect, nobody can dispute the capabili-
ty Of the great southwest Of accom-
modating all the people that railroads
can be built to bring here for its de-
veIopment. Our gas and oil fields are
the most extensive on the continent
and will last two generations Our
beet sugar alone is capable Of unlim-
tied expansion and will feed 100 mil
lion people before its development
ends. The Panama canal and the
Gulf Of Mexico promise greater fu-
ture commercial strides for the south
vest than the Gerat Lakes assure the
northwest
But the rivalry between these i'm
perial sections OF the United States
is not a hostile one, but friendly. Each
can afford to see the other grow and
develop to its full capacity and re-
Joice in the common greatness Of the
greater west II Stuyvesant Fish
eOnvinees eastern hnanciers that this
Is the coming country, they will new
eF be disappointed in the future re-
Elfzation Of his dreams