Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1907-05-03
CHAPTMR h

NN'+ANAh N@A0AlA9ls AAlEuOu8u 0lOSI
happily situated (it lies on the coast,
father to the north, and gifted with an
extensive territory, nearly as big as North
Dakota, It had yet failed to make that
material progress which had been hoped
by its founders. It Is true that the State
was still In It's infancy, being an ofshoot
from another and larger realm, and hay
Ing obtained the boon Of freedom and self
government only as recently as 1871, az
ter series Of political convulsions Of a
violent character, which may be studied
with advantage in the well-known history
Of The Making Of Aureataiand," BY d
learned professor Of the Jeremiah p
Jecks University. This profound histo.
rian -, beyond all question, accurate in
attributing the chief share In the national
movement to the energy and ability Of
the FIRST President Of Aureataland, His
Excellency President Marcus w. Whit
ungham, native Of Virginia. Having
enjoyed q personal friendship with that
talented man, as will subsequently, appear,
nave great pleasure in publicly epdors-
Ing the professors eulogium. Not only
did the President bring Aureataland into
being, but he moulded her whoe consti-
tuition. 1T was his genius" (ss the pro
fessor observes with propriety) (which
was fired with the idea Of GREETING a truly
modern State, instinct With the progress
atye spirit Of the Anglo-Saxon race. 1t
was his genius which cast aside the worn
out traditions Of European dominion, and
taught his fellow-citizens that they were
e not all BY birth, yet one and ali by
adoption, sons Of freedom" Any mis-
tuIrnc I'm ha q IL II
eeption must be set down to the fact that
fne Presidents great powers were rather
tne happy gift Of nature than the result
Of culture
10 this truth be was himself il no way
blind, and he was accustomed to attrib-
ute his want Of a liberal education to the
SOCIAL ruin brought upon his family by the
american Civil War, and to the disloca-
+ion thereby produced Ia bis studies.
Starting under the auspices Of such d
gifted leader, and imbued with SO noble
zeal for progress, Aureataland was, at
the beginning Of her history as a nation,
the object Of many fond and proud hopes.
But "a spite Of the blaze Of glory in
which her sun had risen, her prosperity
was not maintained The country was
well suited for agriculture and grazing,
but the population "a very queer mixture
~ raceswas indolent, and more given
ito keeping holidays and festivals than to
honest labor, Most Of them were unintel-
agept those WhO wsrs Intelligent made
their living out Of those who weren't, a
method OF sNbslstence satisfactory to the
individual, but adding little to the aggre-
gate Of national wealth. Only two classes
made fortunes Of any size government
officials and barkeepers-and even IN their
case wealth was not great, looked at BY
an English or American standard. Pro
duction was slack, invention at stand
still, and taxation heavy, The Presi-
dents talents seemed more adapted to
founding State IN the shock and turmoil
of war, than to the dull details Of admin
istration and although he was nominally
assisted BY a cabinet Of three ministers,
and an assembly comprising twenty-five
members, it was on his shoulders that the
real work Of government fell. On him,
therefore, the moral responsibility must
also rest--a burden the President bore
with a cheerfulness and equanimity al
most amounting to Inconsistencies.
When first set foot In Aureataland
I was landed on the beach by boat from
the steamer at the capital town Of Whit
tingham. ! was young man, entering
on my twenty-sixth year, and full Of pride
at finding myself at so early an age sent
out to ill the responsible position of man
ager at our Aureataland branch. The
directors Of the bank were then pursuing
what may without unfairness be called an
adventurous policy, and, in response to
the urgent entreaties and glowing exhor-
tations OF the President, they had decided
on establishing branch at Whittingham.
] commanded a certain amount OF inter
est on the board inasmuch as the chair
man owed my father sum Of money. too
small to mention, but too large to nav.
and when, led by the youthful itch for
novelty, / applied for the post, / sue
ceeded in obtaining my wish at a salary Of
hundred dollars a month. am sorry
to say that in the course Of later BUSH
ness dealing the balance of Utilization
shifted from the chairman to nv father
an unhappy event which deprived me Of
my hold on the company and seriously In
nuenced my conduct In later days. When
arrived In Aureataland the bank had
oeen open some six months, under the
guidance OF Mr.. Thomas Jones, a steady
going old clerk, who was In future to act
e chief and cashier under my orders.
found Whirtingham a pleasant little
city Of about five thousand inhabitants.
picturesquely situated on a fine bay. At
the spot where the river Marcus debouch-
ed INTO the ocean. The town was largely
composed Of government buildings ana
hotels, but there was a street OF shops az
no mean order, and a handsome sonare.
called the piazza 1871" embellished witb
an equestrian statue Of the President.
hound about this national monument
were large number Of seats, and. hard
BY, q cafe and bandstand. Here. / soon
found, was the center OF life In the after
Moons and evenings. Going along a fne
avenue Of trees for half a mile or 20 Won
came to the Golden House." the PreSi-
dents ofieial residence, an imposing villa
Of white stone with gilt statue al An
rsataland, a female figure sitting on a
ploughshare, and holding a sword IN ire
right hand and a cOrnucopia IN the left
~ her feet lay what was apparently !
BADLY planned cannon ball this, learned
was a nugget, and from It's presence ana
she name Of the palace, I gathered tbat
me President had once hoped to No.
me prosperity Of his young repubiic -
me solid tOundaffor ~ ,..f,....5