Amador ledger., 1907-05-24
CRADLE OF OUR UNION.


several boatloads OF Engllshmen rowet
up the James river, landed at a.spo
some thirty miles above the present
city of Norfolk, Va, and established
what proved to be a permanent col
ony. That was the beginning of the
United States. White men had pre-
viously visited different parts of the
coast and tarried awhile, but not until
the little party stopped at jamestown
was there settlement that abided.
The outlook was dreary and the hard
ships great for many years after the
landing. King Powhatan, with his
warlike Indians, controlled all that
section of country, and resented the
intrusion OF the Pale Faces. Wars
and massacfes were numerous. The
little colony was often on the brink
OF starvation, and would surely have
been exterminated but for the occa
sional arrival of recruits from Europe.
Hunger forced them to utilize as food
certain plants and fruits which they
found growing wild, but with whose
properties they we're hitherto unac-
quainted. They learned from the In
dlansj hat tuber which produced O
purple flower after running its roots
IN the ground, was of an edible nature,
and, though rather poor and scrawny
affair, was better than nothing to sal-
lay the pangs of hunger. They dug it
up. planted it in their gardens, and in
time greatly improved its quality.
This was the first cultivation of the
potato in North America. Another
important discovery was made des-
tined to exercise potential influence
in the agricultural world and con-
tribute enormously to the wealth of
nations. An aromatic shrub, growing
wild in the savannahs and swamps
around Notwithstanding, was plucked
by the Indians, dried in the sun and
used to make smoke IN pipes. The set
tiers observing this, gathered, replant-
ed and cultivated what IN time be-
came the celebrated tobacco of com
meroe.
Thus it will be seen that American
agriculture had its beginnings here,
an infant industry, indeed, but one
which in course of years was to result
IN something to amaze the civilized
world. -Four years after the first arri-
vals stepped ashore shipload of cat
tie was sent over from England, and
this was the germ of the live stock in
dustry of the United States. They
were not the fine cattle we see now,
only the common scrub cattle OF Eur
ope, which were the best the world
then afforded, but poor and scrawny
as they were they proved a blessing to
the infant settlement on the James.
By degrees the Indians we're con-
quered or beaten back, and the colo
nists we're able to spread out their
farms as far back as the falls of the
great river, but fully century elapsed
before white men we're able tu cross
the Alleganies and find lodgnent on
the streams that flowed to the west
Much history has been enacted since
the fateful arrival OF the three boat
loads of men. Revolutions, wars, re-
belllIons, the making and overthrow
OF governments, in fact the most mar
velous achievements of the human
race occurred between the dates of
May IL, 1907, and May l3, 1907, when
this number of the American Farmer
goes out to tell about it. Three CEN
turies is not long span III the life OF
a world, merely span when measured
with eternity, but no similar space OF
time has been fraught with events of
such Importance to the human race.
And now a great exposition Is in
progress to emphasize and celebrate
what has occurred during this memoir
able interval. One would think that
it would be devoted to showing what
had been done for the education and
uplifting of man. what for his comfort
and happiness, what advance had been
made in the arts of peace, and espe-
cially the growth and development OF
agriculture. On the contrary, we learn
that the 'enticing splendors of war;, )"
have been placed to the tore, magnilied
beyond all measure. The original ap-
preparation of 500, 900 for the whole
show has been almost equalled by the
outlay upon the military part alone.
Even the memories of the civil war,
something better to be forgotten, are
to be freshened by spectacle of one
of its most tragical battles simply to
attract and amuse crowd of careless
spectators. Guns and gunboats are
given primacy as the eXponents of
American aims and achievements in
these three hundred years. What
would the founders of the republic
say to this amazing program? DO we
not know we'll, have we not their SOL
enn word, that it Is treason to all tor
which they labored and to which they
aspired? IL was precisely to help the
world away from these baneful old
vanities and wrongs that they founded
the American Union. Washington s
words concerning war, with all its
ant;oipn opIondors ma.o. EGMr Gret