Evening journal., 1913-03-04
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
Secretary Seward'S Fore
cast Which Came to Pass
By Holland.

Frederick W. Seward. who was AS
sistant Secretary Of State under his
father. william H. Seward, and who
is today the sole survivor Of the Of
fetal family of President Lincoln, was
chatting with me some years ago REM
iniscently when it occurred to me 20
ask him if there were and foundation
for the report that his father had pre-
dicted the development of great
American commercial metropolis at
the headwaters of the Mississippi
river years before Minneapolis and
st. Paul were more than struggling
villages.
II do not now recall" said Mr.
Seward I'm reply, the precise time
when my father made public refer
ence to his belief that a very large
metropolis, the commercial metropo-
lis OF the northwest. would be estab-
lished where St. Paul and Minneapolis
now are. I do recall, however, that
my father often used to say in private
conversation that he was convinced
OF the growth of one of the greatest
cities of the United States at the
headwaters of the Mississippi.
"I believe that in one of the
speeches delivered by him a few years
after he entered the United States
Senate possibly about 1854 or 3d.
he did set forth his belief that the
commercial metropolis of the north
west would be established near the
headwaters OF the Mississippi
"My father was once asked by a
friend who heard him say that one oil
the four or FIVE very great cities OF
the United States would be founo
within City or sixty years at the head
waters OF the Mississippi upon whai
he based that belief.
"He replied in practically these
words: The Mississippi river is one
of the greatest navigable rivers Of th'
world. It reaches practically almos
from our Canadian bounary in th'
sub-Arctic regions to the Gulf o
Mexico in the sub-tropics. The char
acter Of the country through which
it flows is such that an enormous as
ricultural development is sure to take
place, varied of course as the climate
varies between Canada and the Gul
OF Mexico.
"'The Mississippi river is the key
stone of the arch of American pros
perity Now, reaching TO the nortl
and to the west and to the northwes
is a vast area, much of II suitable TO
agricultural development, with enor
nous stretches of timber land an'
undoubtedly very rich mineral de
posits The headwaters of the Miss
issippi are practically between th'
Atlantic and the Pacific coast. Ulti
mately the United States will posses
all of the Pacific coast except tn
comparatively short strip whicl
bounds British North America. FoI
in my opinion, IL is inevitable that W
shall some day, through agreemen
with Russia, possess Russian Noru
America. sometimes called Alaska
"'Now there Is certainty of the de
velopment Of the wonderful natura
resources of our northwest The
have a magnificent water power at tn
village of Minneapolis, near St. Pau
That water power. the opening u
Of the northwest, the fact that tn
navigation of the Mississippi begin
at that point. all will unite to max
inevitable what will be one Of on
greatest inland cities.
nat opiHion Was tNpicootu ny hi
father when st. Paul was little NOR
than a military reservation and
trading station and when the grea
water power Of ST. Anthony's fall
was just beginning TO be recognized
/ have always been very glad that h
lived long enough TO witness the be
ginning Of the justification of his pre-
diction."
! Copyright, 1913, by r. J. Edwards
Allrights reserved)
Tomorrow MIR. Edwards will ie'
"How a Great Tenor Inflicted an I'm