The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1913-07-19
Washlnaton's Political Creed.
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VoosuuS VII TVttAS0l $T900s
my political creed" he said, '.is to
be wise in the choice Of delegates. sup
port them like gentlemen while they
are our representatives, give them
competent powers for all federal BUR.
poses, support them in the due exer-
else thereof, and, lastly, to compel
them to close attendance In congress
during their delegation"
But his thoughts took wider scope
as the months passed: and nothing
Quickened them more than his western
trip. 49,
He saw how much of the future
travelled with those slow wagon trains
Of immigrants into the west; realized
how they were leaving behind them
the rivers that ran to the old ports
at the sea, and going down into the
valleys whose outlet was the great
highway Of the Mississippi and the
ports Of the gulf: how the great ridge
Of the Alleghanies lay piled between
them and the older seats Of settle
ment, with only here and there q gap
to let q road through. only here and
there two rivers lying close enough
at their sources to link the east with
the west; and the likelihood Of q sepa-
ration between the two populations
seemed to him as obvious a. the tilt OF
the mountains upon either slope.
Words Of Wisdom.
There is nothing which binds one
country or one state to another but
interest" he said. without this CO.
ment the western inhabitants, who
more than probably will be composed
In great degree Of foreigners, can
have no prediction for us, and, a
commercial connection is the only tie
we can have upon them"
"The western settlers" he declared,
while still fresh from the Ohio; "stand
as 1t were upon pivot. The touch
Of feather would turn them any way"
down the Mississippi to join their
interests with those Of the Spaniard,
or back to the mountain roads and the
headwaters of the eastern streams; to
make for themselves new allegiance
In the east
He was glad to see the spanlard 90
impolitic as to close the Mississippi
against the commerce offered him, and
hoped that things might stand so until
there should have been "a little time
allowed to open and make easy the
ways between the Atlantic states and
the western TERRITORY" !:
To Open the Potomac. :,
The opening OF the pppsrs reaches
Of the Potomac TO navigation had ions
been favorite object with Washing.
ton; now@it seemed nothing Tess than
a necessity: >. >.$%2, i,
- It had been, part Of the original
scheme of the old: Ohio company to
use this means OF winning a way fol
commerce through the mountains.
Steps had been taken more than TWEEN.
ty years ago to act In the matter
through private subscription; and 40
tive measures for securing the neces
sary legislation from the Assemblies
of Virginia and Maryland were still
in course when Washington was call.
ed to Cambridge and revolution drew
mems minds imperatively of from thu
business.
For an Empires Trade. :-S
In ITO Washington had written to
Jefferson Of the project as a means Of
opening a channel for ''the extensive
trade Of q rising EMPIRE" now the
empire Of which he had had q vision
was no longer Britain's, but Americas
own, and it was become q matter Of
exigent political necessity to keep that
western country against estrange
ment, winning it by commerce and
close sympathy to join itself with the
old colonies in building up free com.
pany Of united states upon the srea,
continent.
Already the west was astir for the
formation of new states. =
Virginia had taken the broad anu
national view Of her duty that Wash
inston himself held, and had ceded IA
the confederation all her ancient
claims to the lands that lay northwes'
OF the Ohio river, reserving for her
self only the fair region that stretched
south of that great stream, from her
own mountains to the Mississippi.
North carolfna,s Settlers Defiant.
North Carolina would have coded
her. western lands =; beyond the
mountains, also, had they been
empty and unclaimed, like
the vast territory that lay
belond the Ohio. But for many = year
settlers had been crossing the noun.
tains into those fertile valleys, and
both this region and that which Vir-
ginfa still kept showed many q. clear.
~ nnw and many a rude hsnlas
where hardy frontiersmen wsre max.
Ing . new homo for civilization. "a:
Rather than be handed over to con.
gross, to be disposed Of BY, an author.
ity which no one else was bound to
obey, North Cardinals, western: set
tiers declared they would form !
state Of their own. and North Carolina
had to recall her gift of their: lands to
the confederation before their plans
OF defiance could be checked and dc.
feated. .,..s-,..g.1 $3.50. .