Evening journal., 1915-07-22
New News Of Yesterday
Sherman's Predictions for
the West
By Holland.


MY first meeting with Ger. sher-
man-at least the first in which had
opportunity to have a long conversa-
ton with him-took place in 1880 and
I shall never forget it" said William
R. Grace 10 me shortly after his re-
turn from a trip to California, about
1895.
Mr. Grace, in 1880, was first elected
mayor of New York City and was
elected again in 1884 It was due
chiefly to him that the selection was
made Of Riverside Park for the Grant
memorial and as the burial place of
General Grant Mr.. Grace was mayor
of New York when Gen. Grant died
Life long Democrat as he was. some of
his choicest companionships we're with
Republicans. and for several years he
was in intimate personal relationship
with Gen. Grant after Grant made
choice of New York City as his home.
Mr.. Grace frequently alluded to his
conversations with Gen. Grant and to
the less frequent chats he had with
Gen. Sherman. He said to me:
Both of these great generals we're
men of practical sense. never heard
either of them allude to anything that
sppertained TO military affairs.
.. Both of them were Immediately in
terested in the material development
of the United States. Gen. Grant
spoke to me frequently of what our
opportunities in the way of develop
-fng the great resources of Mexico
we're l never heard Gen. Sherman
speak Of Mexico. but ! did hear him
make a prediction respecting the
future of the United States. which was
later justified in a remarkable man
ner. ] saw some evidences of its
justification while upon the trip
have Just made to the Pacific Coast.
Gen Sherman said to me in that
first conversation / had with him that
he thought il was high time the peo-
ple of the East woke up to the fact
trat tremendous progress was being
made in the West He told me that
in 1868 or 1869 much of the State of
Kansas, the western part of it, was
occupied by buffalos. gophers. some
antelope and Indians. Ten years
later or a year or two before the time
he chatted with me. Kansas, he said
raised and sent to Europe nearly
sixty million bushels of wheat. He
spoke of this as only an incident
in the rapid development of our greaf
West. / remember particularly thai
he said that New York City had con
siderably more than one-half of tho
81 States
But great as the aggregate Of tha
commerce then was it was small II
comparison, Sherman said, with wha
the commerce would be a generation
or at most forty years later. He tolC
me that there were millions of acre.
of land of virgin soil, very fertile
which IL would do my heart good Z
sec and which was waiting for the on
coming of pioneers and farmers NJ
one could predict how much wotill
be produced from this soil and hoy
greatly II would increase our export
to Europe. Sherman furthermor
said that we have had great develop
ment east of the Mississippi River
hut I'm comparison TO the development
west of the Mississippi in fifty year
that growth would be small. II
: spoke with enthusiasm of the grea
West and said he could not fin
words in which TO voice his feelin
about what the future of that grea
West was to be.
Gen. Sherman opened my eye. No
until l talked to him did 1 begin I
realize what that part of the countr
which lies west of the Mississippi
River meant for the entire Unite
States, and as | looked from my rail
road car window while crossing tina
country was frequently reminded {
the predictions Gen. Sherman made.
Copyright, 1915. by f. J. Edwards
All rights reserved.)