Year: 1876

a century full of home experience to di


rect our steps. They had nothing but
the wreck and ruin of ancient liberty to
serve them for their guidance. OF the
republics which fourished in past ages,
not one had withstood the inroads of slime
and survived to become a model for sue
cesstul imitation. Ruin and desoa tion
marked the spots where the first alters of
Liberty were builded, and where the
grandcst republic of ancient times had
once reigned supreme as mistress of the
world, a despotism most hopeless seemed
to have fallen.


Undaunted by the task before them
they persevered and the result of their la
bors was accepted by the colonies. With
the adoption of the constitution our coun-
try may be said to have fairly commenc-
ed its march in the path to greatness. -


Before the century expired three new
stars were added to the flag, and the set
/ Elements of the frontier were pushed
through the passes of the Blue Ridge to
the banks of the Father of Waters. Here
they were met by the ensgns Of for
elgn power. But the genius of Ameri-
can craftsmanship now began to seek its


field of labor. Reaching out from the


Mississippi to the heart of the republic as


it then existed, were the noble branches
of that river. 1t was then an age in
which the water courses ofa country were
its almost sole outlets of commerce.
The networks of railroads now nterlacnc
and bearing the products of the most
distant regions to the ocean were undream-
ed of. The slow and numbering stage
coach was the only method for passenger
travel, heavy wagons transported the me-
cessities Of civilized life to the backwoods
settlements, returning laden with the
products of the soil and Of the chase
Down the bosom Of the Mississippi lay
an easy pathway to tho ocean, but the
mouth of the noble river was in possess.
ION Of foreign power and it was thus
shorn Of its prospective benefits. To the
people of the fast growing West, the pos
session Of this outlet for commerce be-
came subject of the first Importance
1t is not improbable that if the desired
| territory bad not been acquired peacea-
bly,, by treaty and purchase, that the law
of necessity would ultimately dictated its
acquisition by conquest. But the dest-
MES Of the Republic were in the hands of
an All-wise power, which so shaped
events that early in this century France,
involved in II struggle with the powers OF
Europe which called forth all her ener-
gies and resources, was glad to part
with her Louisiana possessions, and the
domain of our country was extended
across the broad continent until it met
the waters Of another ocean.


1t was then that the march of empire
began westward, to its future home in the
valley Of the Mississippi. 1t was about
this time that a discovery was made,
destined to carry the tide of civilization
swift upon the trail OF the restless pio-
neer, peopling the lands he hnd inva-
ded and explored. Watt and Steven
son discovered the giant power Of steam.
and Robert Fulton applied its power to
the uses of commerce. The settlers Of
Kentucky, Tennessee and Ohio, crossed
the mountains dividing the waters Of
the Atlantic Slope from those Of the
Mississippi Valley with their teams and
wagons, the long and tedious journey
occupying many days. But the settle
ment of the North West was mainly
done at a period when the lakes and
rivers were traversed by floating pala-
ces, in which the journey which would
have taken months to perform in the
toilsome mode Of the last century, was
accomplished in few days. The wise
and benign measures which were adopt
ed to promote the settlement Of the
country led to an immense immigration
OF the laboring classes Of Europe, and
so great was the change in tho fac H.
tiles for travel, in the opening for the
remunerative employment of labor, and
above all, in Abe liberal character and
fostering influences of our institutions,
that the country which, in a century
and half of growth contained "A popu-
lation Of but three millions, in one CEN
tnry more can boast Of fifteen times that
number


When the tide of population crossed
the Mississippi disturbing element as
sumed promi nence in the politics of the
country. African slavery was an insti-
tuition almost cotemporary with the coun-
try's first settlement. 1t had existed in
all the States at one time. but in some of
them it had ceased to be profitable and
the system had fallen into disrepute. 1t
was hoped, and believed, by the fathers
Of the Republic, that Time would eradi-
cate the evil; that it would gradually
eliminate itself from our social system
throughout 1he Union, as it had already
in individual States. That this hope
proved fallacious one was perhaps, due
to the invention of the cotton-gin, which
at once opened wide and profitable field
for slave labor in number Of States. AS
the love Of the almighty dollar" is the
ruling passion Of the civilized world, this
discovery quenched all hope which phi
lanthropists might have entertained for
the gradual extinction of slavery. The
tide of emigration which pushed west
ward from the Southern States, carried
their negroes with them and claimed the
same protection of law for this species
of property that was accorded. to all other
species. So long as the settlements re-
mained in a Territorial state, this protec-
ton was given when they came knock
ing at the door of the Union for admission,
they chose for themselves whether slavery