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VOL. LXIV
INDIANAPOLIS, JULY  17, 1909.
NO. 28
Past, Present and Future of the Territory Occupied by the United States.
By W. A.  Graham.
The poet Whittier in years gone by,
as he viewed and anticipated the future
of the great western section, or prairie
and plain regions of the United States,
with all its beauty, fertility, and capabilities, gave expression to his feelings
in lines like these:
I hear the tread of pioneers
Of nations yet to be;
The first low wash of waves, where
soon
Shall roll a human sea. —
It is fortunate that in establishing the boundaries
of this nation, the very
best and finest portion
the entire Western Hemisphere was incorporated in
the territory that now gives
homes, comfort and prosperity to nearly one hundred millions of people.
The feeling of rapture
that the poet experienced,
as he contemplated the
future.of that vast region,
was inspiring and full of
significance. The same
must have been the feelings and supposition, but
perhaps in a modified form,
of the voyagers and discoverers of this continent,
as they approached and
surveyed with the eye for
the first time, shores of an
unknown land, or their
frail barges approached its
sandy and wave-washed
shores. There were towering peaks, bold and rugged
oliffs, and inviting inlets.
There were also abundant
evidences of human, animal and vegetable life.'
Tempest tossed, weary and almost
hopeless of finding land, after many
weeks of toil and uncertainty, it must
have been joy almost unspeakable, to at
last cast anchor, realizing the object
snught had been attained.
Columbus was wise enough to believe that by continuous sailing in a
westerly direction he would find land;
but after his great discovery, he did
not live long enough to learn what a
mighty continent he had found. He
and those closely following him, would
have been very much more emotioned
and delighted, if they had known they
were upon the shores of a new and
extensive continent, and that beyond
its western confines, the Pacific ocean
stretched thousands of miles to the
lands they believed they had reached.
They all thought it was the eastern
coasts of the Asiatic continent, and the
b'autiful islands that were first found
Were called the Indies, and the native
inhabitants were given the name of
Indians.
At that time the older continents
were not crowded with population, nor
were their natural resources developed
to any extent. I_ove of adventure
coupled with a desire to become discoverers of some new territory or unknown
'and for founding colonies, was the
cause of men seeking new locations.
The first adventures made were very
satisfactory to the voyagers who viewed
the lovely islands, the discovery of
Which    later  led  to  the  finding of the
main land. It was soon learned that
gold was to be had, because the natives were decked out with ornaments
made from that metal, and although it
was not to be procured in that immediate locality, the Indians said it was
not far distant to where it could be had
in vast quantities, and without much
effort. That     information    reaching
the home country, the story was soon
exaggerated, and that had a great influence upon the people, and caused
them to seek these shores in great nUm-
bears as soon as the means of transportation could be had. At any rate,
either from this report or other expect-
states, and some territories yet to be
admitted into the Union, the American
citizen was happy, contented, and pros- !
perons. He had never in the distant'
past, even dreamed of such expansion
anal advancement. Throughout the
whole realm, excepting the prairie and
open plains in the central portions,
were magnificent forests of the choicest varieties of timber. Almost the en- j
tire land was fertile, and productive of
wonderful crops. Scattered all over,
were mountains rilled with gold, silver,
copper, zinc, iron and other valuable
minerals. Inexhaustible deposits of
coal and stone cropped out, or lay hid-
L.ive  Stock  Para le, State Fair, 1908.
ed rewards, there immediately set in a
great emigration of people of many
nationalities.
During this rush of people and for
many years afterwards, not one of
them had the slightest idea of what a
veritable "Garden of Eden' had been
discovered. Mighty continents whose
natural resources were well nigh inexhaustible, but yet never touched by
the hand of civilization, were being entered. Keeping this narrative confined
to the domain of the United States,
and leaving the remainder of the lands
of the Western Hemisphere unnoticed, it
is safe to say there was never a spot of
such huge dimensions on the face of
the globe, that equaled it for all that
is required to satisfy the wants of a
civilized people, or those who were wild
or savage before the white man came.
Civilization expanded and the population increased until the time arrived,
that the Atlantic shores from New England to the semi-tropical coasts of
Florida were settled, and a government
of states was forming, that were reaching far to the westward. Upon the Pacific slopes and pressing toward the
East, a vast number of people were
forming setttlements, building towns,
and prospecting for gold. To the poet
with a splendid imagination, it was
but natural that he anticipated the
coming of the mighty hosts that now
occupy      the spot      of his      musings.
After the acquistion of all the territory     that  now     constitutes    forty-six
den at varying depths below the surface of the whole country. There were
also awaiting development, petroleum,
gas, and salt-water. Numbers of other
things, useful and necessary to a highly
civilized people for use in the arts and
professions of men, wen- plentifully
distributed.
The woodlands teemed with animal
life, large and small, and many kinds
were highly prized as food, and for the
hides or the fur. The  open prairies
and plains, abounded with deer, antelopes and buffalo. They furnished an
abundance of the choicest meats, and
their skins were valuable for clothing,
robes, leather and other purposes. The
different kinds of deer, and the black
bear, both good for food, were not confined to any particular location, but
were found  everywhere. Countless
thousands of wild fowls flocked through
the forests, along the streams, or congregated upon the rock or mushy margins of hundreds of beautiful lakes.
The different species of water fowls,
nested and hatched their broods of
young in the vicinity of streams or
lakes and swam and sported upon
their surface. The small streams, the
great rivers, bays, and lakes, swarmed
with flsh in endless varieties. The larger wild fruits, grapes, nuts and berries
of many kinds, grew in rich profusion
all over valley, hill, and plain. Bird
and insect life abounded, and added
their charm of song or presence everywhere.    The whole country was a pro
fusion of wildflowers and vegetable life,
and there were roots, herbs, and barks,
for the  healing of every ill.
Beautiful and pure fountains of crystal waters gushed from hillside, mountain, and valley, and flowed in rivulets
to the nearby streams that gave drainage, and removed the excess of water
from the land, and carried it to bay,
gulf, or ocean. Abundant rains, sunshine, dew, and health-giving air stimulated growth, and caused vegetable
life to thrive, and be healthy, vigorous
and fruitful. Surrounded by such frag-
deur, glory, and abundant necessities of
life, the red men of fair America must
—. have led a life of ease, luxury and peace, that seldom
falls to-the lot of human
kind.
Speaking reverently, the
latural conditions for existence, were most certainly
very much in rivalry with
Eden's bowers, that was
the home of the first created pair of the human family. Can this be put any
stronger without overstepping the bounds of truth
and     propriety? Would
any one consider it blasphemy or a want of reverence to the Great Creator,
to add-, that when Adam
and Eve were placed in the
Garden of Delights,' they
were instructed to dress
and keep it, while the native Indians of this country were not required it
appears, to do anything
but gather a substance already placed in nature's
great storehouse, ready for
their use without labor or
care.
What  more  can  be  said
      of this earthly paradise, as
it passed into the possession of a new and a strange people, who
it fs now believed, was and are destined
by the providence of God, to some
time Americanize and christianize the
entire world?
Notice this. For a long time the human family spoke one language. They
became numerous, and concluded to
build a city and a tower, that according
to their limited understanding would
reach upward to the heavens. God
saw the foolishness of this undertaking, and not only confounded their language, but dispersed or caused them to
become scattered throughout the earth.
What has happened previous to, and
since this country was colonized and
settled? The two strongest and dominant nations and powers of earth, control the lion's share of the lands of the
globe. The language they speak is fast
becoming universal. It is made up of
all the languages of the earth. Especially in the United States, the language
has had a growth by the addition of
new words from foreign tongues and
other additions, until now a volume to
contain the whole- vocabulary, is too
ponderous to be persuaded unless it is
placed upon a desk or table. This language is comparatively a new one, and
the great bulk of the words are of foreign origin. Indeed, it is a tongue
made up of almost all other dialects of
the world, the same as the people are
the offspring of the emigrants from all
lands. The same is true of England,
Continued on page 9.