VOL. LXIV
INDIANAPOLIS, JULY 31, 1909.
NO. 30
Past, Present and Future of the Territory Occupied by the United States.
By W. A. Graham.
Continued from last week.
The great extent of this country and
its large    population,     as the     growth
from infancy when the first permanent
settlement  was  made   only  three  hundred years ago, is one of the marvels of
modern times.    Many of the American
s itizens  who  yet  live,  in  the  years of
their young manhood while seeking an
education   no   doubt  recollect,   as   they
perused  the  books treating on  Roman
history, and learned of the vastness of
the domain of the Caesars,      ______
thought that no other nation could ever expect to
rival or surpass it in extent. Its boundaries on the
north took in the Orkney
islands, and stretching toward the south, reached to
Thebes in Egypt. Its eastern boundary was the Caucasus mountains, and its
western confines terminated at the strait of Gibraltar. What has come to
p___, and has been tins'
ever since 1850 when California was admitted into
the Union as a State ? The
Roman eagle in its longest
flight in crossing that Empire, never flew as far as it
is from the spot where the
Pilgrim Fathers landed in
America to the Golden
on the western shores. The
brave and loyal sons of
England, when this country was young and in its
formation period and trying to prove to the world
that a free and enlightened
people were capable of
self-government, boasted
that the sun never set on
the Queen'sdominions. The
most hopeful,    and    those      	
who could see far into the
future, had no idea or expectation, that
the time would ever come when the
American people could as a truth make
such a boastful statement. How is it
now and has been ever since 1867,
when Alaska was purchased with its
long chain of islands stretching so far
westward in the Pacific Ocean? When
the great orb of day sinks out of sight
to the inhabitants of Attoo on the farthest western shores of these islands, it
la almost the middle of the fore-noon
at Eastport, Maine. Of later years
the acquisition of still more territory
has marked the course of the govern-
"is-nt, and there is no telling when this
spirit of expansion will cease. Perhaps the annexation of Mexico and
some of the Central American states,
will result from some cause. Hawaii,
Porto Rico, and the Philippine Islands,
were unsought but came under the
Protecting care of this government,
When there was no desire or wish for
nteh extension of territory. More will
come the same way, and when they
knock for admission. Uncle Sam is too
kind to not heed the call. By all means,
when the late war with Spain ceased,
Cuba ought to have become United
States territory, instead of lying,so near
as a little independent government. It
would  have been  less  trouble and ex
pense to the American people, to have
in time admitted that beautiful and
fruitful island as a state, than to watch
it  from invasion  by other nations that
' would like to possess it. This government   certainly   acted   very   unwise,   by
i not annexing the island and its people,
and making them a part of the Union.
A great government like this, with
all its advantages, where the very
poorest, if intellectually strong, have
an equal chance with the rich, to fill
the highest stations in the gift of the
people or stand at the head of great
enterprises for the development of the
country is well qualified and abundantly able to take under her wings of pro-
splendld   highways  are   filled   with   vehicles   of   every     description     carrying;
people and  products.     The great rivers !
and    lakes float    magnficent    steamers
and   other   crafts,   the   smaller   streams
turn  mills,     and   the  small   but  lovely !
lakes   are   camping   places   during   the
hot season for tired people, or those in
search  of    amusement    and     pleasure.
Railways  cross  and  recross  the  country  in  all   directions,  and  electric     or
interurban   roads   are   fast -paralleling
the steam lines. It is safe to say, no j
other country,    so extensive,    has    so j
many  rapid   means  of  travel,   or   such
abundant  facilities  for the  transporta- j
tion  of people,  grain,     stock     or  mer- i
The Coliseum, Indiana  State Fair Grounds.
tection ,all nations and people that desire to free themselves from the authority of kings, or break away from
despotic rule.
The fact that the American people
have accomplished so much in such a
short space of time, is ample proof
that the founders of the government
made no mistake, in establishing the
nation upon a constitution, that gives
equal rights to all its citizens.
The wilderness, though once beautiful and fruitful, and in its natural condition filled with animal, bird, reptile,
and human life, has gone down and
disappeared before the American husbandman. Instead of forests, there
are millions of fields of grain waving
in the summer winds. The great
prairies are under cultivation, or are
used for pastures and meadows. The
hut of the Indian, has given place to
large and comfortable farm homes.
The villages of the red men are succeeded by beautiful and busy towns
and cities filled with manufactories and
marts   of   trade. The   domestic   ox,
the cow, sheep, horses, and other animals common to civilized life, graze or
roam in unshackled freedom over wide
and luxuriant pastures of tame and nutritious grasses. Groves, orchards and
gardens, surround    every    home,    and
chandise all over its territory as has
the United Stiites. Other nations are
as well equipped, but are cofined to
much smaller areas.
The question now is, can all this
glory, magnificence, and perfection be
kept up to the present high standard,
or increased as future years come and
go? The answer is easy, but must be
based upon conditions that will insure
no backward turn in the righteous acts
of a great majority of the people. The
future looks bright and encouraging,
but yet, there are dangers ahead, if
there is not the best of management in
the affairs of the government. The
nation has become so large, and the
wants of the people so complex and varied, that it requires a vast amount of
wisdom in the law-makers to do all
justice, and yet neglect nothing of
vital importance to all. The people
must be kept educated, both in the
schools, and in their duty as good citizens. They must be kept sober, moral,
industrious    ,and      religious. T_aws
must be of such a nature, that the rich
cannot oppress the poor or the laboring
classes. The country needs wealthy
men to finance and carry on its great
enterprises, and they in turn give employment to those who must or desire
to  work   for  wages.       They  are   both
very useful to each other, and any
complications arising between them,
ought by just laws to both, be enacted
and   enforced. This  is  a  nation  of
wage   earners. The   manufacturing,
mining, transportation, building, and
general labor, employ millions of people of both sexes, who from existing
conditions, depend upon some body to
give them employment. All departments both of labor or those who employ it, ought and must be kept satisfactory to all.
It may be said, that there is no such
thing as standing still. The moment
this occurs, the government will begin
to drift towards the bad. The only
— hope for continued progress along all lines, is advancement. This country-
great as it is, is far from
perfection. There is abundant room for improvement and advancemtn*.
All know that in agricultural matters only one
blade of grass is now
growing, where two or
more may be grown. For
the present requirements,
there is general satisfaction but as the population
increases, and as foreign
demands call for more of
American products of field
and orchard, the production of the present area in
cultivation, must be vastly increased. Manufacturing is bound to keep on the
increase to meet the coming wants, and this calls
for better and faster facilities in transportation.
Church buildings, colleges,
universities, and the smaller institutions of learning
will have to be multiplied.
In other words prograss
means general widening
out of all matters pertaining  to   the  nation.       Con-
 traction  of    affairs,  deter-
ioration of all the institutions of this country, and a falling
away of the morals and religious convictions of the people, must not be allowed to endanger progress.
The future of this great and still
growing nation, is in the hands of the
people. They will have just the kind
of a government they make it. Freedom floats upon the breeze. Every
man who is a legal citizen of the republic, and of the proper age can cast
his ballot, and be represented in the
halls of legislation. It behooves every
one to think carefully and candidly
whom he delegates his power to, that he
may not be disappointed in the results.
Political parties are all right, and in
representative governments actually
necessary, but no wide awake citizen
who is anxious for the best, can afford
to vote at all times a strict party ticket.
There has been too much of this, and
many men have been placed in responsible positions, who for the country's
good, had better remained at home.
The future of this country will be
filled with increased grandeur and
magnificence, if wise and patriotic
methods are pursued; but if there is a
slackening in the administration of justice, and a wide-spread and unholy
lawlessness allowed to enter and grow
Continued  on page 16.