RIBRARY OF CONGRESS. I d* Chap.E.iqA- - She/f ..Q-..(a8- ^ \ UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. iS ■f HI5 AMERICAN ClTiZEN? TREASUfiE HOUSE l'"'!:i'|:||li;'"i|liiil,i|:li: ''''I'llll^l^'iIliSllllillllii'lii: THE 1 D 1 iBT \ .J Mm. -AND THE — AMEI[ICAN CITIZEH;S TREASUI[E hous Beiii£ a Political and Statistical Mirror of tlie Uiiitei States : ^ Compendium of Amep^can ^-Iistory, WITH A KECORD OF THE RISE AND PROGRESS OF THE STATES AND TERRITORIES OF THE UNION, TOGETHER WITH THE LIVES OF THE PRESIDENTS, AND SKETCHES OF GREAT AND REMARKABLE MEN OF AMERICA, AND OTHER LANDS AND AGES, To WHICH IS APPENDED THE PRINCIPLES AND PLATFORMS, AND LIVES OF THE CANDIDATES OF THE POLITICa'l PARTIES IN THE Presidential Campaign of 1872 By J. "WASHINGTON GOODSPEED, ILLUSTRATED. GOODSPEED'S EMPIRE PUBLISHING HOUSE: Chicago, III., 51 S. Carpenter St. ; Cincinnati, O., 179 West Fourth St.; St. Louis, Mo., 314 Olive St. ; New Orleans, La., 41 Natchez St.; New York, 107 Liberty St. A. L. BANCROFT & CO., San Francisco, Cal. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1S72, by J. WASHINCiTON GOODSPEED, In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. Gocdsi-eecl'i Steain Print and Bindery, 51 S. Carpenter St. PREFACE. The Publisher's design in this work is masterly, for the world's history is really the history of its great men. The philosopher's terse saying is most true : — " There is nothing great on earth but man and there is nothing great in man but mind." His purpose is, to gather up the leading features and characteristics of the mighty men in various departments of human activity and present them for the study and guidance of the young men of our times. Founders and reformers in religion, princes in finance, war, politics, and philosophy, including our own men of mark, and historical names of other ages and countries will be sketched, and their careers held up for approbation or warning. Naturally and neces- sarily much of our country's glorious history Avill be condensed into the biographies of those who have made her prosperous, or are now controlling her destiny. The Chief Magistrates, exponents and representatives of opinions and parties, will have their por- traiture here ; and the system of government founded and admin- istered by them will be faithfully described. The rise of States, will be traced, and their position in the political heavens mapped out. The principles and platforms and candidates of the parties now struggling for ascendancy, will be impartially set forth for the information of the public. Such a collection of facts will render this volume as interesting as a story and as helpful as a Cyclopaedia. The substance of many volumes is concentrated in this, and in such space and form that one can gather into his mind, in brief hours of leisure, the results of years of research and composition. In these days of the Press, books are multiplied until the attention is confused by their number and scope. It becomes a desideratum X PREFACE. to find much matter compressed into a few pages, because time is money, and few can hunt through bushels of chaff for a few grains of wheat, or spend months over prolix histories and memoirs to glean what is needed for the actual necessities of information con- cerning questions of interest to the American citizen and the man of affairs. The former publications of this house have been uniformly of such a character as to give assurance that, in this new effort of the publisher to entertain, instruct and benefit his gener- ation, he will succeed, and advance his reputation, secure a new hold upon their confidence and establish a fresh title to their gen- erous patronage. Every reasonable exertion has befen made to procure the best sources of knowledge concerning each person and topic treated in this v/ork, and to arrange the matter in a succinct and readable form. Doubtless the public verdict will be favorable to the authenticity, strength and beauty of the author's production. From the immense scope of subjects here surveyed and illustrated, every person who reads the work will be sure to find something of deep interest and peculiar value to himself, and its treatment and range will be such as to constitute it, not an ephemeral thing, to be glanced at and cast aside, but a volume for frequent reference and recurring perusal. It is with this idea in view that the publisher has striven to impart to the work that thoroughness and attractive- ness which shall give it welcome in the family and library of the masses of our intelligent countrymen. In the bulk of curious information concerning our political fabric, and the summaries of laws and enactments affecting indi- viduals, classes, and communities, it is intended to make the work essential — a sine-qua-non — to the people. In recognition of the universal love of pictorial representation^ this volume will be embellished with numerous illustrations, con- veying, through the eye, to the mind, just and vivid conceptions of many of the characters and objects described, and of monuments of human skill and power, which minister to the gratification or the necessities of mankind. E. J. G. TABLE OF CONTENTS. PART FIRST. DISCOVERY OF AISIERICA Settlement of Greenland Colonies Lost in the Fifteenth Century, Discoveries of Columbus District of Portugal and Great Britain, Assisted by Ferdinand and Isabella, - Second Voyage, - Discovery of the Continent in Third Voyage, Amingo Vespucci — The Pretender,. Oldest Town in America, Oldest Town Settled by English, Taxation of the Provinces, Refusal of the Colonies to Submit, Stamp Act Repealed FATHERS OF THE REPUBLIC, DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE, 17 CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES, 24 HISTORY OF THE GREAT SEAL OF THE UNITED STATES, 46 Origin of Present Device, - .- 50 ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF GOVERNMENT, 60 Parental Government, — 60 Gradual Development into National, 60 Mosaic Law the Law of all Christian Government, 61 The Earliest Established Points in Law, 6r Republicanism Opposed to Tyranny, 62 THE WAY WE ARE GOVERNED 65 Legislative Authority, 65 The Senate, 65 Vice President,.- 65 House of Representatives, 63 The Executive, 6? Secretary' of State Secretarj' of the Treasury, 67 Secretarj' of War, 67 Secretary of the Navy, 67 Secretary' of the Interior,. 67 Attorney General, 67 Compensation of the President and Members of the Cabinet, Supreme Court — Circuit Court — District Court — Court of Claims CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES, 75 Of What it Consists, Duty of Officers, , 79 UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT NEW APPORTION.MENT FOR CONGRESSMEN AND STATE GOVERNORS, POPULATION OF STATES AND TERRITORIES, POPULATION OF OUR PRINCIPAL CITIES, OUR IMPORTS AND THEIR COST, Difference of Time, IJIKD-S-EVE VIEW OF THE UNITED STATES, Location — Boundaries — Alaska — Emigration — Political Divisions — Rivers — Principal Lakes — Sceneiy of Lake Superior — Fort Mackinaw — Pictured Rocks — Climate — Mountain Ranges — Soil — Inhabitants — Mineral Productions — Agriculture — Com- merce — Internal Improvements — Education — Standing Army — Navy Regulations.. 89-83 POETRY— OUR COUNTRY, j 89 MINISTERS TO FOREION COUNTRIES, MINISTERS RESIDENT AND CONSULS GENERAL 91 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES AND TERRITORIES, MAINE — Its Settlement — Progress — Population, NEW HAMPSHIRE— Its Settlement— History— Population, VERMONT— Its Settlement— Historj'— Population , _ MASSACHUSETTS— Its Settlement— History— Population, RHODE ISLAND— Its Settlemept— Historj-- Population, CONNECTICUT— Its Settlement — History — Mineral Resources — Agriculture — Education — Population, _ NEW YORK — Early Settlement — History — Alineral Wealth — Agriculture — Education — Exports — I mports- — Population, NEW JERSEY — Settlement — Progress — Wealth — Education — Population PENNSYLVANIA — History — Minerals — Education — Population, - DELAWARE — History — Manufactures — Education — Agriculture — Minerals— Population.. MARYLAND — Settlement — Commerce — Soil and Products — Manufactures — Education — DISTRICT OF COLUMBI.\— History— Population VIRGINIA — Settlement — History — Climate — Soil and Products — Education — Minerals — Population, NORTH CAROLINA— Settlement— History— Minerals— .Agriculture— Manufactures— Ed- ucation — Population, ^^ _ _ SOUTH CAROLINA — Settlement — History — .Agriculture — Commerce — Public Institutes — Education — Population, GEORGIA — Settlement — History — Agriculture — Manufactures — Population, FLORIDA — Settlement — Climate — Soil — Agriculture — Manufactures — Population, A LA BAM. A — Settlement — Soil — Agricultural Products — Population, , MISSISSIPPI — Climate— Settlement— Agriculture — Soil — Population LOUISIAN.A — Settlement — History — Climate — Soil and Products — -Commerce — Education — Population , TEXAS — Settlement — History — Soil — Climate — Agricultural Products— Minerals — Educa- tion — Population, WEST VIRGIN LA — Historj- — Government — Manufactures — Minerals — .Agriculture — Cli- mate — Education — Population, — TENNESSEE— History— Settlement— Soil and Climate— Agriculture— iMinerals-Educa- tion — Internal Improvements — Population, KENTUCKY— Settlement— History— Agriculture— Soil— Climate— Minerals— Education — Manufactures — Population, OHIO — Histof)' — Climate — Soil — Productions — Manufactures — Minerals — Education— Pop- ulation, -- INDIANA— History— Settlement— Agricultural Products— Minerals— Education— Popula- tion, — - ILLINOIS— Settlement— History— Climate— Soil and Productions— Manufactures— MineraU — Education — Population, MICHIGAN— Settlement— History— Exports — Soil — Agriculture — Education— Population, WISCONSIN— Histoiy— Climate— Soil — Agricultural Products- — ^Minerals— Education- Population, -- MINNESOT.A— Settlement— Climate— Soil and Products — Education— .Agriculture— Min- erals — Population, - IOWA — Settlement — History — Climate — Soil — Products — Minerals — Population, M ISSOU RI— Settlement— History— Climate— Soil— Products— Minerals— Population, ARKANSAS— Historj- — Resources— Minerals— Agriculture— Education — Population KANSAS — Settlement— Progress— Mineral and Agricultural Wealth— Education— Popula- tion - NEBRASKA — Settlement — History — Soil — Climate — Agriculture — Minerals — Education^ Population, NEVADA — Settlement — ^History — Soil and Climate — Agricultural Products — Minerals- Population,. CALIFCiRN I A — Settlement — History — Soil — Climate — Minerals — Population, OREGON — Settlement — Soil — Climate — Agricultural and Mineral Products — Commerce — Population, HISTOUV OF TERRITORIES. ALASKA — Purchase — Inhabitants — Soil — Climate — Extent of Territory — Resources — Pop- ulation, - ARIZONA — Topography — Climate — Soil — Agricultural and Mineral Resources — Popula- tion, COLORADO — Settlement — Soil and Climate — Agricultviral and Mineral Resources — Popu- lation, _ DAKOTA — Soil — Chmate — Minerals — Agriculture — Population, IDAH O — Topography — Soil — Climate — Minerals — Agriculture — Population, INDIAN TERRITORY— Topography— Soil— Climate— Inhabitants— Population, MONTANA — History — Soil — Climate — Minerals — Agriculture — Population, NEW MEXICO— Settlement— History — Soil Climate— Minerals— Agriculture — Popula- tion, UTAH — Settlement — History — Soil — Climate — Wealth — Minerals — Agricultural Products — Population - POETRY— WHAT CONSTITUTES A 'STATE, MOTTOES OF THE STATES DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF VOTERS, INTERNAL REVENUE, _.._ POST OFFICES IN THE UNI-ft^D STATES, _ POST OFFICE REGULATIONS AND RATES, _ THE NATURALIZATION LAW, PRE-EMPTION LAW, . SOLDIERS' HOMESTEAD LAW OF 1872, HOW TO ACQUIRE TITLE TO GOVERNMENT LAND, NATIONAL SECURITIES PUBLIC DEBT OF THE UNITED STATES, I'RESIDENT.S OF THE I'NITED STATES. 1. GEORGE WASHINGTON 2. JOHN ADAMS 3. THOMAS JEFFERSON 4. JAMES MADISON £. JAMES MONROE.. ■6. JOHN Q. ADAMS 7. ANDREW JACKSON 5. MARTIN VAN BUREN : 9. WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON 10, JOHN TYLER II- JAMES K. POLK »2. ZACHARIA TAYLOR 13. MILLARD FILLMORE 15. JAMES BUCHANAN 16. ABRAHAM LINCOLN 17. ANDREW JOHNSON 18. ULYSSES S. GRANT LIVES OF THE PRESIDENTS THE ORIGINAL UNION OF THE STATES, THE FUTUEE OF OUR COUNTRY, LOVE OF COUNTRY AND OF HOME, STATISTICS OF THE GLOBE, THE LAW OF NATIONS, PART SECOND. GREAT SIATESMKN. Louis Bonaparte Bismark _ Charles Sumner Carl Schurz John A. Logan ._. Lyman Trumbull _ Schuyler Colfax Reverdy Johnson _. Simon Cameron _. Zachariah Chandler _ James A. Garfield.. Henry Clay Frederick Sawyer Benjamin Wade W. T. Willey Justin S. Morrill Oliver P. Morton Willard Saulsbury Edwin D. Morgan John S. Chanler Charles D. Drake F. T. Frelinghuysen.. Henry Wilson * ... . President Thiers Thomas A. Hendricks.. George S. Bout well James Harlan William Pitt Fessenden Alexander H. Stephens John J. Crittenden John C. Breckinridge AVilliam H. Seward GREAT ORATORS. Demosthenes William Pitt Patrick Henry John C. Calhoun Daniel Webster GREAT PREACHERS. Henry Ward Beecher C. H. Spurgeon , John Wesley GREAT PHILANTHROPISTS. Gen. La Fayette William Wilberforce John Howard George Pcabody GREAT PHILOSOPHERS. .Socrates Plato ..'. Copernicus Isaac Newton Benjamin Franklin GREAT INVENTORS. George Stephenson - Robert Fulton Samuel 13. F. Morse Eli Whitney Charles Goodyear - Elias Howe Richard M. H oe - Cyrus \V. p'ield GREAT SOLDIERS. Alexander Csesar - Napoleon I Robert E. Lee Stonewall Jackson William T. Sherman - Philip Sheridan GREAT AUTHORS. Homer Shakspeare - Tennyson Cooper Dickens - - - - Whi ttier GREAT FINANCIERS. C. Vanderbilt A . T. Stewart Daniel Drew John Jacob Astor s Rothschild '. GREAT EXPLORERS. Christopher Columbus Captain Cook Dr. Livingstone - - GREAT ARTISTS. Michael Angelo - Raphael _ Powers _ HUMORISTS. Dean Swift - Artemas Ward Mark Twain Josh Billings - GREAT MUSICIANS. Beethoven _ Mozart - - GREAT INDIAN CHIEFS. Philip Logan Tecumseh - Black Huwk POLITICAL. Platforms and lives of the Candidates of the Liberal Republican, Regular Republican and Democratic Parties PART I. THE DISCOVERY AND SETTLEMENT OF THE AMERICAN CONTINENT. BOUT the end of the tenth century, the Scandinavians, in some of their maritime expeditions, had reached Iceland and Greenland, from which latter country they appear to have advanced to Vinland, probably Labrador. In Greenland some unimportant settlements were made, and the communication with the transatlantic continent was maintained until the beginning of the 15th century, when the fate of these colonies was covered as with a cloud ; and although various at- tempts have since been made for their discovery, no traces of their existence have been obtained. In Southern Europe these expeditions were entirely unknown, and therefore the undimin- ished glory was left to Columbus of proving the existence of the Western \\'orld. This celebrated navigator was of Genoese origin, though his character had been formed and his skill ac- quired in the service of Portugal. His active mind readily fore- saw the length and difficulties of a voyage to the Indies by sailing to the eastward, even if the route should be discovered ; and it appeared to him that by sailing directly west he would more readily attain his object. Many circumstances, the importance of which is liest known to mariners, supported his theories; but those to whom he applied for protection and support did not ac- knowledLre their force. The Genoese Senate regarded him as a AMERICAN citizen's TREASURE HOUSE. 13 whose direction the enterprise was chiefly conducted. Returning to Europe, he published an account of his adventures, and claimed the honor of being the first to discover the mainland of the New World. The imposture of Vespucci has long been known, and his dishonest narrative has in no degree injured the glory of Co- lumbus. As to the honor of first reaching the shores of the new continent, it probably belongs to the English mariners, who, under Cabot, a Bristol seaman of Venetian parents, sailed along the coasts of North America from Labrador to Florida, 1498. The oldest town in the United States is St. Augustine, in Florida, settled by the Spaniards in 1565 ; but the first permanent settlement made by the English was that of Jamestown, in Vir- ginia, in 1603. In 1620 a body of emigrants, loi in number, landed at or near Cape Cod, and in honor of their home in the Old World named their home in the New, Plymouth ; and they are known to history as the Puritan Fathers. They were soon followed by others, and thus was laid the broad corner stone of civil and religious liberty The young colonies, were of course, subject to Great Britain; and as that country, with a policy very different from that pursued by her at present, was con- stantly engaged in war, its national debt was heavy and its own resources were so nearly exhausted as to make it a serious ques- tion from whence their money was to come ; and the ministers decided to tax the provinces to raise the means to relieve the necessities of the parent Kingdom; and accordingly the notorious Stamp Act was passed in 1765 ; but the colonists refused to recog- nize or comply with it, on the ground of their having no repre- sentation in the Parliament, and the offensive act was repealed ; . but the right of taxation— denied by Americans— was insisted upon by the ministers, and the duty removed from one article was doubled upon others ; and the resistance of the people re- sulted in the long struggle known as the Revolutionary War. When there seemed but two ways of settling grievances and wrongs that grew each hour more deep and oppressive— either by unconditional submission, or by separation from England— they chose the latter, and on the 4th of July, 1776, Congress, on behalf of the Colonies, declared their independence of Great Britain, and a committee was appointed, consisting of Thomas Jefferson, Ben- jamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman, and John Livin-^- AMERICAN CITIZEN S TREASURE HOUSE. 15 THE FATHERS OF THE REPUBLIC. !/^^5v^E can not believe that man lives upon American soil, protected by our laws, and sheltered by the dear old flag beneath whose folds the patriots of '76 marched on to victory over the armies of the tyrant and oppressor, whose heart does not beat quicker with pride and affection as heglances back over the heroes who planted the germ of our national independence, and watered it with tears, and hallowed the soil only too often with their life-blood. We look at their mighty works and say, surely, " there were giants in those days." Gigan- tic was the task which those brave men performed, and glorious liave been the results of their efforts. From the day when the first blow fell upon the astonished believers in the divine right of kings, to the day when, at the Court of Versailles, the reluctant lion of the House of Hanover was compelled to sign the Act which gave to the colonists a stand- ing amongst the nations of the earth, their days and nights were given to watching, to fighting and to prayer. They had already endured all that men could endure — sufi"ered all that men could suffer — borne all that men could bear ; and now, with the fire of liberty kindled in their souls, they gathered their forces and con- secrated their lives, their property and their all to the cause that to them was dearer than all others. There are names that we have inscribed high on the roll of fame; there are names which we revere above all other names on earth — names that w^e associate with all that is most sacred to freemen, and which will live in the councils of our nation while we have a national existence. In the constellation of names which succeeding generations delight to remember and honor, none are brighter than those of Washington, Jefferson, Hancock, AMERICAN CITIZEN S TREASURE HOUSE. 45 GREAT SEAL OF THE UNITED STATES. fTS HISTORY is one of peculiar interest, and therefore we feel Avarranted in giving more details of its design and history than can be allotted to the Seals of the several States, Soon after the Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson were appointed a committee to prepare a great seal for the infant republic ; and they employed a French West Indian, named Du Simitiere, not only to furnish designs, but also to sketch such devices as were suggested by themselves. In one of his designs, the artist displayed on a shield the armorial ensigns of the several nations from whence America had been peopled — embracing those of England, Scotland, Ireland, France. Germany, and Holland. On one side was placed Liberty with her cap, and on the other was a rifleman in uniform, with his rifle in one hand and a tomahawk in the other — the dress and weapons being peculiar to America. Franklin proposed, for the device, Moses lifting his wand, and dividing the Red Sea, and Pharaoh and his hosts overwhehned with the waters. For a motto, the words of Cromwell, " Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God." Adams proposed the Choice of Hercules ; the hero resting on a club, Virtue pointing to her rugged mountain on one hand, and AMERICAN citizen's TREASURE HOUSE. 65 THE WAY WE ARE GOVERNED. f'^ROM the nature of the Federal compact which unites the i several States of this Union under one National Govern- ment, each State retains, to a great extent, its inde- pendent, individual sovereignty. Every citizen of eacli of the United States is, therefore, at the same time subject to the authority of two distinct governments, administered by three separate classes of agents, Legislative, Executive and Judicial, each with powers peculiar to itself. The Legislative authority of the General Government is vested in a Congress of the United States, consisting of a Senate and House of Representatives, meeting at Washington upon the first Monday of December in each year. The Senate is composed of two members from each State, chosen, either by joint ballot or concurrent vote of the respective Legislatures, for the term of six years. No person can be elected Senator, unless he be thirty years old, has been nine years a citizen of the L^nited States, and be, at the time of his election, an inhabitant of the State for which he is chosen. The Vice-President of the United 'States is President of the Senate, having a casting vote in case of an eepial division of its members. In case he be acting as President of the United States, be absent, or deceased, a president pro tempore is chosen. The House of Representatives is composed of members elected directly by the people of their various Districts, for the term of two years only ; commencing (except in case of vacancies being filled) on the fourth day of March. The number of members to which each State is entitled, varies greatly with its population ; 92 MASTER SPIRITS OF THE WORLD, AND POPULATION OF THE STATES AND TERRITORIES, 1790-1870. STATES AND AGGREGATE. TERRITORIES. 1870. I860. 1850. 1840. 1830. 1820. 1810. 1800. 1790. Alabama 996992 484471 560247 537454 125015 187748 1184109 2539891 1680637 1191792 364399 1321011 726915 626915 780894 1457351 I184059 439706 827922 1721295 122993 42491 318300 906096 4382759 1071361 2665260 90239 3521791 217353 765606 1258520 818579 230551 1225163 442014 1054670 9658 39864 14181 13 1 700 14999 20595 91874 86786 694201 435450 379994 460147 112216 140424 1057286 1711951 1350428 674913 107206 1155684 708002 628279 687049 1231066 749113 172023 791305 1182012 28841 6857 326073 672035 3880735 992622 23395" 52465 2906215 174620 703708 1109801 6042 1 5 315098 1596318 771623 209897 92597 370792 91532 87445 90618; 851470 988416 192214 590756 97574 309527 30388 127901 14273 Connecticut .. Delaware 309978 78085 54477 691392 476183 685866 43112 297675 76748 34730 516823 15744s 343031 275248 72749 261942 72674 251002 64273 237946 59,096 Georgia 340989 55211 147178 252433 12282 24520 162686 82,548 Indiana 5641 Kansas Kentucky 982405 517762 583169 583034 994514 397654 6077 606526 682044 779828 3524H 501793 470019 737699 212267 687917 215739 399455 447040 610408 31639 654317 153407 298335 407350 523287 8896 4065 II 76356 228705 380546 472040 4762 22095S 73,677 Maine Maryland Massachusetts 151719 341548 422845 96,540 319,728 378,787 Mississippi Missouri 375651 383702 136621 140455 75448 66586 40302 20485 8850 ...'... Nevada ] N. Hampshire New Jersey New York NorthCarolina Ohio 317076 489555 3097394 869039 1980329 13294 2311786 147545 668507 10027 I 7 212592 314120 1421661 284574 373306 2428821 753416 1519467 269328 320823 1918608 737987 937903 244161 277575 1372812 638829 581434 214460 245562 959049 555500 230760 183858 211149 589051 478103 45365 141,885 184,139 340,120 393.751 Pennsylvania - Rhode Island. South Carolina Tennessee 1724033 108830 594398 829210 1348233 97199 581185 681904 1049458 83059 502741 422823 810091 76931 415115 261727 602365 69122 345591 105602 434.373 68,825 249,073 35,691 Vermont Virginia W. Virginia 291948 1239797 280652 12 II 405 235981 1065366 217895 974600 154465 880200 85.425 747,610 775881 305391 30945 34277 4837 75080 Dakota Dist. Columbia Idaho 51687 _ 43712 39834 33039 24023 14093 93516 61547 ! I'tah 1 11594 . 1 1 1 1 Total ^ 1 i ' ""' 38555983 31443321 23191876 17069453 12866020 9638453 7239881 5,308483 3929,214 AMERICAN citizen's TREASURE HOUSE. 89 OUR COUNTRY Our country ! — 'tis a glorious land ! With broad arms stretch'd from shore to shore, The proud Pacific chafes her strand, She hears the dark Atlantic roar ; And, nurtur'd on her ample breast, How many a goodly prospect lies. In Nature's wildest grandeur drest, Enamel'd with her loveliest dyes. Rich prairies deck'd with flowers of gold, Like sunlit oceans roll afar ; Broad lakes her azure heavens behold, Reflecting clear each trembling star, And mighty rivers, mountain-born, Go sweeping onward, dark and deep. Through forests where the bounding fawn IJeneath their sheltering branches leap. And cradled 'mid her clustering hills, Sweet vales in dreamlike beauty hide, Where love the air with music fills, And calm content and peace aljide ; For plenty here her fullness pours In rich profusion o'er the land. And sent to seize her generous store, There prowls no tyrant's hireling band. Washington Monument. AMERICAN citizen's TREASURE HOUSE. > mtstl MASSACHUSETTS. T T a^'JPASSACHUSETTS was settled in the year 1620, by the !XK, Puritans. These people, having been severely persecuted in England, had previously taken refuge in Holland ; but for various reasons they determined, after remaining in Holland a season, to emigrate to the New World. They started at a very unpropitious season, arriving at New England in the winter. The severity of the climate and the scarcity of food at times, ope- rated seriously against their comfort and progress. It is said that they were frequently threatened with starvation. At one time the entire company had but one pint of Indian corn, which being divided equally among them, allowed to each person eight grains. But, unlike the early settlers of A'irginia, they were all working men, and good economists. From the time of the landing at Plymouth up to 1691, this first settlement was known as the Ply- mouth Colony. Meantime another settlement had been formed, styled the Massachusetts Colony. Both were for some years under the control of a London company. In 1691 Massachusetts and Plymouth Colonies were united, and thenceforward their history is one. The people of Massachusetts were, during the early part of their colonial existence, sorely vexed, at times, by the Indians, especially by the Pequods. They, unfortunately, had imbibed, during their own persecutions, too much of the spirit of conscrip-' tion and, although themselves refugees from religious bigotry, sullied much of their history prior to the Revolution by punishing what they called heresy in the Quakers and Baptists. During 1774 and 1775, Massachusetts took a very prominent part in favor of colonial rights, and was the first State to manifest the spirit of resentment toward Great Britain. 144 MASTER SPIRITS OK THE AGE, AND VIRGINIA. €4^ HE Old Dominion," so distinguished as being the native State of the Father of American Liberty, and the " Mother of Presidents," really seemed at one time to be peculiarly favorable to the birth and development of statesmen. It has furnished no less than five Presidents, among whom are Washington, Monroe, Madison and Jefferson. It was the first Colony, on the Continent, settled by the English. In 1607, a com- pany formed under the patronage of James I. obtained a grant to make settlements in America, between the 34th and 38th degrees of north latitude. In May, 1607, a colony of one hundred and five persons, under direction of this company, arrived off the coast of South Virginia. Their intention had been to form a settlement on Roanoke, now in North Carolina; but being driven north by a violent storm, they discovered and entered the mouth of Chesa- peake Bay. Passing up this bay they named its capes Henry and Charles, in honor of the king's two sons. They were com- manded by Capt. Christopher Newport, an experienced navigator. Passing up James River, they arrived at a peninsula, upon which they landed and established Jamestown. After promulgating a code of laws which had been formed by the London company, Capt. Newport sailed for England, leaving the colony under the care of Capt. John Smith, whose subsequent relations to the settlement became so important, and without whose efforts the enterprise would doubtless have proved a faiU ure. The colonists seem to have been very poorly adapted to the AMERICAN CITIZEN S TREASURE HOUSE. 16- TEXAS. f|VONCE De LEON and La Salle explored the territory of -''^ Texas. After Mexico became independent of Spain, a grant which had been made to Moses Austin, a native of Connecticut, comprising a large tract of this province, was con- firmed by the new Republic ; and, being transferred by Moses Austin, at his death, to his son Stephen, was subsequently en- larged by a further grant. Emigration from the United States was encouraged, and in 1830 nearly ten thousand Americans were settled in Texas. The prosperity of these inhabitants excited the jealousy of Mexico, and under the administration of Santa Anna, an unjust, oppressive policy was adopted toward Texas. Remon- strance proving useless, the people of the territory declared them- selves independent. I'he revolution began in 1835, by a battle at Gonzales, in which five hundred Texans defeated over one thou- sand Mexicans. Other engagements followed; the result of which was the dispersion of the IMexican army. Santa Anna now re- doubled his efforts, and appearing in March, 1835, with a force 01 eight thousand men, several bloody battles followed. On the 21st of April, having under his immediate command one thousand and five hundred men, he was met by General Sam. Houston, with eight hundred men, and totally defeated, on the banks of the San Jacinto. Santa Anna himself Avas captured the next day in the woods, when he acknowledged the independence of Texas, though the Mexican Congress refused to ratify the act. Active hostilities, however, were now abandoned, and the independence of Texas was acknowledged by the United States, Great Britain and other European countries. It was in this condition of things that AMERICAN CITIZEN S TREASURE HOUSE. ILLINOIS. jHIS most thriving and prosperous State came into the Union on the 3d of December, 181 8. Until 1809 it was a "^ part of Indiana, at which time it became a separate terri- tory, and so remained till received into the Union. This State has been little disturbed by civil divisions or by Indian wars. Its Biost serious troubles arose from the appearance within its bor- ders of the Mormons, in 1838, and from attempts made to curb their irregularities. This singular people, believing themselves to be ill-treated, assembled to the number of 700, under their leaders, in a remote part of the State, and proposed fighting for their rights. But a body of three hundred troops marched against iind captured them. The whole sect was ultimately reduced to submission and banished the State. The territory was explored by La Salle and settled by the French at Kaskaskia (the first capital of Illinois, located on the Kaskaskia River, and the present isite of Vandalia), in 1720. Its growth has been immense. Illinois is the richest agricultural State in the Union, with no waste or poor soil. The soil of the ''bottoms," or river valley, extending for five or six miles back from the Mississippi River, is made entirely of deposits from the river in times of flood ; and in some cases the mold so formed is twenty-five feet deep, and of inexhaustible richness. The yield of Indian corn in these valley lands is enormous ; amounting often to a hundred bushels per acre. In dairy products Illinois is surpassed by but three States in the Union — New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio. In corn and wheat she has steadily held her position as the leading State, for the last fifteen years ; while in all her other staples she is constantly increasing. Her prairies are the grandest, richest, most extensive and beautiful in the United States. Her AMERICAN CITIZEN S TREASURE HOUSE. I91 KANSAS. BOUT the development of this young State cluster some of the most important events of American history. Its territorial organization, by the passage of the Kansas- Nebraska Bill, in 1 85 4, re-opened the agitation of the slavery (juestion, which, seeming to have acquired fresh vigor and viru- lence from the sleep it had enjoyed under the Missouri Compro- mise, thoroughly aroused the old animosities between the pro-an4 anti-slavery elements of our national politics. From 1854 to 1857 it was the theater of political tragedies, the bare mention of which may well put the blush of shame upon even the most fool-hardy partisan. The Territory made application to Congress, in 1857, for a place in the Union, but the Constitution under which it asked admission (the one framed at Lecompton) was known to be a fraudulent affair, and hence Kansas was rejected. The discussion of this Constitution caused a permanent division of the Democratic party. The Constitution was rejected by the people of Kansas by a ma- jority of 10,000. Kansas was, however, received into the Union, in 1 86 1, under a free State Constitution, formed at Topeka. The surface of the country is uniform, with no mountains, sloughs, swamps, marsh lands or lakes. The soil is rich and pro- ductive, the climate mild and healthy. For all agricultural products it is one of the finest States west of the Mississippi. Corn and all small grains yield abundantly. It promises also to be a great fruit State when older. Rapid progress is being made in internal improve- AMERICAN CITIZEN S TREASURE HOUSE. 197 CALIFORNIA '^\k!P''J\^^AS admitted into the Union on the 7th of September, 'xtf^ 1850. The alarming discussion which occurred upon i i the question of admission was what gave rise to the compromise measures of 1S50, popularly styled the Oj'duibiis Bill. General Fremont, with a small but dauntless band of rangers, conquered California in 1S46, having defeated, on frequent occa- sions, vastly superior forces of Mexicans. Its resources as a farming country early attracted attention. But when, in February, 1848, it was published that gold in quantities had been found on a branch of the Sacramento, the swarm of emigrants which rushed in, comprising representatives from every State in the Union, and from nearly all the nations of Europe, was almost incalculable. From a small village, San Francisco was rapidly inflated to a large city In many places towns sprang up like mushrooms. Owing to the fact that its population has been thrown hastily together, from so many places, and in consequence of the want of a government, California was, for some time, the scene of many dark crimes and hideous outrages. Never was the want of whole- some legal restraint more keenly felt than here. The Constitution of California was framed by a convention of delegates in 1849. It is a wild and broken country, mountainous and rugged, traversed by both the Sierra Nevadas and the coast range. The valleys, long neglected for the mines, are again being cultivated and brought to a, high degree of fertility and productiveness. The gold mines are too well known to need any description. They furnish annually to the Government seventy to eighty million dollars in gold. The climate of talifornia varies greatly PATENT OFFICE AT WASHINGTON. iiii! :sjS'^i HK WHITE- HOUSE AT WASH 1N( /ION. AMERICAN CITIZEN S TREASURE HOUSE. ARIZONA TERRITORY. ^/^^,Y act of Congress, approved February 24, 1S63, Arizona r>^^v) ^^'"^^ organized, embracing " all that part of the present ^K^^ territory of New Mexico situate west of a line running due south from the point where the southwest corner of the Ter- ritory of Colorado joins the northern boundary of the Territory of New Mexico, to the southern boundary of said Territory," con- taining an estimated area of 131,000 square mil^s. It is thinly settled by natives of Mexico and emigrants from different States of the Union, besides containing a large number of Indians of a warlike character. The right of suffrage and territorial organiza- tion similar to those of New Mexico, with the provision, " that there shall neither be slaves nor involuntary servitude in said Ter- ritory." This Territory is rich in gold, silver, copper and other minerals, while the soil is mostly sterile except in the few valleys susceptible of irrigation. Arizona, proper, was acquired by treat^ with Mexico known as the " Gadsden Treaty," and ratified \ June, 1864. Few marks of civilization are found here, and neither Christ- ianity nor education has smoothed away the rough, half-savage characteristics of the inhabitants, who are Spanish, half-breeds, Indians and miners, gathered from the refuse of all States, many, or most of them, desperadoes and outcasts, with here and there, in the agricultural districts, an American settler. Their towns are closely like the Mexican, with miserable, unburnt brick huts, where filth and S'.pialor reign supreme. Scattered through the Territory are ruins of fortifications and castles and ancient churches whose ruins give everywhere proof of their having been devoted to idol •worship, while here and there, half covered with mould, and almost hidden by rank vegetation and tangled vines, which creep over them as if in ])ity for their hideous ugliness, lie the shattered gods of the people who once dwelt here, a lordly but barbarous race, of whom not a vestige remains. Arizona Mas formerly a })art of Mexico, mitil purchased by the United States. Population 9,65s, Cincinnati and Covington Suspension Bridge* View taken from the Covington Side of the Kiver. Main Span, 1057 feet. Length of Bridge, 2252 feet. Height from Low Water, 100 feet Height of Towers, 230 feet. Towers, at base, 86 by 52. ) n the two cables are 10360 wires. iJiameter of the Cables, 12X inche>, one million pounds. Amount of Lumber, 500,000 feet. Strength of Bridge, 16,300 tuns. Width of Bridge in the clear, 36 feet. I Total cost, $1,750,000. k-eighii AMERICAN CITIZEN S TREASURE HcJUSE. 167 TENNESSEE, ^'^^fOR some time, was a part of North Carolina. It was f( made a territorial government in the year 1790, and vv'as admitted into the Union in 1796. The first permanent white inhabitants of Tennessee went there in the year 1775, and built Fort Loudon, now in Blount county. They were, in 1760, attacked by the savages, and two hundred persons were massacred. But, in 1767, the natives were reduced to submission by Colonel Grant, and a treaty was made with them, which encouraged emi- gration. Settlements were formed on Holston River in 1765, which, although frequently attacked by the Indians, made very fair })rogress. Colonel John Sevier, with the Tennessee militia and a few ^Virginia soldiers, gained a decisive victory over the savages, and from this time forward, though more or less harrassed by the Indians, the progress of the State, in population and im- provement, was rapid. North Carolina gave up the territory in 1789, and in 1790 Congress recognized it as a separate province. It has great extent of territory, and up to 1861, was considered as among the greatest of the agricultural States. ■ Its staple products are cotton, tobacco and corn. The mineral resources of Tennessee are not yet developed to any e.vtent, but they are rich in quality, and limitless in quantity, and will be a source of boundless wealth to the State. In the mountains, easy of access, are endless stores of copper, zinc, sandstone, iron, and 140 MASTER spirit: OF THE WORLD, AND DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. t lyi)Y^HE District, originally ten miles square, now embraces an ^yB;' area of but sixty square miles. It is the seat of our Na- \y^^ tional Government, and lies at the head of tide water, on the east side of the Potomac River. It includes both the cities of Washington and Georgetown. Until the year 187 1 it was governed by Congress, but in that year a law was passed giving the District the control of its own affairs. At the time that war was declared between the Colonies and Great Britain, Philadel- phia was the Capital of the new territory, and continued to be so until 1783. At that time some difficulty arose between a band of dissatisfied soldiers, who marched to the hall where Congress was in session, forced the doors of the building, and in a violent and in- sulting manner demanded the back pay due them, amounting to a considerable sum, and which it was not then in the power of the Government to pay. The outrage pressed upon their attention the subject, already under consideration, of a better site for the Capitol, removed from the seat of war and beyond danger of a recurrence of such scenes. It was proposed that it be located on the banks of the Delaware or Potomac river, and in December, 1788, Delaware, through its legislature, offered Congress the necessary ground, provided it did not cover to exceed ten miles square. The matter was debated in Congress, and the North and South, then, as since, divided upon almost every question, clam- ored like two spoiled children for the location of the new build- ings. The House of Representatives at one time declared the Capital should be in Pennsylvania, on the Susquehanna, at which the South demurred. Germantown was next proposed — voted upon by the House, and carried by a vote of 31 to 19. The fur- ther consideration of the matter Avas then postponed until the next session of Congress, and so, for the time, Germantown was the Capital. The South was very much excited over the state of affairs ; the North was anything but pleased with it, and in De- cember, 1789, Virginia ceded a district to Congress on the Poto- ^ AMERICAN CITIZKN's TREASURE HOUSE. 87 second to no power in the world. In river and harbor improve- ment, in canals and railroads, nothing that industry and enter- prise, united to almost limitless capital could accomplish, has been left undone. Continuous lines of railroad span the continent from the " rock bound coast " of the Atlantic to the blue waters ®f the Pacific, and from the lakes of the north to the gulf that breaks upon our southern coast, and forty thousand miles of iron track girdle the States in every possible direction ; while high over wood and prairie, over stream and hill, over mountain and valley the dark wires of the telegraph stretch out, bearing with an unseen, unheard and mysterious power, Avords of peace or tidings of war — joy and gladness to one hearth, sorrow and desolation to another. With all his wisdom and far-seeing sagacity, Franklin never prophesied how great results would follow the experiments which to common minds seemed but the vague vision of an idealist. Later, Morse brought the art to what seems to us a glorious per- fection, but in the unborn years before us, other master minds, profiting by what philosophy has already proven, will carry on the well begun work. To our public, or common schools America owes her greatness, since to strength of developed muscles is added strength of developed and cultivated intellect, and ample and generous pro- vision for the education of every child has been made. Our system of to-day is the system which was established by the Pil- grim Fathers, who, fleeing from the ignorance and superstition of the old world, kindled the flame of general knowledge, and set the light on a hill where it cannot be hid ; and succeeding generations have fed the sacred fire until to-day it lights the world. Fellow laborer with the free school is the free press. Thank (iod for the free, unfettered press, whose voice is potent to break the chains of tyranny and thunder its denunciations at abuse and wrong, and demand the execution of justice, even while it advocates mercy. With that commendable prudence and wisdom which marked the course pursued by the " Fathers of the Republic," every citizen is left free and untrameled by bigotry or prejudice, "to worship God after the dictates of his own heart," and in doing this, that man must be callous indeed that cannot, in some religious denomination, find a home till such time as he is called to "come up higher." MASTER SPIRITS OF THE V/ORLD, AND PRE-EMPTION LAWS. /i^ PRE-EMPTION right is the right of a squatter upon the # lands of the United States to purchase, in preference to others, when the land is sold. Such right is granted to the following persons : Any citizen of the United States ; any person who has filed his declaration of intention to become a citizen ; any head of a family ; any widow ; any single woman of the age of twenty-one years or over , and any person who has made a settlement, erected a dwelling-house upon, and is an inhabitant of the tract sought to be Qn\.Qxed.—J)rovidcd such settlement was made since June i, 1S40, and previously to the time of application for the land, which land must, at the date of the settlement, have had the Indian title extinguished, and been surveyed by the United States. A person bringing himself within the above requirements by proof satisfactory to the Register and Receiver of the land district in which the land may lie, taken pursuant to the rules hereafter prescribed, will, after having taken the affidavit required by the Act, be entitled to enter, by legal subdivisions, any number of acres, not exceeding one hundred and sixty, or a quarter-section, to in- clude his residence ; and he may avail himself of the same at any time prior to the day of the commencement of the public sale, including said tract, where the land has not yet been proclaimed. Where the land Avas subject to private entry, June i, 1840, and a settlement shall thereafter be made upon such land, or where the land shall become hereafter subject to private entry, and after that period a settlement shall be made, which the settler is desir- ous of securing, notice of such intention must be given within thirty days after such settlement ; and, in all such cases, the proof, affidavit and payment must be made within twelve months after such settlement. AMERICAN citizen's •IREASUKK HOUSE 75. THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES ,/jP^5J0NSISTS of a Senate and House of Representatives, and \vli?, must assemble at least once every year, on the first JMon- ^^ day of December, unless otherwise jirovided by law. The Vice-President of the United States is ex-ofificio President [ERICAN CITIZEN S TREASURE HOUSE. 229 You have no right to close your eyes to danger that threatens your country and say you are neutral ; for be sure neutrality is either cowardice, treason, or ignorance ; and society, both social, religious, and political, has far more to dread from an army of neutrals than from an army Avho throw their colors to the breeze and declare the ground on whick they have taken their stand. Never forget for one moment, whether you be leader or private in the army, that tJie majority rule, and that if the majority is on the side of wrong, wrong will triumph. Study not only to throw the weight of your vote on the side of right, but throw your influence there, with all the strength and force you can gather. The people have it in their power to rule for good. Woe to that nation where ignorance has covered the land with mourning and her sons have sold their birthright of liberty for a dish of pottage, and see an usurper wear the glory that was their heritage, without a sigh or pang of regret. To the voters of America is entrusted the holiest treasure that man was ever enjoined to guard — the liberty of our country and the protection of our republican principles and institutions. How well it has been preserved in the past, the proud position which she holds in the rank of nations tells more eloquently than writ- ten or spoken Avords. Whether we shall go on from victory to \ictory, crowned more and still more royally with the luster of great deeds, until she shall be a light to the nations who sit in darkness, depends upon you who hold in your hands the power 10 make her what you will, and whose votes must decide her ^destiny. 240 MASTER SPIRITS OF THE WORLD, AND - Increased Pensions to JVu/o7i's, and Orphan Children Under Six- teen Years of Age. — The second section of this act allows to those who are or shall be pensioned as widows of soldiers or sailors two dollars per month additional pension for each child (under sixteen years of age) of the deceased soldier or sailor by the widow thus pensioned. On the death or remarriage oT such widow, or on the denial of a pension to her, in accordance with the provisions of section eleven of the Act of June six, eighteen hundred and sixty-six, the same amount to which she would otherwise be entitled, under this and previous provisions, is allowed to the minor children. The number and names of the children, with their ages, must be proved by the affidavits of two credible and disinterested wit- nesses. The provisions of this section only include the children of the widow, and not those of her deceased husband by a previous marriage. The widows of minor children of officers are not enti- tled to this increase. Declarations for an increase under this .section, if for the widov/, will be made in accordance with form H, appended hereto ; and if for minor children, according to form I. The pension certificate must be sent with all applica- tions filed subsequently to September four, eighteen hundred ^and sixty-six. Increase of Pensions luider Acts prior to July 4, 1862. — All pen- sioners under Acts approved prior to July fourteen, eighteen hundred and sixty-two, are, by the third section of the present act, granted the same rights as those pensioned under acts ap- proved at or since that date, so far as said Acts may be applicable, with the exception of soldiers of the Revolution or their widows. This section applies only to pensioners who were such at the date of the approval of this Act. Declaration of claimants under this section will be made in accordance with the forms previously issued under Act of July fourteen, eighteen hundred and sixty-two, and subsequent pension acts, with tlie necessary modifications, and the pension certificates will be returned. hn'alid Pensions of Claimants Dying 7cJiile their Applications arc Pending, the Pvidoice being Completed. — The fourtli section of this act is construed in connection with the tenth section of the Act of July four, eighteen hundred and sixty-four, and the sixth sec- tn n X iU ^^ 4^r 374 MASTER SPIRITS OF THE AVORLD, AND STATISTICS OF THE GLOBE. ifT/f^HE earth is inhabited by about 1300 millions of inhabit- Jv^ ants, viz : ^T^ 360,000,000 of the Caucassian race ; 550,000,000 of the Mongolian; 190,000,000 of the Ethiopian; 200,000,000 of the Malay races, and 1,000,000 of the American Indian. All these respectively speak 3,064 languages and possess 1,000 different religions. The amount of deaths per annum is 33,333,333, or 91,954 per d'lV ; 3,7.50 per hour; 60 per minute, or one per second. This loss is compensated by an ecjual number of births. The average duration of life throughout the globe is thirty- three years. One-fourth of its population dies before the seventh year, and one-half before the seventeenth. Out of 10,000 per- sons only one reaches his hundredth year; only one in 500 his eightieth ; and only one in 100 his sixty-fifth. Married people live longer than unmarried ones, and a tall man is likely to live longer than a short one. Until the fiftieth year, ■women have a better chance of life than men ; but beyond that period the chances are equal. Sixty-five persons out of one thousand, marry. The months of June and V December are those in which marriages are most frequent. Children born in s])ring are generally stronger than those born in other seasons. Births and deaths chiefly occur in the night. The number of men able to bear arms is but one-eighth of the population. AMERICAN CITIZEN S TREASURE HOUSE. 589 THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE. The elecloral vote for President in 1872 will be considerably greater than it A\ai: in 1S6S, under the previous apportionment. Many States have increased ilieir respective votes, and several States a\ hich did not vote at all in 1S68 will now take part in the election. The following table will show the electoral Aote in 1 868, with the popular majority in each State for Grant or Seymour, and rdso the number of votes to which each State will be entitled in 1872 : 8 AIal)ama .Arkansas 5 California 5 Connecticut G Delaware *Florida 8 Cieorgia Illinois IG Indiana V6 Iowa 8 Kansas 3 Kentucky Louisiana 7 Maine 7 ^Maryland ^Massachusetts 13 Michigan 8 r^Iinnesota 4 M ississippi ^Missouri 11 Nebraska 3 Nevada 3 New Hampshire 5 New Jersey , New York North Carolina <^ ATURALIZATION is the act by which an alien, or for- eigner, becomes invested with the rights and privileges of a native-born subject or citizen. In the United States, a person duly naturalized is entitled to all the privileges and im- munities of a native-born citizen, except that he must have been a resident of the United States for seven years, to enable him to occupy a seat in Congress, and that he is not eligible to the office of President or Vice-President, or, under the Constitution of some of the States, to that of Governor. Congress having the power, under the Constitution of the United States, to establish a uniform rule of naturalization, has provided by various enactments, as follows, viz. : Any alien, hav- ing arrived in the United States after the age of eighteen years, may be admitted to the rights of citizenship, after a declaration, upon his part, or oath or affirmation, before the Supreme, Supe- rior, District, or Circuit Court of, or any court of record having common law jurisdiction in, any of the United States, or of the territories thereto belonging, or before a Circuit or District Court of the United States, or the Clerk or Prothonotary of any of the aforesaid courts, two years at least before his admission, that it is his bona fide intention to become a citizen of the United States, and to renounce forever all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate. State, or sovereignty whatever, and particularly by name, the prince, potentate, State, or sovereignty, whereof such alien may at any time have been a citizen or subject; if such alien has borne any hereditary title, or been of any of the orders of nobility in the kingdom or State from which he came, he must, moreover, expressly renounce his title or order of nobility, in the court in which his application is made, which renunciation is to be recorded in such county ; and the court admitting such alien Mt. Vernon — The Home of Washington. AMERICAN CITIZEN S TREASURE HOUSE. 305 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF THE PRES- IDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES. GEORGE WASHINGTON. ^>pN the line of march, whether progressive or retrogressive, fwe have been led through all ages by men who, by the strength of their intellect or the force of their will, or by a subtle power, inexpressible by words, but to which we yield almost insensibly, have proved themselves masters of the masses. If his instincts are pure, and his aims and tendencies elevated, his influ- ence upon the world will be beneficial ; if they are corrupt and degraded, while he grovels in the filth and slime of the dregs of social or national vices, he turns backward the wheel of the car of progress ; its motion is reversed, and the jar and shock is felt, it may be, to the ends of the earth, causing disastrous results to the generations following, even greater than to the present. A thousand men in the quiet walks of private life might practice the vices that are common to his age or sphere, and they would pass comparatively unnoticed ; but once he has stepped out from the masses and taken a position above them, the influence of his lightest act is a power for good or evil. With a desire to present, in a condensed form, sketches of the lives of those who may serve, by their virtues and admirable qual- ities of mind and habit, as models for our imitation, or whose vices, though brilliant, are repulsive enough to make them a warn- ing to him who reads even while he runs, we have chosen a few from almost every rank and profession of those whose names are bright on history's page, and whose services render it a i)]eas- ure to record their acts, while their virtues, far more than the MASTER SPIRITS OF THE WORLD, AND A TABLE SHOWING THE NUMBER OF NEWSPAPERS AND PERIODICALS PUBLISHED IN THE UNITED STATES, TERRITORIES, DOiMINION OF CANADA AND BRITISH PROVINCES OF NORTH AMERICA. Alabama Arkansas California. Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia. Florida Georgia Illinois - Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana ISIaine ^Maryland _ ^Massachusetts JSIichigan Minnesota Mississippi M issouri Nebraska Nevada -. New Hampshire New Jersey New York North Carolina Ohio Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina Tennessee Texas Vermont _ Virginia West Virginia Wisconsin Territories . New Brunswick, D. C. Nova Scotia, D. C Ontario, D. C Quebec, D. C .- Semi- Bi- i semi- i Bi- Qua Daily. Wkly, Wkly. Wkly. Wkly.'M'thly M'thly M'thly terly. Total. 9 21 131 8 4' 211 British Colonies. Totals 581; 13' I .3' 3 21 13 40' .3' Gti 41 139 51 13 12 21 Stj 371 209 231 85 7(i 71 48 77 105 107 85j 75 7 31 7 « 71 39 21; 1' 98 .S9 3 18, Giia, al 3 4 43 ~'h 9 5 3(lli| r>, 1 25; (il 2 1' 410 <>, 1 18 .5 4 42' 12 -1 1 79' ll 8 7 95 • 3 SO l(i 9' 8 71 3 1 1 49 Iti 2 3 105 108' 4:M0 I I 4 50, I 20 2 lilt) 7 43 247 15 ()76j r i 3 21 12 37 20 129 4!>42 21' 100 78 51 187 87 18 25 25 123 409 2(W 280 112 105 90 (iii 9(i 280 139 104 93 2ti9 4li 15 .5ti 138 894 G5 411 32 584 2f) .59 104 123 44 IKi 5S 201 13 50 59!S3 73 1 20 32 1 1 213 1 82 1 3 3.>i I i 29 Ci (U3S K V 290 MASTER SPIRITS OF THE WORLD, AND SOLDIERS' HOMESTEAD LAW OF 1872. !5r]|/^HE following is the full text of the Amendatory Soldiers' *V^? Homestead Bill, approved by the President on the 3d of ^ April, 1872. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That every, pri- vate soldier and officer who has served in the army of the United States during the recent rebellion for ninety days or more, and Vv-ho was honorably discharged, and has remained loyal to the government, including the troops mustered into the service of the United States by virtue of the third section of an act entitled " An act making appropriations for completing the defenses of Washington, and for other purposes," approved February 13th, 1862, and every seaman, marine and officer who has served in the navy of the United States, or in the marine corps, during the re- bellion for ninety days, and who was honorably discharged, and has remained loyal to the government, shall, on compliance with the provisions of an act entitled, " An act to secure homesteads to actual settlers on the public domain, and the acts amendatory thereof, as hereinafter modified, be entitled to enter upon and receive patents for a quantity of public lands (not mineral) not exceeding one hundred and sixty acres, or one quarter section, to be taken in compact form according to legal subdivision, including the alternate reserved section of public lands along the line of any railroad or other public work not otherwise reserved or ap- propriated, and other lands subject to entry under the homestead laws of the United States : Proznded, the said homestead settler shall be allowed six months after locating his homestead within which to commence his settlement and improvements : And pro- vided also, the time which the homestead settler shall have served in the army, navy or marine corps aforesaid shall be deducted MASTER SPIRITS OF THE AGE, AND PENSION LAWS. 5?^^,ENSI0NS for officers, soldiers and sailors disabled in the service, and for the widows and children of officers, sol- ^^ diers and sailors who have died in the service, have been liberally and carefully provided by Congress, The proper officials to whom all applications should be made, by letter or petition, in Washington, are, by a soldier having his dis- charge, to the Paymaster General ; when the discharge paper is lost, to the second Auditor of the Treasury ; when by those who represent a deceased person, to the second Auditor of the Treas- ury ; when for commutation of rations, to the same officer ; when for pensions, or any matter connected with pensions, to the Com- missioner of Pensions. Instructions have been prepared for all applicants, by the Com- missioner of Pensions for the purpose of preventing fraud or misunderstanding. They are, in substance : INSTRUCTIONS. By the act of Congress approved July 14th, 1862, and amenda- tory acts, pensions are granted as follows : 1 . Invalids, disabled in the military or naval service of the United States, in the line of duty 2. Widows ©f persons who have been killed or have died in the m.ilitary or naval service of the United States. 3. Children under sixteen, of the classes of persons on account of whose death widows are entitled ; provided said widows have died, or have remarried. 4. Mothers of all classes of persons on account of whose death v.-idows are entitled, provided said mothers were dependent on the deceased for support and no minor child survived. 5. Fathers, the same as mothers, in case of the death of the latter. 326 MASTER SPIRITS OK THE WORLD AND ANDREW JACKSON '■^^'EVENTH President of the United States. The fame of f" Old Hickory " is too far spread to need that my feeble powers be exerted to add to it one ray of luster. He was born at Waxhaw, Lancaster county, South Carolina, 1767, and manifested, from childhood, something of the martial spirit which made him the hero of New Orleans. One author said of him, with a spice of malice, that a more tur- bulent, roaring, rollicking youngster never lived than this same soldier and statesman. In 1790 he fixed his residence at Nash- ville, and married. In 1795 ^"^^ assisted in framing the Constitu- tion of Tennessee, and was sent to Congress as the first representative of the new State. Mr. Jackson studied law and practised it to a limited extent, but it is conceded, even by his warmest friends, that in this profession he was not " a success." In 1797 he was elected to the Senate of the United States, and upon the expiration of his term of office here, he was appointed Judge of the Supreme Court of Tennessee. In 1804 he resigned that office and retired to the " Hermitage," near Nashville. When war was proclaimed with Great Britain, in 181 2, he commanded the militia of his district, and in 1815 obtained the victory at New Orleans, which was the crowningglory of his military life. Three years later he made a successful campaign against the Indians in our Southern Territories and States. In 1812 he was appointed Governor of Florida, then a territory. In 1823 the appointment of Minister to Mexico was tendered to him, which he declined, but was elected as member of Congress from Tennessee. In 1S24 he received many votes for President, but was not elected until 1828, and was re-elected by an immense majority in 1832. In the spring of 1837, weary and worn with his active life, he gave to younger hands and brains the cares of State, and retired again to his beloved home, the " Hermitage," where he spent the remainder of his days in the peace and quiet which he had so well earned. His death occurred here, June 8th, 1S45. AMERICAN citizen's TREASURE HOUSE. 365 THE FUTURE OF OUR COUNTRY. ^^r^^HE history of America has not, like that of the Old A\ orld, *^vr^ the charm of classical or romantic associations ; but in ^T^ useful instruction and moral dignity it has no equal. It is not yet a century since this fair and flourishing republic was a colony of England, scarcely commanding the means of existence without the aid of the mother country, who was herself oppressed by European wars. Our puritan forefathers began in the rough fields of Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut, on a broad, comprehensive i)rinciple, which has gone forth to fraternize the world. Our history, therefore, like that poetical temple of fame reared by the imagination of Chaucer, and decorated by the taste of Pope, is almost exclusively dedicated to the memory of the truly great. Within, no idle ornament encumbers its bold simplicity. The pure light of Heaven enters from aboye, and sheds an equal and serene radiance around. As the eye wanders about its extent, it beholds the unadorned monuments of brave and gsod men, who have bled or toiled for their country; or it rests on votive tablets inscribed with the names of the blessed benefactors of mankind. I'he puritans of England — the resolute conquerors of the lakes and forests of the New World — occupied, in the first period of their social existence, the depressed position of a European colony; but the spirit of liberty which had led them to these wild regions, and the gifts of a magnificent and fertile nature, were sufficient to prepare them for their high des- tiny. This rude apprenticeship lasted more than one hundred and fifty years before the hour of change struck ; and in the night of the i8th of April, 1775, the cannons of Lexington called a new-borii nation to regenerate the world. The people rose as one man, and turning the ploughshares that tilled the soil into 59° MASTER SPIRITS OF THE WORLD, AND THE LAW OF NATIONS. ^ ATIONS, like individuals, are bound by certain laws oitv^^r '^^'^"'^^^'^ govern and control their relation and conduct to ^^^ each other. It is, or should be, based upon the divine precept, " Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them." No other rule is just, and nations are as strongly bound to obey it as an individual. This, however, is not enough ; and sad as is the commentary, in other and more human laws they find a stronger protection. There is no tribunal but that of public opinion to enforce upon nations an observance of the courtesy due each other, but, in this agC; there is not a civilized government on earth that does not stand sufficiently in awe of this to openly respect its compact with other nations. There can, of course, be no court for the adjustment of national misunderstandings ; and each nation is therefore a law unto itself, and the chief judge of its own wrongs and grievances; hence, when difficulties and disputes arise between them, and neither reason nor charity will lead to a peaceful settlement of their troubles, war is resorted to, and by force of arms, or supe- riority of numbers, one is forced to yield its claims to the other, and often to relinquish justice. A nation's strength is not always a nation's glory, since it may have been acquired by the most dis- honorable means ; and a nation's greatness is not always a nation's honor, since it may have been reached in such a way as to be its shame. In the ages when the most bloody and cruel war begat heroes, and the most treacherous and cowardly acts often crowned them with laurels, it was enough that a nation was victorious ; it mattered little whether that victory, or the terms dictated to the conquered, were honorable or otherwise, and some of the most noted of the ancient Roman and Grecian warriors were distinguished for cruelty, tyranny and treachery. To violate a treaty was, with 224 MASTER SPIRITS OF THE WORLD, AND THE DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF VOTERS. ^/f¥^N a Republican torm of Government, every act and feature fof our laws is traceable directly to those who by their votes enacted them, or indirectly to those who by their neglect to vote suffered the passage of a bad or injudicious bill and allowed it to become a statute, and thus wronged thousands, and disgraced the country. We say, boastingly, that the " right of suffrage" is extended to every citizen of the United States, but the term, as applied to the citizens of a Republic, is a contradiction, meaning as it does, permission from the ruling power thus to do — when the very significance of our form of government is proof that it is as much the birthright of every citizen as is the air -he breathes. The declaration that " all men are created free and equal," gives no man an inherited supremacy over another, either social or politi- cal, and imposes certain duties upon every one, duties that are inseparc^ble from his citizenship. A republican government is a contract or compact between the people for mutual protectiwi, defense and security, and since every citizen derives actual and positive benefit from this protec- tion it is impossible but that he has duties to perform and obliga- tions to meet. It is not practicable, of course, for the people to assemble in masses and give instructions to the Chief Executive personally ; hence, conventions are called, at which some one who is known to be honest and faithful to the interests of the common- wealth, and especially of the district he represents, is nominated, and afterwards elected to meet the general assembly of represent- atives, at which the wants, wishes or demands of the people are made known, and such measures adopted as shall most easily and speedily carry them out. PART II. NAPOLEON III. AMERICAN CITIZEN S TREASURE HOUSE. 399 NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. *'?ipT is impossible," says Gregorovius, than whom we have no • J^(L ^^f^*^^^ authority, perhaps, " to establish with any accuracy ^T^ the origin of the Bonaparte family." Certain it is, that when the author whom I quote, and to whom I am indebted for these facts, first introduces them, they are a quiet and unknown family, living in seclusion in Corsica. There the three young sisters grew out of their beautiful childhood into more beautiful girlhood, and the young brothers prepared themselves for the life that lay before them. Napoleon, who was not eldest, yet in every way took precedence to Joseph, and the Archdeacon Lucien, their uncle, said on his death-bed, to Joseph : " You are the oldest of tlie family, but there stands its head — you must not forget this." Even in childhood he showed a marvelous passion for military life, and was almost constantly with the soldiers in their barracks at Ajaccio, imitating and practicing their duties and exercises. "While very young he was sent to military school at Brienne, and in 1783 to the military school at Paris to complete his studies. He had already an am- bition that was more than master of every other faculty he pos- sessed, a vivid imagination aflame with the excitement of ancient history, and he aspired to re-enact the bold and valiant deeds of the Caesars and of Alexander. Having finished his military stud- ies, we find him at Ajaccio, and a zealous democrat. How in after years, when he with his own hand placed the crown upon his head, where the Pope had so recently rested his hand in conse- cration, did he reconcile his change of views. Corsica, as every reader knov/s, was forever in an uproar or a revolution — first the prey of one and then of another power, and when the time came that the democratic party, under the leadership of Joseph and Napoleon I! .naj)artc, drew up a congratulatory address to the convened assembly, it was filled with the bitterest denunciations 4o8 MASTER SPIRITS OF THE WORLD, AND ZACHARIAH CHANDLER. g^P'ACHARIAH CHANDLER was born in Bedford, N. H., JJW^I December lo, 1813. He received a good education, and ^^^ at the age of twenty-two went to Detroit, Mich., engaged in mercantile business, and as the town, then small, increased ih size, so also did his business, until he was one of the heaviest wholesale dry goods merchants in the State. He was a whig in politics, so far at least as he was a politician, which was not to any great extent, and he never sought political honors. He was elected Mayor of Detroit in 1 851, and in the following year was nominated for Governor of the State, but his fine sense of honor forbade his silence upon what seemed to him vital points of interest to the nation, and he gave his views so plainly and independently as to offend the party in power,^ and lost the election. In 1856 he was elected to the United States Senate for six years, and during that term was identified with all the leading movements of the day : for a general system of internal improvements, for pre- venting the further increase of slave territory, and for the sup- pression of the vices and corruption which disgraced the nation. One of our finest critics writes of him : " The country does not know how much it owes to his Roman firmness. The people have become too much accustomed to regard him as one of the fortresses of their liberties, which no artillery could breach, and whose parapet no storming column could ever reach, that they have never given themselves a thought as to the disastrous consequences which might have followed had he spoken or voted differently from what he did. AVhen did he ever pander to position, or complain of being overslaughed by his party.' Yet no man ever did braver work for a party, and got less con- sideration than he." In the rebellion he advocated prompt and energetic measures, not half-way action. He was prompt and efficient in promoting the welfare of the soldiers, and in bringing about an honorable peace. AMERICAN CITIZENS TREASURE HOUSE. 41I JOHN A. LOGAN. J^jpOHN A. LOGAN was born in Illinois in 1826. His father, ^i' > O O PP O 5 CD >^ C rt -^ " C O ^ a-s ^^ ^ S jj J2 ' )r^ " -^ . '"-^I^ ^"u? 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