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Show Our West Coast Progress WE suspect' the coming census will, for tho West Coast, show some surprising figures. All accounts agree that the coast cities are all growing and that this does not mean a rush from the country; the country is fully keeping up with the towns. Farming is paying large profits all over the west and the value of farming farm-ing lands are simply soaring in value. Indeed farming is taking on new dignity as an occupation, occupa-tion, and men whose approval is worth most are bearing their testimony to the truth that farming should be held as a science filled with honor as an occupation, and with mercies to mankind. The foothills of California, which a few years ago were held but as of little worth, and served but as doubtful pasture for scrub stock of all kinds, are now in many places redeemed and are covered -for miles and miles in extent with flourishing flour-ishing orchards and vineyards. Some of these, hundreds of miles north of Los Angeles, produce fruit superior to that grown in southern California. Southern and Eastern Ore gon is developing into about the richest of fruit regions and some of the lands have doubled in value five times in the past twenty years. The coast cities have a steadily swelling ocean com- ' merce. Except for disturbance of the currency because of the idiotic legislation that dethroned silver, and the consequent fall and uncertainty ,'V of the exchanges, which disjoints trade with the orient, the ocean commerce which centers in our west coast cities would be assuming tremendous proportions. As it is, it is growing rapidly. Alaska is one mighty factor of It; it is increasing increas-ing along all the west coast of Spanish, America and Australia while Hawaii and the Philip- ' pines are contributing their share. The Pacific $ ocean is redeeming the promise made for it long L ago, that the time was fast approaching when its commerce would excel that of the Atlantic as much as the ocean excels the Atlantic in area. And the reasons are apparent. The soil around it is richer than that which surrounds the Atlantic, At-lantic, and then, off across the Pacific, more than half the human working forces of the world are centered in easy distance from the coast. If our statesmen will arouse themselves before it is too late and make a sensible adjustment of the silver question on intelligent and just lines, our country will reap the greatest benefits from it, and the procession of the world's commerce across the Pacific will be as steadily and well-nigh well-nigh as progressive as the processions of the stars In the sea of space. With twenty more years of continuous peace the west coast of tho United States will be the fairest and richest empire of the world. |