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Samuel Bowles (1826-1878) http://tinyurl.com/SBowles

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United Public Opinion

From Across the Continent, 1865.

Reader: Kevin Hearle

To many Americans, bringing California into the Union was manifest destiny, the fulfillment of a providential design. And what better way to appreciate its subtle pattern, than to travel the continent and see it first hand.

In 1865, editor of the Springfield, Massachsetts Republican Samuel Bowles accompanied the Honorable Schuyler Colfax, Speaker of the House of Representatives, on a junket to explore the American continent. After reaching California, Bowles was exuberant.

Sacramento talks as you do in Springfield. . . .

It is this that is the greatest thing about our country; that makes it the wonder of nations, the marvel of history--the unity of its people in ideas and purpose; their quick assimilation of all emigration--come it so far or so various; their simultaneous and similar currents of thought, their spontaneous, concurrent formation and utterance of Public Opinion. This is more than extent of territory, more than wealth of resource, more than beauty of landscape, more than variety of climate and productions, more than marvelous development, more than cosmopolitan population, because it exists in spite of them, and conquers them all by its subtle electricity.

Samuel Bowles' conclusions necessarily overlooked contradictory details, but his vision of a united continent was a common ideal of many nineteenth century Americans.