The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-01-16
The East and the West.


We reproduce these sentence from au article
recently published IN the Chicago IriJune:-
"If it is true that the West has got about
everything else, the reason is she is possessed
of the best qualified men for various high
offices. The West has got int the lbt OF pro-
ducing first-class men for civil AS we'll as mill.
taly employments Tue brains aud enterprise
OF the East are chiefly absorbed in money.
getting, stock job0ing, aud gambling in Wall
street Daring the war the East was never
Potomac, while the West conquered them in
twelve States. Tue intellect of the East
too much epgrossed in huing Government con:
tracls, increasing the tarit and other gainlut
pursuits, to develop y high order of military
talent or s,atesmanship; and they should not
ability for public affairs as well as in martial
renown."
We note this as the beginning of an
illiberal, dangerous, and unpatriOtic po-
liCy, and as expressing feeling that
We are panied to gee in a newspaper that
claims, however fsiHtly, to have any sympa-
thy with the Republican party. We remem-
Der during the impeachment trial that this
same newspaper clamored against the friends
of impeachment as an eastern ring" and
went on to denounce the said 'ring" as cor
rupt, grasping, and devilish. That impeach-
ment discussion was not pressed.
We have always believed in Union with
out geographical limitations. We never hear
the words "lIOrth" or "South' used in q
distinctive political sense without pain. In
the same manner we regard the use of the
terms east" and "West." When certain
friends insisted that because General Grant
was Western man the East should of neoes-
sity furnish the Vice. President, we protested.
We held that if General Grant could be
strengthened by Western man, such a man
should be nominated. The Convention
did 80, and took Mr.. Colfax. Accord
ing to this Chicago writer, it was because the
West had attained the habit of producing
first-class men for civil employment" and no
man could be found in the East, although
such representatives of the "money getting,
stock -jobbing' intellect as Sumner, Boutwell,,
Seymour, Lowell, Emerson, Phillips, Bancroft,
Carey, Webster, Whittier, Seward, not to
speak Of all the editors and proprietors of this
very newspaper, happen to be Eastern men,
not altogether without Western reputation.
-Four years ago, when an Eastern man was
removed from the Vice Presidency to nomi-
nate a Western man, in Mr.. Johnson, we
submitted. We were told that reasons of
policy dictated this change. We now learn
that it was because the West was in the habit
of producing men like Mr.. Johnson-"the
best qualified men for various high ofices''--
while the barren East was exhausted
If We were to descend TO sectional argu-
ments, it would require no effort to show that
in politics, as we'll as in legislation, the West
has always had the advantage OF the East.
During Mr.. Lincoln's administration We saw
five Western men in the Cabinet and two
Eastern men - Stanton, Dennison, Harlan,
Speed, and McCullooh, against Seward and
Welles. Mr.. Johnson did not vary the proper
ton until MIR. Evarts became Attorney Gene
raj. In the Supreme Court we find five
Western iudges-Chsse, Miller, Field, Davis,
Swayne-and only three from the East--Clif-
ford, Nelson, aud Grier. In the regular army
we believe there are five general officers from
the West and but two from the East. We
claim the Western men as Americans, aud
glory in their eXaltatiOn. We believe that
they were honored because of their fitness and
We are not little surprised TO learn than il
was because all the Eastern men competent ia
serve in the Government were "tOo much
epgrossed in filing contracts" and "othel
gainful pursuits" ''to develop high order
| of military talent or statesmanship" Thi:
! is severe upon such "stock- -jobblng" states
men as Sumner, Andrew, Conkling, and Fes
sender, and upon "money. getting" generals
like Wadsworth and Howard and Meade ant
Sedgwick.
Then in the matter of Legislation: ar,
almost afraid 10 estimate the number of bill
before Congress demanded" by the West
and all wanting money. We shall do we'll /
we get out Of the Union and Central Paoif
with 500 600 900. Kansas has 200 miles O
subsidized roads, and there are from fifteen T.
twenty ether roads in and around that State
One company wants $4,000, 900; another, b
El Paso, would like the same amount; and Il
all we estimate 200 bills directly and ind
rectly for Pacific Railroad interests. We hav
given ia 0O0,00O acres of land; and wheh W
pass these new bills we shall give in additio
500, coo 600 and 100, 600 600 acres. Wa hav
heard these schemes denounced; but We hav