New-York tribune., 1869-01-15

THE EAST AND THE VEST
We reproduce these sentences from an article
recently published in The Chicago Tribune:
is true that the West has got about everything
else she is possessed OF the pest quaneu
men for various high offices. The West mas got INTO the
habit of producing rstclass for civil well rs mill
tary employment The brains and enterprise OF the East
gambling In Walst During the the East ras nerer
able 10 Ish e Rebels oa Of sg OF the Potomac while
the West conquered them in twelve States The intellect or
Me East loo much egrossed IN rling Government con
tracts increasing the tariff and other gainfu pursuits 10
deuelop high order Of military talent or sdtesnldnshp;
and they should not now complain II the West over
shadows them in ability for public affairs as well as IN
martial renown. ...- -,
We note this as the beginning of an illlb-
eral, dangerous, and unpatriotic policy, and as
expressing feeling that we are panied to see
in a newspaper that claims, however family to
have any sympathy with the Republican party.
We remember during the impeachment trial
that this same newspaper camored against the
friends of impeachment rs an Eastern Rlng'"
and went on to denounce the said Ring" as
corrupt, grasping and deyilish. That lmpeach-
ment discussion was not pressed
We have always believed in Union with
out geographical limitations. We never hear
the words NORTH or "SOuth" " used i'll
distinctive political sense without pain. In
the same manner we regard the use OF the
terms "Eastn and "West." When certain
friends insisted that because Gen. Grant was
Western man the East should of necessity FUR
nish the Vice-President, we protested. we
held that, if Gen. Grant could be strengthened
by n Western man, such a man should be nom
mated. The Convention did so, and took MIR.
Colfax. According to this Chicago writer 1t
was because the West had attained the haDh
of producing first-cass men for civil employ
"ment,r and no man could be found in tho East
although such representatives OF the money
getting, stock .jobbing' intellect as Sumner,
Boutwell,, Seymour. Lowell, Emerson, Phillips,
Bancroft, Carey, Webster, Whittier, Seward,
not 70 speak of all the editors and proprietors
of this very newspaper. happen to be Eastern
men, not altogether without a Western repu-
tation -Four years ago, when an Eastern
man was removed from the Vice-Presidency to
nominate 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 offices, while
the barren East was exhausted.
II we were TO descend to sectional arguments,
il would require no effort to show that IN poll
ties, as we'll as 10 legislation, the West has always
had the advantage of the East. During Mr.. Ln-
coins administration, We saw five Western men
in the Cabinet and two Eastern meh-Stanton,
Dennison, Harlan, Speed, and McCulloch, against
Seward and Weles. Mr. johnson did not vary
the proportion, until Mr.. Evarts became
Attorney General. In the Supreme Court, we
find five Western Judges-Chase, Miller, Field,
Davis, Swayne-and only three from the East.
Clifford, Nelson, and Grier In the regular army,
we believe there are five general officers from
the West, and but two from the East. We have
heard no complaint of this. We claim the
Western men as Americans, and glory in their
exaltation. We believe that they were honored
because of their fitness, and we are not little
surprised to learn that it was because all the
Eastern men competent to serve i'll the Govern
ment were "too much engrossed in filling con-
tracts" and "other gainful pursuits" "to de-
"velop a high order of military talent or
craftsmanship This is severe upon such
stock -jobbingn statesmen as Sumner, Andrew,
Conkling, and Fessenden, and upon money
getting" generals like Wadsworth, and
Howard, and Meade, and Sedgwick.
Then in the matter of legislation: We are
almost afraid to estimate the number of bills
before Congress demanded " by the West,
and all wanting money We shall do well if
we get out of the Union and Central Pacific
with S500OO,000. Kansas has 200 miles OF sub
sidized roads, and there are from fifteen to
twenty other roads in and around that State.
One Company wants S24,OO0,000 another, by FL
Paso, would like the same amount; and in all
We estimate 200 bills directly and indirectly for
Pacific Railroad interests. We have given 12i,
100000 acres of land and when we pass these
new bills we shall give in addition S90,0OO,00O
and 1OO,0O0,0OO acres. We have heard these
schemes denounced; but we have never heard
them criticised as merely Western" enter
prises OF for the benefit of the Western people.
Plainly, then, there can be no demagoguism
more degrading or unjust than that which seeks
to array the East against the "West." We
have deigned to consider this paragraph seri-
ously, merely to show its injustice, in fact The
want of patriotism which inspires it is unworthy
of American journalism. Wo had hoped that all
these sectional phrases and epithets had perished
in the war they did so much to foster We
regret to see any attempt to fan them into new
life. ----. .-.-. LIZ, ,.r
The spirit with which the election of the
Union League was conducted last night su6i-