Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1870-10-28
Internal improvements.

After every victory, the next question is
how shall it's fruits be reaped and by whom
There is always large number of men
whose eagerness for the spolls IS Ill exact
proportion to the distance at which they
remained from the fight. This class OF
men is easily disposed Of. They arc en-
titled to nothing. The real difficulty arises
in adjusting the claims of the PARTIES who
actually engaged in the combat In, doubt
less, everv victory during the late war, each
command we dare say, invariably thought
the whole result hinged upon its own par
tic0Iar good conduct. That there shonid
be such difference OF opinion Ill regard
to the relative merits Of the different COM
ponent parts OF party to any contest, can
be no matter for surprise, so long as the
fame transaction may be looked at from
so many different standpOints. 1t is not
to be wondered at therefore, that there
should not be m entire unaniEity of senti-
mont between the Eastern and the West
ern parts of the State in regard to the Sc
! lection of United States Senator. On the
one hand it is claimed that the selection of
O Western man is q matter Of simple JUS
tice, On the other hand it is replied that
there is neither fairness nor justice IN
charging either John Pool or Gen. Abbott
to the account of Eastern Conservatives
and thus to cut them off from competition
for the succession to Gen. Abbott's seat.
Whether praise is due to the West, for the
present full measure of its we'll doing,
+hop abort
measure, is question we do not propose
now to discuss. It so happens that the
majority Of the dominant party in the Leg
islature came from the West and, other
things being equal, they may desire to Sc
lect Western man for Senator. We are
not disposed to admit the propriety OF
such selection simply as a matter of right
aud justice to the-West upon the grounds
alluded to, but we shall yet not complain
if the Conservative Party shall, in the ex'
crcise Of O sound discretion, elect Western
man. As member of the party we are
perfectly willing to stand by its standard
!, bearers nc matter from what section of the
State they may come.
There is ono question, however, upor
which in times past there has been more Of
less difference of opinion, not only between
the different parties in the State, but be
tween different portions of the same parties
= We refer, especially, to tho question o
Public Internal improvements. In many.i
> not i'll ALL the States OF the Atlantic slope
there has been o struggle moro OF less bit
a ter between the tide water, or eastern, am
0 tho western portions of the same States TO
I political power. 1t was perfectly natura
!, that such contest should spring up. Tn
@ tide water regions would naturally be frs
settled and would first become wealthy
It Population would naturally precedo prop
- erty in the occupation of the constant
g receding back country, and in due cours
Q of time the rights of persons on til
k frontier would seem to be i'll conflict wit
l. the rights of property in the old settle
J. ments In a government, democratic an
popular in form, the result of this conflict
Q though delayed, could never be uncertain
@ Whenever there comes conflict, real G
s supposed, between the rights of men an
y the protection of property, the popula
. voice will always declare in favor of tn
= rights of men. There is another caus
= why this conflict between the eastern an
4 the western portions of the Atlantic State
was unavoidable The tide water countr
D is generally more or less provided b.
E nature with facilities for transportation
in the shape of nayigable streams, and il
: addition, the character of the country, gen
| araIIv ia such that communication anC
transportation by means of the ordinar.
roads, is much more easy and frequent
AS the people on their march westward
loccppied the Piedmont and mountainous