The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-10-07

the Mississippi Valley will assemble In 81
Paul, Minnesota, with view Of inauguratint
q movement to unity, protect and advance TIN
interests Of those States. There has not beel
great noise made about this meeting, blu
we are strongly impressed with the belle
that 1t is the forerunner Of important com
binations and results both commercial ant
political.
II there is anything in geographical rela
tions, and no sensible and observing man cal
doubt that there is, the States of the Missis
sippi Valley are identified In interest, and thei
destiny is O common one The Eastern ant
Middle States were the first settled, ant
thewealth and political power of tn,
Union first eentered in them, Will,
| the West was settled largely by Eastern
| people with Eastern sympathies and ideas
who regarded Eastern interests as first in i'm
| portance. Hence the East, supplanted by
| the West, has heretofore been able tt
pretty nearly monopolize the fruits o
| the government appropriations. But tht
young West has grown TO stalwart proper
| tions; new generation has arisen there with
Western affections, Western ideas, and
with very Independent, enterprising and pro
gressive ways of thinking. The men OF this
new generation have surveyed the situation
for themselves: they have marked the vast
area of the mighty West; they have esti-
mated its powers of production and resources
of wealth, and caught a clear insight into the
fact that, great as II u.s. it is still only part
of the vast empire Of the Mississippi Valley
stretching from Lake Itasca to New Orleans,
n
rich populous and magnificent States.
Comprehending these facts the Western men
are awakening to the necessity of divorcing
themselves from the East, which, through
artificial and expensive routes has drawn
their trade and hampered the growth of their
section. There are still Western men and
Western newspapers who regard with ieal-
ousy any movement which looks to the i'm
provement of the Southwest, and who cling
with vicious tenacity to their Eastern ideas
and alliances. But the enterprising, far-see-
ing business men and statesmen of that Sec
ton havese new light, as 1t were, and are
steadily looking to the unification Of the
States of the Mississippi Valley.
The South should meet these pioneers more
than half way We too to use the language
of Mr.. McClung, chairman of the st. Paul
committee In his letter to Mr.. Ellis, lately
printed in the DEMOCRAT, "are seeking a
divorce from the East" That section from
time immemorial has derived its support
from the West and South, and 1t has grown
rich on that support; yet, now we find no
politics in the East except bitter and uncom-
prising hostility to any measure or any ap-
the advancement of our interests. So much
is this the case, that it Is generally UNDER
stood that the election Of any Eastern man or
of any man from the Middle States to the
Speakership of the House, be he Republic
can or Democrat, will be a blow at the In
terests of the West and Southwest.
The sectional feelings and relations which
produce such an apprehension must necessa-
rily have a grave significance and tend to pro-
duce important results. It Is these feelings
and relations, in fact, which gave rise to the
call for this st. Paul Convention. which must
be regarded IL wisely managed, we think,
the first step toward closer alliance of the |
States Of the Mississippi Valley, both politi- |
cally and commercially; and should the as
sembling of that convention be followed by |
the election of Hon. Milton Sayler to the |
5peakership of the House-a Western man |
committed to the interests of the |
South and West-we may look for speedy |
practical results from the combination.
The Western States of this combination |
Produced this year one hundred and fifty mil
ions OF bushels Of wheat; add to this an esti-
nate of the value Of other grain, and of the cot
on. sugar and rice produced In the Missis-
ippi Valley, and even then we have but
amt conception Of the productive powers of
his wonderful region.
We can not easily turn away from the con-
emplation of these great capabilities. This
rowth of wealth and civilization has hap
ened within the last thirty or forty years.
here are thousands of men still living,
those hairs are yet scarcely silvered, who
ave witnessed all the stages Of it's progress.
We recently talked with a hardy and active
ian who was one of the first settlers in Wis
)nsin and who had traversed the neighbor- ;
,g States when they were unbroken wilder :,
esses. Suppose, If we may paraphrase
lssage from celebrated author, the angel =.
this adventurous youth should have drawn .
. the curtain and unfolded to his eyes the
sing glories of this valley whilst he was
azing upon the inhospitable wilds around
m and said to him, Young man, these I
,nse and unbroken forests, filled with ,
aught save uncouth savages and tameless ]
,asts shall yet. before your eyes are closed
BON the earth, equal in civilization and I
the nations which are now the Q
onder and admiration Of the world" If this c
violation had been made to him, we say, L
ould 1t not have required all the sanguine
edulity and all the fervid enthusiasm of a
,uth to make him believe it ? And yet he S
Is lived to witness this miracle; and, more Fl
onderful still, without exceeding the years t
lotted to man, he may live to see the wealth, Il
e civilization and the empire of the CONT G
mt transferred to those wilds in which the g
st sound of civilization that WIS heard was 0
e ringing of his own Ak. fl
Such is the region, and such its capabilities, p
h ;oh bn Don ;s @>l =