The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-12-23
THE EAST AND THE WEST
4 SPIRITED FORECAST OF SEC
TIONAL DIVISIONS.
WEST TO JOIN HANDS WITH THE SOUTH
The Meteoric Westerner Says Some Bright and
Catchy Things, With Dash Of tlo-
quence, and a Deal Of Scat
tering Shots.

New YORK, Dec. ZA.-Ine ninety Sec
end annual festival of the New England
Society in the city of New York, was
held at Delmonico's tonight. -Four hun
dred members of the society and their
friends, including many distinguished
men, were present. The tables were de-
void of decorations except for the min
iature pyramids of yellow doughnuts
and rosy red Baldwin apples. Through
out the evening the parlors of Delmon-
ico's were thronged with New England
ers, representing every one of the States
90 designated.
Senator Edward o. Wolcott, of Colo
RADIO, received hearty applause when he
arose to respond to the toast 1.-The East
and the West"
Mr.. Wolcott began with a humorous
refernce to the political resignation with
which the exiles from New England bore
their banishmept; then spoke of an al
legged desire the Canadian government
to acquire the State ofMaine and portions
of New Hampshire and Vermont in ex-
change for territory in Western Can
ada. Serious thought on the subject of
a possible cession of part of New
England, Mr.. Wolcott said, brought "a
realization of what it would mean to this
people to face the possibility of chang
ing by the shadow of hair the contour
of these States or the sacrifice of chip
Of its native granite, however barren"
He continued:
"Not only does this sentiment pervade
the land, but we seem at times to be de-
veloping an inclination to invite some
other country to differ with US, in order
that we may demonstrate our united
aggressiveness.
sin certain directions our domestic
differences are crystalizing and not dis
integrating For more than generation
we have waited for the day when par
ties would divide solely on national
questions, and when the old sectlonallsm
growing out of the war and the race
problem would be buried. The time
came. The parties met on broad
economic question, and 10! we emerge
from the contest threatened with an
other bitter sectional division. The far
west, largely the child of the east, ana
pulsing with the same blood, joins
hands with the south. The new align
ment is not only debtor against creditor,
class against class, but in a land pervad-
ed with equal devotion to what its peo-
pie believed to be the truest welfare of
the whole country, great majorities III
one section face equally great maJoritles
in another. a
$50 universal feeling as that which
peryades the great west cannot be all
wrong. You cannot dispose OF con-
yiction held by millions Of intelligent
people by calling it a craze, and some
day you may find it worth your while
to look for the truth where it is usually
hidden-somewhere between the ex-
tremes.
.Somehow it is not really recognized
I'm the west that ability to reorganiZe
a western railroad and swell it's stock
and securities several millions every
time it is foreclosed, necessarily indi-
ca.~~,n equal ability to determine the
\ economic policy for the farmer
Eves along the right Of way. And
Ewho would no more dream OF en-
fling their banker with the duty or
formulating their financial views than
they would of eptrusting the man or
whom they bought shotgun with the
command of their armies Of the country,
are naturally inclined to fear that in this
mart of the moral vineyard there is
tendency to assume that the possession
of great wealth means necessarily the
possession of great wisdom.
"It is only a few years ago that New
England was uncommon proud OF
that west which her sons had so largely
peopled and her resources, lavishly ven
fured. had done so much to develop.
Perhaps there are only supersensitive
westerners who fancy they see in GER
tain quarters subtle change, and in
clination to criticise, an inability to find
much to commend and a tendency to
look still further to the eastward for
methods and ideals to follow. l
hone it is all a mistake. Contentment
cannot come to this land by sections
and it can never come except under
conditions which bear equally on the
whole people. Only the other day
cabinet officer came over here to en-
tighten one of your great commercial
bodies and with gifted Chicago imagi-
nation quoted Walt Whitman, told you
how our fathers, when George the III.
was King, dashed the cup from their
lips,' precedent / am glad to see has
not been followed at this dinner and
talked about obstruction at Washing
ton, having reference sto the Senate. 1t
is rather new use of the term to call
a man who does not vote as you want
him to an obstructionist, and in the
last hundred years the balance and
check upon hasty legislation which the
deliberations Of the Senate have furnish
ed have been Of infinite advantage to
the country.
"The century now ending has been
full Of growth and glory. 1t has wit