The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1897-12-23
SOUND SENSE At
A SECTIONAL SUPPER
SeRl0T R)'c0n hQAeS Q Good TQIk
10 The New Eng|Qnd Society.
UNITED AGGRESSIVERESS OF OUR PEOPLE
ParadoSlCal Effect Of Domestic Differences
In Certain Directions.
New York, Dec. %, 1897

The ninety-second annual festi-
val of the New England So
| ciety in the city of New York, was
ond annual festival of the New England
Society in the city OF Kew York, was
| held at Delmonco's tonight -Four
| hundred members of the society and
| their friends, Including many distin-
guished men, We're present. The tables
were devoid of decorations except for
the miniature pyramids of yellow dough-
nuts and rosy red Baldwin apples
Throughout the evening the parlors of
Delmonico's were thronged with New
| Englanders. representing every one Of
the States 50 designated.
Sen. Wolcott made principal speech.
He began with a humorous reference
! to the political resignation with which
the eXiles from New England bore their
| banishment; then spoke of an alleged
desire of the Canadian Government to
| acquire the State of Maine and portions
| OF New Hampshire and Vermont in eX-
change for territory in Western Cana
| dl. Serious thought on the subject of 4
| possible cession of a part of New Eng
| land. Mr.. Wolcott said, brought "a
| realization OF what it would mean TO
| this people TO face the possibility OF
changing 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 SEN
| timent pervade the land, but we seem at
times 10 be developing IN inclination to
| invite some other country to differ with
| us. in order that we may demonstrate
our united agsressiveness.
I'm certain directions our domesttc
differences are crystalliZing and not dis
intergraing. For more than genera
tion we have waited for the day when
parties would divide solely on national
| questions, and when the old sectional
| Issues growing out of the war and the
race problem would be buried. The
| time came. The parties met on broad
| economic question, ana 10! we emerge
| from the contest threatened with anoth-
er bitter sectional division The far
| West. largely the child of the East, and
pulsing with it's blood, joins hands with
| the South The new alignment is not
| only debtor against creditor, class
against class; but in q land pervadcd
| with equal devotion to what it's people
| believed in The truest welfare OF the
| whole country, great ma jorilics In one
section face equally great majorities in
| another.
80 universal a feeling as that which
| pcrvades the great West cannot be all
wrong You cannot dispose OF convic-
| ton held by millions of intelligent peo-
! pie by calling il a craze, and some day
you may find it worth you: while to iook
| for the truth where il is usually hid
den-somewhere between the extremes.
u i.f
in the West that ability to reorSanzc
q Western railroad and swell its stock
and securities several millions every
time 1t is foreclosed, necessarily indi-
Gates an equal ability to determine the
wIscst economic policy for the farmer
| who lives along the right of way. And
men who would no more dream OF en-
| trusting their banker with the duty of
! formulating their financial views than
! they would Of cntrusting the man of
whom they bought shot gun with the
| command of the armies of their country
are naturally inclined TO fear that in
| this part OF the moral vineyard there
| is 4 tendency to assume that the pos
session of great wealth means necessa
| rily the possession of great wisdom.
"lt is only few years ago that New
| England was uncommon proud Of that
| West which her SONS had so largely
| Iscopled, and her resources, iavishly
ventured had done so much to develop
| Perhaps there are only supersensitive
| WcsterncrS WHO fancy they see In a
| certain quarter subtle change, and
| inclinations tn Cn'iticiSe, an inability
| to find much TO commend and a ter
| dercy to look still further to the East
| ward for methods and Ideals n to fol-
| low. l hope 1t Is all a mistake Con-
| tertment cannot come to this land by
sections and it can never come except
under conditions which bear equally
| on the whole people. Only the o.he,
day Cabinet officer came over here
to enlighten one of your great com
mercial bld!es and with gifted Chi
caSo imagination quoted Walt Whit
man. told you how our fathers. when
George the Third was King, dashed the
| cup from their lips, precedent am
glad to see, has not been followed at