The news & observer., 1897-07-18
PROGRESS OF THE WEST
WHEREIN IT Is IN ADVANCE OF
NORTH CAROLINA.
NORTH CAROLINA GOLD SOUGHT AFTER
An interesting Talk of His Visit to the West
by Durham's Wise and Patriotic Lead
ing Business Man.

for some time, attending the Gold Miners
convention in Denver. and visiting other
noints beyond the Rocky Mountains mas
returned home He enjoyed his trip very
much. and talked interestingly about
what he saw and the impressions made
upon him by the Western people ana
their civilization. Nearly all the dele
mates to the Gold Miners convention
were silver men, and therefore Col. Carr
felt at home among them. The men who
mine the gold are not 'gold-bugs. 1t Is
the men who manipulate money.
Col. Carr talked freely this morning
about his Western trip and about a vari-
ETY. of topics Among other incidents and
opinions advanced, quote the following:
Saturday, July 10, with the ther-
mometer at 100 and on the rise in Chlca-
60. and eighty deaths reported from the
heat. | was snow balling on Pixies Peak,
the highest point of the Rockies,
l4.147 feet above the level of the sea. To
keep comfortably warm l was forced to
wear two pairs of socks, five shirts, three
pairs of the heaviest suits of clothing
could muster and over all of these my
evercoats. On the peak 100 persons were
gathered. Some from Australia, London,
Paris. New England, California, and
Dixie" all engaged in regular
Fourth of July snow balling. Snow
in places lay two feet deep.
Il am a great lover of North Carolina,
but / am not one of those who claim
ahat North Carolina has the best of ev-
erything. In the matter of education we
are wofully behind many of the new
Western States Colorado came into the
Union in 1S76-hence is called the Cen
tennial State" Denver, the capital city
of Colorado, is about the same age as
Durham: yet there is such a contrast.
Handsome brown stone hotels, nine and
ten stories high, beautiful banking and
insurance buildings wainscotted with
beautiful Mexican onyx, electric street
cars. beautiful paved streets, handsome
railway stations with all the modern con-
veniences, and everything looks new and
fresh, and everybody seems to be attend
ing strictly to his own business, and
never concerns himself about the affairs
of his neighbor. Returning call of a
lady friend formerly of Chapel Hill, who
seeing my arrival in the paper came to
call upon me at my hotel. she said to me:
Colonel, l love North Carolina; my old
mother lives there, and sometimes L get
homesick to see the old homestead
again, but she added, North
Oarolinians take too much time
TO look after the affairs of their neigh
bors. 1 could never get the consent of
my mind to bring up my children there,
and she told the Gods truth, as | see it,
and / say this in all sincerity, for l love
old North Carolina. With all her faults
love her STILL But truly, faithful are
the wounds of friend.
''As a rule the most pretentious looking
buildings in the West are the school
houses without exception; they are no
ticeable not only in the cities Of the
mighty West. but dotted here and there
in every township. They seem to regard
education, Sine qua non.' For instance,
Lincoln, Neb., the home of the young
giant of the West (Bryan) has three uni
yersities, two colleges, a military acade-
nv, beside the Nebraska State Uniyers-
ity. seven ward schools and a high
school, with more than forty teachers,
and two large Roman Catholic schools.
This in a city born upon the map within
the last few years, boasting of $4,000 in
habitants, with beautiful streets 100 feet
wide, f1anked with elegant homes and
splendid business blocks. Here. at the
head of the column is where the nation
soes to select her presidential timber,
and yet North Carolina, one Of the origi-
aal thirteen States, prefers to remain
at the foot, and get mad if some one says,
she handn't eughter.'
"NO. the silver sentiment is not abat-
ing one iota; if anything, it is on the in
Srease. and l am more persuaded now
than ever, if the last Democratic plat
form had only reaffirmed the faith and
principles Of the former platforms, ad-
ding only a declaration in favor of the
free and unlimited coinage of silver at
16 to /, and leaving out any reflection
upon the Supreme court, ETC., am, l re-
peat, more persuaded than ever, that
Bryan instead of Mckinley would now
be President. The West has suffered
greatly from the financial depression, and
still suffers. do not find that the meas
ure of relief has come to the West that
is so much talked of in the East; they
are still inquiring, 'Watchman, what OF
TO know what relief, if any, is felt in the
EAST.
1.-THE Westerner claims that there can
be no relief in the West until the East
becomes normal. In Bryan's town, one
of his neighbors said to me Three years
ago / declined $4,000 for my farm
To-day / could not realize $4,000
People as class are yet very much de-
pressed. dissatisfied and restless and
swear by Bryan. They are looking for
ward to 1900 with hope for change
for the better. In the mining districts
considerable money is being made, and
considerable, | suppose, that you never
hear about-lost.
'The mining convention was great
big success, exceeding the expectation
of its promoters. Prof. J. A Holmes, the
indefatigabe State Geologist, did great
things for North Carolina he had n mag
nificient display of gold samples. show.