Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1897-05-06
French 6 Hahnenkratt, TIE st stfas'h

commonly referred to as the Rormas
tive period. 80 that the Northwest
today finds herself again between
contending forces, sharing the inter-
eats of East and West as once before
those Of North and South, and forced
to give her voice on issues Of equal
Significance for the destlnies Of the
Republic"
Briefly, Ohio has lesped to a front
rank among the manufacturing States
Of the Union, has no prepondersnt
social center, aud q third Of her peo-
pie are Of foreign parentage. The
New England element is strongly re-
Elected IN Cleveland. Indiana fol-
lows the industrial type OF Ohio, with
a Southern element to differentiate
her. The Southern element also re-
veals itself in the Democratic south
west counties of Illinois, while north
ern Illinois holds a larger proper
ton Of descendants OF New England.
About half Of her population is Of
foreign parentance. Chicago stands
as the type Of Northwestern develop.
ment for good and for evil, "the rep
resentative power and genius for act
ing of the middle West" and "the
State Of Illinois will be the battle.
ground for social and economic ideals
for the next generation" Michigan
is two States. The lower peninsula
is the daughter of New York, over
twelve per cent of the present popu-
lation having been born In that State
In Wisconsin nearly three fourths OF
the inhabitants are Of foreign parent
age, the Germans constituting the
larger part, with Scandinsvians sec~
ond. The social history Of the timber
areas of this State presents the COM
mon phenomenon of position in
wealth and politics attained by "cap-
tains Of industry"
Professor Turner lays stress upon
the difference between the story Of
the political leaders who remain in
the place of their birth and share it's
economic changes, and that Of those
who, by moving TO the West, con-
tlnue on a new area the old social
type The typical Western politician
has kept one stage ahead Of the social
transformation Of the West;
If the reader would aee a picture
Of the representative Kansan Popu.
list, let him examine the family por-
traits Of the Ohio farmer IN the mid
die OF this century. In q word, the
PopuIist is the American farmer who
has kept in advance of the economic
and social transformations that have
overtsken those who remained behind.
While, doubtless, investigation into
the ancestry OF the Populists and
silver men who came to the prairies
from the old Northwest would show
some proportion Of Southern origin,
yet the center OF discomfort seems ID
have been among the men Of the New
England and western New York cur
rent. II New EDgland looks with
care at these men, she may recognize
in them the familiar linesments OF
the embattled farmers who fred the
shot heard round the world. The
continuous advance OF this pioneer
stock from New England has pre-
served for us the older type of tho
pioneer Of frontier New England. 1
do not overlook the powerful trRna-
forming Influences of the wilderness
operating on this stock ever since il
left the earlier frontier farms TO fol-
low up the valleys Of western Con-
necticut, Massachusetts, and Yer
mont, INTO western New York, and
Ohio, into Iowa, and out to the arid
plains Of western Kansas and Nebras-
ka; nor do I overlook the peculiar
industrial conditions Of the prairie
| States. But ! desire to insist upon