The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-01-08
EASTERN CONSCIENCE.

~ RECENT editorial IN the Outlook, or which
I \ Lyman Abbott is editor, and which is supposed
to represent the cultured thought OF the most
intellectual circles OF the East exhibits amusing il
lustration of the pretty conceit OF themselves enter
tanned by our Eastern fellow citizens and their attl-
tude of condescension toward the West.
The article in question declares there are three
popular arguments in favor of colonial expansion
one prevalent on the Pacific Coast in the Middle
West and one in the East That which is asserted to
prevail here is the argument OF commercial advantage,
that which finds favor in the Mississippi Valley is the
argument OF national grandeur while in the East the
chief argument is that OF a conscientious desire to
fulfill the whole duty OF the hour toward the oppressed
people of the Philippines
According to this view of the situation several
times repeated in the article the East is animated by
conscience the Middle West by Amercanism and Our
section Of the Union by senterest. 1t is not worth
while to point out the error OF the writer in stating
that the Pacific Coast expects monetary gain from
annexation, since every intelligent man knows that
the great fruit sugar and other industries Of California
and Oregon would be seriously injured by the COM
petition OF the islands The main point in the article
is the revelation it makes of the Eastern idea that
public opinion here is determined by self-interest,
while on the Atlantic coast it is determined by CON
science
About the time the editorial appeared in the Out
look writer who furnishes daily column of COM
ment semi editorial to the New York Press, stanch
Republican paper, printed seemingly authoritative
account OF how Croker, the Tammany boss, got his
fortune. The writer said: Many of the leading fnan-
ciers of Wall street afraid OF President Harr-
sons position the money question: and in the cleo
ton of 1892 determined to defeat him for reelection
Cleveands known utilization with prominent bankers
and operators in the street rendered him an accept
able candidate to Republican as we'll as Democratic
mionaires and in order to insure his election fund
OF ST., 100000 quietly raised and placed in the
hands OF Richard Croker who requested to put
it where it would do the most good 1t was any
thing to beat Harrison, and Croker was the nstru-
ment."
The story continues that Croker used 100000 to
Moreover being aware that leading Republicans were
fighting Harrison, he bet $25oooo on Cleveland at
odds OF to and won 100000 more Furthermore
it is added that when the Lexow Committee began its
work in New York Croker was ready to go on the
stand but he induced to leave the city lest the
Republican disloyalty to Harrison should be made
known and the writer concludes by saying Croker
lett New York, ii | am not very much mistaken, in
Chauncey M. Depcw's private palace car
Read in connection with the Outlooks talk about
Eastern conscience and the devotion of the Pacific
Coast to selfnterest that story told with so much
crcumstantiaity and detail has moral in it so big
that you can't put the lid Before the Outlook de-
lvers any more lectures on the dominant motives OF
the different sections of the Union, it should look in
while and see what is going at home.