Arizona daily citizen., 1901-09-20

THE GROUPING OF STATES.


ed as a Southern or a Western
State. The Atlanta Constitution
calls it Southern State. The st,
Louis Globe Democrat declares
that it is not Southern State, but
should be classed with the West,
The Globe Democrat is a Republi-
can paper and does not like tho
South. But who is to decide to
which section this great State be-
longs?
Geographically it may be con-
sidered anything, 1t stretches
from the latitude of the Northern
boundary of North Carolina and
Tennessee and Arizona to the lati-
tude of NewYork City. 1t extends
farther North than Kansas, farther
South than Virginia and about as
far West as Iowa and Minnesota,
1t reaches up to the middle of the
Northern State of Illinois.
| But, the Globe -Democra. con
tends, the division of States is not
so much geographical as it is poll
cal. Missouri did not secede; it
sent 10000 soldiers into the
Northern Army, and about the
sams number into the Southern
/ Army. and while it was n slave
State, slavery was small con
Germ among the aggregate of
Missouri's interests. Finally il
says, as an additional argument,
that it is not a Southern State,
| that Missouri does not raise cot
ton. Neither does Virginia. In
point of fact there seems to be no
certain rule for classifying States.
Each geographer has his own ideas.
Maryland is variously classed as a
Southern State, a Middle and a
Central Atlantic State. But the
great majority of Marylanders con-
slider it Southern State. 1t did
not secede, it does not raise cot
ton and its location is far to the
North of the cotton States.
Nevertheless, Mason and Dix
on's line was always considered
the dividing line between North
and South. Maryland was a slave
State, and its sympathies are with
the South and its trade is largely
in the same direction. 1t is true
that in politics Maryland has be-
come doubtful, but North Carolina
did not cease to be Southern
State when it elected Republi-
can Governor.
The States OF the Union are clas-
sifed in groups, and not one Of
these groups is definitely settled
except the New England States.
There is no doubt about the States
which compose that group. But
no one can tell which are the Mid
die States. Some include Mary
land in that group and others do
not. And where does West Vir-
ginia belong? Maury in his geo.
graphy calls it a Western State be-
cause it drains for the most part
into the Ohio river. But it does
not seem right to call a State
Western State whose Eastern
boundary is less than 300 miles
from the Atlantic and whose Wes-
tern boundary is over 1900 miles
from the Pacific. 1t was pert of
Virginia when Virginia seeded and
slavery prevailed in it until the
war. Nevertheless, as at present
constituted, it is much less identi-
fed with the South than Mary
land or Missouri, and is far moro
removed from it in sympathy and
business interests. To what group
of States, therefore, does West
Virginia belong?
There is contention about the
place of Missouri, and if Missouri
is sdoubtful Kentucky is also doubt
full for the same rs1sons. IT. o
States of the Upper Mississippi
Valley were called the Western
States when they were SO in fact.
Most of them were far nearer the
Atlantic than the Pacific, and
there is no real reason why they
should be called Western States.
Stood Death or,
f. B. Munday a lawyer Of Henrietta.
Tex, once fooled grave-diggeF. He
!