Arizona republican., 1909-09-22
East and West.


In derision of Governor Johnson's
remarks about the west throwing off
the "shackles" of the east, the Hart
ford Courant quotes approvingly the
comments of the Omaha Bee-which
points out that of the men thus far
nominated for the presidency by the
republican party only two blaine
and ROosevel) have been fasteners,
and they were more popular in the
west than in the east
The Bees citation of this historical
fact has, however, no logical reference
to the question raised by Governor
johnson. The patriotic governor of
Minnesota, who has just passed away,
was alluding to legislative control of
the country by the east. 1t is in
fact one of the complaints of the
west that, whereas the republican
vote is in the west, and national
conventions are controlled by the
west, congress has somehow fallen
under the domination of the east.
A more logical answer to the late
governor would have been the sug-
gestion that if the east-New Eng
land, to be exact-does control legis-
ton it is because that section is wise
enough to re-elect for term after
term, and indefinitely. her senator's
and representatives who show con-
spicuous ability. On the other hand,
the personnel of western membership
is constantly changing; and with few
exceptions it is the rule that great
power in legislation is gained by men
after long service,
AS to whether the east does domi-
nate in legislation, it seems scarcely
open to question, although the Hartford
Courant and other eminent papers sof
the east assume to doubt it. To Of
fer a signal illustration, in which
Arizona, for example, has got the
worst of it,: Every observer of con-
gressional procedure knows that for
years there has been a substantial
majority in each house in favor of
admitting this territory into the I'M
ion. But New England has been OPP
from that section have managed to
control in the premises.
The eastern press has also COM
planned of the sectional spirit of the
west alleged to have been mani
Tested in Governor Johnson's remarks.
Here again we believe the shoe to
be on the other foot. There is little
or no sectional feeling in the west.
Western people are travellers. Thous-
ands of them visit the east every
year. mostly to call at the old home.
And. albeit they themselves were once
of the east. they come back with the
notion that the people of the east are
exceedingly provincial in their pro-
voking and dense ignorance of the
west, in their belief that there is an
VI OUT mere,
in their failure to comprehend the
greatness of the United States, and
in their patronizing assumption of
superiority. They get the idea, in
short, that the attitude of the east
toward western people is not vastly
different from the self satisfied atti-
tude taken by Chinese toward all for
eigners.
The westerner knows that, aside
from the matter of provincialism en-
countered in sundry sections of our
country, Americans are the same
everywhere. and he feels at home at
every spot in the union. He wishes
that the eastern man could feel the
same way. And perhaps he is some
what too "touchy'' in wishing the
east to understand that there is a
pretty tolerable degree of civilization
in the western country.