The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1916-11-17
THE SHIFT OF
POLITICAL CONTROL

The outstanding feature of the cleo
ton of 1916 is the shift of political
control from the Atlantic seaboard to
the trans Mississippi region, The re-
turns most anxiously awaited in the
tense hours of the past two days were
those from Minnesota, California,
North Dakota and New Mexico. The
Solid South was for Wilson, and al
most Solid East for Hughes. The bat
tleground where the issue hung in the
balance lay between the western bank
of the Mississippi and the Pacific
Ocean. 1t was the West that held and
cast the deciding vote.
How is this to be accounted for?
The center of population is still east
of the Mississippi by about $50 miles,
and the forces that make for political
control come to greatest fruition,
other things being equal, in old and
highly organized societies. The eX-
PLANTATION lies in the history of the
past so years.
This country was settled from the
East. The population of the Atlantic
seaboard consists of the descendants
of men who came to America from
Europe, touched the margin of the
continent and settled there. They
found themselves on a narrow strip
of comparatively level land between
the sea and the Appalachian Noun
tains. No great rivers invited easy
travel into the interior, even the Hud-
son running almost parallel with the
coast.
The average Fastener has never
been West. He does not realize the
superiority of the interior Of the con-
tinent to his coastal strip in bigness
and richness, in scenery and natural
resources, in the things that nourish
and the things that inspire. The East
is fenced off-provincial. 1t regards
the interior as something placed
"Out West" for it's private benefit and
behoof.
So the political leadership Of the
East has been narrow, selfish. sec
tional. 1t has exploited the whole ma
ton for the personal profit of the
wooden manufacturers of Rhode Is
land, the cotton spinners of New Eng
land the steel barons of Pennsylva-
mia, the powder makers of Delaware
the glove makers and clothing makers
of New York, the financiers of Wal
Street. It's policies have been region
al--not national. And the. West has
weighed them in the balance and bid
ed its time.
The West has been growing up tc
full stature. The Westerner is moi
provincial. He has been East; many
of him were born there; he has sent
his sons to Eastern schools; he likes
to battle in the salt waves of the At.
lantic; he reads Eastern books anc
newspapers; he spends vacations II
the great Eastern population certers
His thought sweeps the continent
| To him the United States is Cont.
mental Power-not a narrow strip Of
thin soil lying between Bar Harboi
and Altoona.
The great constructive laws Of the
past four years-the Federal Reserve
act, the agricultural laws, the conserv-
alton acts. the new system of taxa
ton. the Underwood tarif-have come
n response TO Western demand and
bv means IF Western countenance and
5uppc {. Tho fgst tariff in so years
for the benefit If the whole people
was fought through the House BY
Underwood and through the Senate
~ Store-both tFaus-Allegheny men
The House minority was organize
for constructive legislation, away
back in 1907 by Champ Clark, from
beyond the Mississippi.
In Hughes the Republican part