The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-11-23
Frederick / Iaskin's | etter|
industrial Divisions Of United Stol..

woaiu nnu gooa deal Of traditjo,
and old world mannerisrns ~.
thoroughly altered by nati,. ~ =. y
lions as to represent neitbs, r soaai,
nor New England while na,tsn ope
of some things of both t.ur se
mary traveller would be convs.sss,
that the New England pa,;o.
either conquered some territo,. "a
established colonies in few 49,. y
In the south. AT Birminrhsr y
would wonder how northern NJ a
try could place such an islsss =
the midst of the solid south snd =
Louisiana he would wonder Nm
northern political beliefs cones." s
ing such matters as the tariff cc,,s
find so firm a foothold on sop,ss S.u
soil. He might even thint ~.
these were still separate and .aS,
tional nations into which Ia h.a
strayed.
New Political Ideas In NertA
Going north to the Minnesota ana
Dakota country, our traveller vouId
be entirely transplanted. He vosls
ind a non-partisan league which
would convince him that thia mar,
of the world had no relation vh,n
ever to the south.
Taking the long journey acro,s
the continental divide, the modern
Herodotus would enter fresh l,,a
Here he would find even the pre.
tense of solidarity gone. He vould
encounter the downright>statemem
that he was in a different country
with different policies both foreign
and domestic. Just as in middle
west he had found a new capitai
city at Chicago: in the south q
separate capital city at Richmonc-
or perhaps he might suspect New
ORLEANS of the honor-and in the
north, a capital city at Minneapolis,
he would find that San Francisco
was the capital of the Pacific coast
Not in his entire wanderings would
he find that Washington was capital
of any on he five nations. That, he
would discover, merely was the
headquarters of the American
league of nations.
In New England he would find 4
nation of manufacturers and ship
pers; in middle west a nation Of
manufacturer and growers Of corn
and hogs; in the south a nation o.
cotton planters; in the northwest,a
nation of wheat growers and on
the Pacific coast, d nation OF lum-
bermen and fruit growers. In
every nation he would find the
thoughts and actions OF the popula-
ton centered around their indus
tries and that they would think
politically and socially in strict &C.
cordance with the politics whieh
would advance their home indus
tries, even though at the expense Of
those of the other nations.
Our traveller would hear much Of
the Republican and Democratic
parties, but he would find the Re
publican leader, Senator Lodge, and
the Democratic leader, Senator ua-
derwood. much nearer in thought
and action to each other than Mr.
Lodge would be to his Republican
colleague, Senator LaFollette OF
Senator Underwood to his Demo-
cratic colleague, Senator Reed.
An economic inquiry into Inc
causes of the growth of these i've
separate nations would reveal that
transportation has been the secret
Ab6ut ten years ago, the Interests
of these five nations were appar'
ent but. all were recognized 10 DC
national in scope. This was BE-
cause the Pacific coast fruit grover
could send his products to New
England for low railroad freisa.
rate whiles the manufacturers oil
New England could cross the con-
tinent for relatively small SUM-
With the advent OF the war III
Europe and rising costs OF Trans
portatior, these long hauis were
made impracticable. The value o.
the product would not pay tne
freight rate and a profit IN ada'-
ton. The intimate intercourse was
curtailed. Each nation was thrown
back upon itself and, in natuls'
course, became more seii-rei'aHs
more isolated. -,
How far this tendency Will ue
velop is recognized as one OF lR
most important problems before las
United States. VIII the propiem
of industrial and economic sesss
sion increase in perplexity un.n II
threatens to become as dangerous
as political secession? StatesMsn
at Washington and ecohomis'
throughout the country are S'uu.
ing the problem and the agreenlels
is general that railroad freight ra'z'
constitute the key. The next se.
eral sessions of congress are p''"
ming to attempt solution.