Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-11-21

AT Birmingham he would wonder
how northern industry could place
such an island in 'the midst OF the
solid South, and in Louisiana he
would wonder how northern poll
teal beliefs concerning such matters
as the tariff could ind so firm a
foothold on Southern soil. He might
even think that these We're still sep
arate and additional nations Into
which he had strayed.
New Political Ideas in North
Going north to the Minnesota and
Dakota country, our traveller would
be entirely transplaitted. He would
md a Non-PartisaR League, which
would convince him that this part
of the world had no relation what
ever to the South.
Taking the long journey across
the continental divide, the modern
Herodotus would enter a fresh land
Here he would find eve the pre-
tense OF solidarity gone. He would
encounter the downright statement
that he was in a different country
with different policies, both foreign
and domestic. Just as in the Mid
ole West he had found a new cap
ital city at Chicago; in the South a
separate capital city at Richmond
or perhaps, he might suspect New
| vi VI IA oAio - ~
North, capital city at Minneapolis,
he would find thai San Francisco
was the capital of the Pacific Coast.
I Not in his entire wanderings would
he find that Washington was capital
of any of the five nations. That, he
| would discover, merely was the
headquarters of the American
league of nations.
In New England he would find a
nation Of manufacturers and ship
pers; in Middle West a nation of
manufacturers and growers of corn
and hogs; in the South a nation of
cotton planters; in the Northwest a
nation of wheat growers. and on the
Pacific coast, nation of lumbermen
and fruit growers. In every nation
he would ind the thoughts and ac-
tons of the population centered
around their industries and that
they would think politically and So
cially in strict accordance with the
politics which would advance their
home industries, even though at the
expense of those of the other ma
tons.
Our traveller would hear much of
the Republican and Democratic par
ties. but he would find the Repub-
lican leader, Senator Lodge, and
Democratic leader, Senator Under
wood, much nearer in thought and
action to each other than Lodge
would be to his Republican col
league, Senator LaFollette, or SEN
ator Underwood to his Democratic
colleague, Senator Reed.
An economic inquiry into the
causes of the growth of these five
separate nations would reveal that
transportation has been the secret.
About ten years ago the interests OF
these five nations were apparent,
but all We're recognized to be ma
tional in scope. This was because
the Pacific coast fruit grower could
send his products to New England
for a low railroad freight rate
while the manufactures of New
England could cross the continent
for a relatively small sum. With
the advent of the war in Europe and
rising costs of transportation, these
long hauls were made impracticable
The value of the product would not
pay the freight rate and a profit in
addition. The intimate intercourse
was curtailed. Each nation was
thrown back upon itself and, in nat
ural course, became more self-re-
liant, more isolated.
How far this tendency will de.
velop Is recognized as one of the
most important problems before the
United States. Will the problem o.
industrial and economic secession
increase in perplexity until i
threatens to become dangerous a!
political secession? Statesmen a
washington and economists through
cut the country are studying tn,
problem and the agreement Is gen
eral that railroad freight rates con
stitute the key. The next sewers
sessions of Congress are planning t.
Iettemnt a solution,