Wisconsin herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1846-1849, 1849-01-06
THE GOLD FEVER.

The fever may subside before Spring but
il not, there will be a rush over the noun
fains like stampede of buffaloes. What
will be the effect Of all this upon those Of
us who have to remain at home! The ten.
dency will be to depress business for time
Some population and some capital will be
swept away. We shall fail of the usual
influx Of Spring immigration, also. A con-
siderable amount of property will be thrown
into the market by those who are about to
leave us and prices will be low, rs sales
will be mostly for cash. Much property
will change hands. Collections will be hur-
ried, and money will be very scarce. All
speculative operations here will be quench-
ed. After few months, there will be re-
action and business will revive. Some will
return from the gold mines with money TO
invest and to pay their debts with-while
others will return pennyless and dampen the
ardor of new adventures and the convic-
tiou will strengthen, that after all, consider
ing soil, climate, aud our central position,
no country is superior to Wisconsin +; and
our farms aEd town and villages will advance
again, especially when they receive fresh
impulse from the completion of the railroad
from the Atlantic to the MisSissippi-a work
which ,ciH go on because il is IN the hands
Of farmers, who will stay at home and raise
.,,I ,sY.x In M.
ket, even il the Sacramento should become
n river Of melted ingots Of gold, and the
Sierra Nevada vast quarry of silver. "A
man seldom losses anything in The end, By
sticking close TO has business, achereuer he
may happen 10 be. Here in the mines, we
ought to understand better than the rest Of
the world, how inevitably u story about a
"bg had" is exaggerated in It's progress.
l,reminds us OF Virgil's description of " Fa-
ma" prospect" leaves Beetown "pre,-
" fair" and arrives in Galena as big rs
mules" We ought to know better than to
DO taken in 10y these reports. Still il is un.
doub,edly a fact that the gold mines OF Cal.
itornia are very rich. JAMES X. NIEEYARr
has been telling us SO for years--how h'
knew il we can't say but the reports from
there are made by so many different person.
and SO substantially corroborate each othe
in their main features, that they must contain
much truth. Some are fearful that the i'm
,nensc accession of gold accruing from, thes
mines, will essentially depreciaie the valu
Of gold. We s?prehend that such result
is not to be seriously feared, even IL w
credit all the reports we hear of It's discov
cry. This is pretty considerable globe ",
inhabit, when yea come to travel il all over
and there is nc part Of il where gold is no
grecdily coveted Moreover, il gold shoul'
be even hiiie diminished in value, its us
ments, and for the table furniture of tn
rich, would be greatly increased, and thu
absorb the excess, The idea, however, tina
any possible increase of gold, will give u
an. greater ratio Of metallic currency thar
we how have, is a mere iallecy /; for just il
proportion as the hanks can increase ,hei
metallic basis, they will initiate their pepe
superstrueture. II any mischief is TO
feared, IL is the increase of paper, and nc
of gold aud whenever 10y revulsion, pape
shrinks into lis nolhingness, gold will shin
out IN all that native, intrinsic value, whic
God seems 10 have designed that it shoul
maintain in all ages. The effect of emi
grafton upon the character of the mines, wi
DO considerable. The character of commu
mites, is made up of the character OF ind
s,duals composing II /, but then a few livel
mercurial men, scho are seen erery,ehsre an
kno,en By ecery body, are often taken as eS
ponenls of the character and qualities of
community, which is in the aggregate reall
quite the reverse. The mercurial. the ian
uglnatiye, and we may add, the desperst,
Fave a natural affinity for mining aud IN
same cause which has attracted these claSse
Of persons to the lead mines, will attrac
them TO the gold mines. As an effect of thi
emigration, our population will seem TO h
more staid, sober, and matter OF act; Will
il is not To be doubted that we shall los
much Of that gaiety, good fellowship, an,
sparkling sivaciy, which eharac,erizes
community Of whole-souled fellows"
tor The POiOsi RsPa6lieaa is mis,ake
in saying tina, the bail At the Celebration i