New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-08-12
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS.
tosee them.
he n Y. Tribune.

GdlesDurg is sltudttd On the
tary Tract in the midst of one of the best agrcutur
districts of the West and bids fair to be one of the
largest inland towns in the State. Knox College is
located here, and 10 in very hourshng condition
The College and Female Seminary number about 400
scholars. They started here fifteen years ago,
by Prof Gale and q few other pioneers. Alter enter
inc what land here and in other sections OF the State
they could for the College they started village here
and concluded to have Of the best Maine Laws that
there are. In giving their deeds, they bound the pur
chaser not to deal in intoxicating liquors, under pen
atty of FORGETTING his land with all improvements Also
in dsposng Of their land they bound to insert the
same clause. Consequently we have no carousing nor
drunkenness here. The place is increasing in Popula
ton fast and we shall have three railroads run
ming in here. We have only man in town in favor
of the Nebraska swindle Douglas has had a great
many warm friends here; now he has only one left,
and his vote is the only that he could receive for
any office. Five gentlemen that were being trans
ported to Nebraska chose not to 90 there on the terms
they were taken on; so they took the underground
railroad through here for Canada last week.
Yours, &c, T. X. W.
cerre.pordence of The n. Y. Tribune.
Rock SPRING, ILL.,, Friday Aug. a, 1854.
Two questions enter largely into the County cleo
tions to the Legislature this seasonhe principles of
the Maine Law, prohibition OF the manufacture,
sale and of alcoholic liquors as beverage and the
Nebraska question. On the hrst there is change
working in the southern counties, among the people,
that has startled and filed with fearful forebodings
numerous class of politicians Very foolish and un-
necessary preudices have been generated and kept up
by class of Know NothiDgs for many years, about
Southern Illinois calling it Egypt" and represent
ing the people as semi.civzed and behind the age in
every good thing This part Of the State was the first
settled Our old class of Native Americans are traced
back to the emigration that came to the country soon
after its conquest by Gen. g. r. Clark; and our French
villages date back to the close OF the seventeenth
tlry AT the formation of the first Constitution, in
ISIS the whole population "a few families excepted)
were south of line drawn across the State from
Alton and numbered only AZ, 600. Nearly all were Ia
boring people farms; for governors judges, law.
yers merchants physicians and mechanics cultivated
the earth and lived in habits of familiar social equali-
w. And from 1918 to 1880, while settlements we're
progressing northward, the immigration brought very
little money capital into the State The people OF
Southern Illinois quiet peaceful, industrious
class who began the world poor, with no market in
the interior for many years. selling from 10 to 10
cents per bushe pork for 80 so per cwt good steers
and cows from IS to so per head. They had the
land to clear (or many of the early farms were made
in the forest buildings to provide, roads, bridges
court-houses and other public buildings TO put up and
the necessaes and comforts to provide for large am
lies Who would expect them to make progress as
people do who have capital markets. high prices Tor
produce, and competition to stimulate them
The writer afirms on his personal knowledge that
in thirty years-frOm 1910 TO lo40-the people in
Southern Illinois made as rapid advances in making
farms, cutvatipg the soil, accommodating property-ln
social order good morals and even temperance as the
people of Middle and Western New-York did from
fso6 to 1880. New-Yor had the war of ISl2-I5
to throw them back but Illinois had the
came in the form of Indian depredations
in their midst aud had to live in forts and defend
themselves without foreign or national aid Strangers
from the North who have passed hastily through this
region and seen few towns with rows OF neat houses
have tanced these indications characterize the people
as ignorant and half civilized. Our customs and
tastes are different from the Puritan race OF the North
LII. k%ap arrtnAy de lnfn
town OF village as the class do in Northern
Illinois. Our people dislike the annoyances of a
crowded population With few exceptions, where
business requires town residences, the intelligent
wealthy and professional classes are on farms
in the country. Hence persons travelling in this far
off region, and passing our country seats OF court
house villages and seeing no very encouraging ndica
tons of intelligence and thrift, have made very un-
necessary mistakes Of the general character OF the
population. .
Our railroads beginning TO turn things upside
down, and will produce great changes, but
whether human comfort and happiness will be the
gamer, remains to be tested
But on the subject of Temperance: Making
sonabe exception for q numerous class OF Germans,
who make and drink their favorite beverage OF bier
and who also show prediction to apple orchards
and cider population have not drank more alco-
hoc liquors within thirty years than the same class m
the interior Of New-York during the same period. If
they lack in school education, they make it up IN COM
Thirty years since, in St. Clair and other
Counties not few families acted on the abstinence
principle.
Within few weeks past we have had travelling
agent through our southern Counties forming County
Alliances and featuring the people with most happy
effect Some of our politicians who are, or desire to
be, candidates, are really afrighted. This agent
came from Maine but few months since, but be has
already astonshed the nst:ves' by his style OF adj
dress. In a meeting held at Shilop ground two
miles from my residence the I'd inst, assr several
addresses the question was proposed and taken on a
prohbitory law, and in congregation OF more than
three hundred, every person save one voted for it.
On the other question, (Anti.Nebraska,) you may
hear of small earthquake in Illinois by November