Demoine courier., 1855-08-23

raj districts oil the country. Here, IN
Iowa, than whose soil thai Of no ether
country upon the face of The earth il
more productive, il is exceedingly diff
cult 10 procure even The eommonest nee
essaIies Of life. Merchants, artisans and
members of the professions are alike,
oil grabbing and snaicLing for the little
dabs Of -four. butter, potatoes &c, spar.
ingly doled out TO US by our farmer neigh
hors. Why is this? Is the country
suffering from famine! Not at ALL
Never did nature more abundantly re-
ward the tolls OF The husbandman. The
constantly increasing facilities Tor cheap
and expeditions transportation between
The different sections of our own coun
try. coupled with the blockade of the
greet northern granefy of Europe. how
ever, have conspired 10 so raise the pri
ces of vegetable productions tina, the
home cannot, in justice 10 him
seii, compete with the foreign demand
withou, frs, advancing the cages of
his oWn labor. Why not do this! Be
cause, in almos, all the avocations of
town life in the west, there 10 so much
competition that he who would dare to
move in The matter would at once find
himself deserted by his custome,s.-
What occasions this competition? Ii the
abors of the field and those Of the work
shop differ SO widely in their returns,
why is The one overs,orked and the OH
or madequa'ely supplies! Well, there
are several reasons. oil which We have
only line OF room TO notice two or three
of the more obvious.
Qlackery is no. alone confined to the
medical profession; nor are the mos, ig
~norant and poorer classes of community
he only emPlo, ees of quacks. The
emigration TO Iowa has ever been com
posed, i'll part. of persons who regard
she labor. Of making farms as vastly be
ond sheir abilities or means. The idea
oi building houses, barns and fences, Of
breaking praliie, planting. harvesting aud
marketing, Carries their feeble minds TOO
lar down The IepulsiVe vista of a Iabo.
rIous future 10 be tolerated, and they cas-,
about them for other occupations which
will nuke quicker returns, and yield for
The day It's daily bread. Thus the pettI-
logger OF an older state becomes an at,or.
ney here; the board dresser ef a New
England town turns master builder in
iowa, anG so on 10 the end Of the chap
Ter. Those who can make nothing OF
wood. iron or paper can, al least, preach
or paint; and The whole class becomes
settled down 10 a miserable and preca
rious hand TO mouth existence. The gen
uine possessor OF the requisite knowl
edge for the practice of a profession or q
mechanic arr. must here moi only ioler.
ate the fellowship Of .hose whose pre-
tensions ant abilities he most heartily
desplses. but he most guage his prices by
those established by incompetent. self
conceiied b~lockheads. Suppose a pub.
lie building or a fine residence is TO be
constructed. who are usually the conlrac
tors! Ale they the best mechanics OF
the viciniiy-:Sose who are alone com
peienl 10 es,Imaie the worth of work
well and honestly performed! Not Of
tener. perhaps, than once in ten. ..The
lowest responsible bidder" is always
successful; and. il, in The prosecu
ton o. the work, he finds tina. he has
anderesnma,sd ,he job, he either Judges
up an enorTo GUS bill of extras. or go bot,
ches the work shronsh the employ men,
of cheap and Incompetent mechanics, as
TO make il a d,sgrae in The eyes of all
who ere not, like himself, y~re,enders
and impos,ers. |. is a crying fact. aud a
shame 10 The state, that The bes, build
ings In all our ,owns aud villages ar,
spoiled by quaek carpenters, plaslers aud
painters. But, enough Of The quacks
for the present.
Another very large class of our ci,i
zens are those who regarc labor in any
form as disgracgul-who swagger ,hro
our streets as The only true .'loIds of ere,
alloE"-who grunge and watch with Al
much s,ealihy soliciiude lesa, an untine
ly passer by might catch them in The ac
OF choppISg lhrlr own fire wood. as i
bending beneath the weigh, Of a stoler
sheep. and who, almost Invariably slin
their children Of food that they and ,hel
wives may mam,ain sha, elegance o
dress. which, IN their esteem. is The onl,
true indication OF arisiocratc position AMI
genuine merit. Tbs class Of indlyid
uals is found most extensively ramife,