Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1855-06-01
| tFrom the Northern Farmer.l
Emigration.

since tho discovery of the gold mines Of
| Cailiornia, emigration from New England has
been peculiarly active. Almost every agri-
cultural town has lost from five to fifteen of
Its industrious population Every one of
these cmigrants has expended large sum of
money, previously accumulated. hv hard
labor, for his outfit, for the purchase Of his
ticket and for his support while at the mines
Careful observers of events tell us that more
money has been expended in these items and
IN the immense quantities of goods and pro-
| visions sent TO California, on sale than all
the gold restored to New England by the
mines, would purchase. Now what has been
the fate OF those adventurers who have left
| comfortable homes for the wild and barhar-
Gus life of privation in the mines 1t is
thought that about one third of those who
" make haste to be rich," in this wav, die
| by violence and disease contracted through
excessive toll, unwholesome food and the
malaracious climate of the Isthmus Another
third, perhaps, when freed from the restraints
| OF home and the control ofsuperiors, fall into
| the gross vices incident to a new country and
are ruined Tor time end eternity. The remain
ing third have their reward. They become
rich and influential and probably enjoy less
than they did upon the old homestead in their
native towns. This success of few is pur-
chased at great expense of life, morals and
| what abated, and the Kansas type has sue
ceeded. Agents and Spectators are abroad,
urging the young and enterprising sons of
| New England to emigrate to this new terri
! tory. Extravagant accounts are published
of its fertility and mineral resources. Null
! titudes this very spring are leaving neat,
| comfortable and ceied houses, for a shed, a
shanty, leafy bower or the open sky in
Kansas. They must carry oil their neces-
saries with them into this new home. Years
of toll and suffering must elapse before they
can secure social privileges, literally and
religious institutions that can ut all compare
with those they are leaving with so much
Indifference. When they have spent their
best days in elevating themselves to that
state of civilization which exists at home, if
! they fortunately survive the hardships of a
new settlement, they may thcn devote the
| leisure Of FASTENED dccrepitude and prema-
ture old age to the enjoyment of just such
comforts as they are now sharing in the
homes of their youth. Before young men
consent TO leave New England, which, as a
place of residence, has no superior in our
land, they should ascertain how those are
living who have gone before them. Inter
ested persons who have land to dispose of or
who can make money by transporting you
and your effects to new territory, will point
you to emigrants who have made large for
tunes in short time. There are such
instances, but do the ma jority who go West,
live better and enjoy more than those who
" abide by the stuff, at home , All men are
not fitted by natural endowments and tastes
to amass wealth. In land speculation., as in
all other business transactions, the few sue
. ceed, the many get only a ompetency or
fail The great fish always eat up the lit
tie ones | do not believe that it can be
demonstrated that the masses of the popua-
ton at the West, live any better or enjoy
more of the blessings Of civilized life than we
do in New England. l doubt very much if
they generally succeed a. we'll as they would
have succeeded, had they remained at home
But some men tell us that we are crowded
with population. We stand in each others
way. All the existing employments. agr-
culture, commerce and the learned profess
sions are overaowing. | humbly question
the truth of this assertion. The learned pro-
fessons may be crowded, but agriculture is
actually suffering for want Of laborers. Our
land in New England, would support four
times its present population with suitable
culture of the soil and the cry would still be,
and yet there is room" Talk of a crowded
population with thirty or forty inhabitants
| to the square mile, when Europe supports
from two to four hundred on the same area
| Talk of the crowded population, when labor
commands dollar day or from fifteen to
twenty dollars a month throughout the year
| The fact is, labor cannot be hired for any
reasonable compensation to raise food % for
the old folks who are too fur advanced to
emigrate. If the tide Of population contin-
ues to roll West for the future, as it has done
for few years past, it will be best for US all
to emgrate in a body to the lands from which
we are importing our food. EDS.