The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1856-11-15
PIONEER.
NUMBER II.
Sr. PAUL, October, 1851

Having in my last defined my position up
on the climate of Minnesota, have no more
interesting theme for his letter than the pc
cuniary advantages of Minnesota
In treating of this subject, find myself
addressing two general classes of men-the
hard-fisted yeomanry of the country who
wish to coin their sinews into bread, and
make the wilderness blossom by their honest
toll, and the man of capital who wishes to
rise to fortune and ailluence by speculation.
In other words, address the poor and the
rich.
The poor man, if IA laborcr, can make from
20 to S35 per month here, the year round
one dollar and a half being the general wa
ges for day laborers. l hear of none work
ing for less than $50 per mo-: til at any time.
He can at tic same time make claim of | GO
a res of land convenient to mar ket, we'll
watcrcd, well wooded, and of the richest
soil. He must BULL house Ga shanty) OH
this, and must make it his head quarters;
though he is not compelled to live there, but
may absent hmse for even months, with
out forfciting his land. He can now get good
land in this way, within a few miles Of small
towns, and will not have to pay dime for it
till it is brought into market, which may not
be for 2 or years, and will not be till the
country is thickly set led, and the choicest
lards worth from to $40 per acre. lie the,,
only pays one dollar and twenty-five cents
per acre and no one dares bid against him at
the sale, even il his land is worth 500 Der
acre, as it sometimes is Oh town sites. i.
The lands are not open for sale and entry
till we'll settled, because spectators would
come in and monopolize them, put the price
up to and $40 per acre, and Illustrate the
object of the liberal presumption and claim
law, which is to settle the wilds Of the west,
inrue immigra' ion by giving tho land free for
few years, and then at 81 ,25 per acre, and
thus develOpe the resources of the country
Many spend their whole time in making
claims and selling them-Soing from one to
understanding small Improvement and
selling out sometimes for $500 or ST. 900 d J.
lars profit in few months to some new
conner who would rather pay this than go
fur: her back OH the frontier, or take second
or third rate claims. hear of one man from
Indiana who has made 5000 in this way,
in year or so.
No trouble need be apprehcnded from In
dams whatever. They are perfectly pcacea-
bic and friendly except to each other, and
only steal little up about Mankato, where
the WlnnebaSt eS are located.
A man can make a hring here at infinitely
less cost of labor and money than in Ken
ucky, get more for his produce, and become
independent, simply by the rise Of his land.
These, with the most hcalthful climate I'M
der the sun, are the advantages of Minneso-
ia to the poor man. If he can raise any m, n
ey, he can do SO much the better. t.f
The most striking and surprising discovery
Kentuekian makes here, is the cxhOrbitant
rates ofi,.terest. He can hardly realize that
money can be safely loaned here to PROMPT
men, by the year, mt 80 to Sc per cent. per
annum. Yet such is the rapid rise of real
estate, the high rents and the large DIVIDENDS
in all speculative enterprises, that money
here is worth four or five times as much as
i'm the old stagnant settlements OF the Mid
die States, and find borrowers at these rates
who give real estate security worth double
the loan, with power of sale without fore
closure; and often a condition of S per cent
per month after maturity if not paid, pay
ment of all cost of suit, &c. , .- a.,
A few facts and statistics will enable the
reader to see the cause of these high rates of
interest, and how men can afford to pay
them. In the Governors Message, in Janu-
airy, 1855, he congratulated the Legislature
that the population of Minnesota had in only
six years reached IS, 900 souls. In January,
1856, from the census report of last fall and
other documents in his possession, lie was
enabled to announce an increase of 10000
in IL months, making our population then
$4,000. In January 1857 he can announce
an increase of 100000 in twelve months.
With an increase of population comes a
correspondingly increased demand for, and
therefore rise in land. Where last year the
solitude of the wilderness was only disturbed
by the whippoorwill, and the rich virgin soil
pressed only by the hoof of the deer and the
buffalo, this year some enterprising yankee
has discovered "water power" or other
"great natural advantages" and has laid off
q town." and adYertises that "the town al