The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1856-02-02
Ttc Californian.
OR The CALEDnSIAH.l
LEAVES FROM O,EI>\D
EN M:.iiI I:idi;,t,Ar,.n

].
mean the genuine specula,or, whose heart
ami soul Gf lie has any are in the work.
he merchant may buy and sell to get cain.
and 50 far their pursuits are alike: but the
public needs the merchant, an,! is wiliuc to
pay hun tor his labor II even consents 70
he consde rablv cheated rather than dismiss
50 useful servant. But the speculator it
does not need nor want, and submits to his
extortoHS only because it cannot be helrcG.
In the older States. the Spectator Is not
unknown. to be sure but he is 50 ,warietl in
his proportions. and so crowded for elbow
room by the industrial community in which
he moves, that his influence is comparatively
harmless. But here, he is natura! rro,lu.-
ton OF the soil. and a.tains the rcnko.. Growth
on the virgin sol. Indeed nothing SO much
Impcdes the progress Of cultivation. or Dives
the cUltlvator more trouble % roo. them on.
than this same crop OF spectators. I.is no.
uncommon for thcm 20 CROW 70 +, Eroh.
h'1na9ian S.ze. Is, for instance, IN wlqt i
called the Land grab" Whereby sino,c
man. IN tins GOOD State f Wisconsin. secure;
TO himself at cne grasp tens of thousands of
acres o.! the school lands. It is sad 20 .link
what host Of f.iiiipuian BUYERS it vii, re-
cure to unrlaSp those enormous ilanG, and
how many disappointed men. who had their
eye nnon some little parcel Of this chean
land. he:or" leaving the Fast. will have 10
turn away for l':rh'nese Of pnrs" ana ioos
farther before rur~haSHc.'
Here, too We n.r,t with .hc slna.rl,tor in
the Germ - the oud.'in- sucrim"n OF this 90.
nus; and 50 'hroneh al The Intermediate ST.
!:"' "i growth. we see them puttinc money in
the'r pockets withou. rcndrrin. the world IN
equivalent. NJ. their plans and calculations
are on larccr scale than those Of ordinary
m'rtals. The common arithmetic, hv which
men count the gains of industry. is laid aside
as quite unequal to their need. The rules
of simple addition and multiplication are
looked upon as altogether contomrtihIc. They
learn 10 calculate the changes and chances Of
their trade with ." mnch precision as \ s.,r.
oa7or o"! 'v.t,, cc'iIscs of .ho sun. or tic
return OF comet Like the illustrious as
trononer, who. with wor'hier zeal eazeo
on The nori's Of the heavens till he lost the
gift Of sight. they often watch. so irtcntlv ard
rerseverinsly. the rr''rn stars which glitter
in their mundane iirmamcnt. as TO become
blind, totally blind, to the beauties which lie
directly in their path.
One of the ways in which the specu!ator
affects tho actnai settler most iniuriou.lv. is
by holding large tracts O. land at too high
price for present sale. THIS, of course. rem
ders the population sparse. and frequently
prevents the establishment Of schools and
churches altogether. for the present. The
public endcavors 20 indemnity itself. IN Il
measure. by afiixnr An additional! tax on the
property Of non-rcsi!cn.:; and individuals.
by cu''in. down and arpropriatinc to them
selves the best of the timhn~ growing on these
same !aE,is. This last method has become 50
common that to take what is anothnrs. pro
vided it is nothin. but trees, is considered by
most OF these people as qnitc ustiGablc. They
will not admit that i; is S'eniing a; all, be-
causc Every body does So" they say
The business Of Tie spccu'ator. like that Of
the gambler seems 70 have an irresistible
charm for those ,ncaccd in 1t, which leads
them to play deeIcr and deeper. Their game
has its fascination. too. for locke rs on, who
gaze with admiration on the man who is per-
SEVERN. enough to be a successful spccuator.
And still the less they understand
The more thcv admire his >cight Of hand.
BY the wav, our nei.hbor Il. has embarked
in the land speculation, of late. to large ex-
tent. While spending an evening at his
house not long since. friend of bis called
spcculator by profession. The conversation
of the two gentlemen gave me considerable
knowledge of the machinery employed in the
manufacture of fortunes. As specimen -
The visitor had Just been making large
purchase. lie learned. the week previous,
that two or three Germans had bought ad-
Joining farms,in ancighboring township; and
knowing the social disposition of their coun-
trymen, aud the desire of the ncwly-arrIved
to settle in Dutch neighborhoods, he had
bought all the unoccup;ed land in their i'm
mediate vicinity in the full confidence that he
should be able to sell to others at large
profit. The conversation impressed me very
unpleasantIy. Perhaps was mistaken out
fancied could see the tendency OF TINS
habit of the sreculator of doing things IN
large wav and dcspisins the smaller gains of
industry. To beget the same habit OF though'
in regard to morals - that only great SINS
and great v;rtues are to be set down in their
dccaloguc.
BIT whatever is the fact in general 1t Is
very evident that painful change has come
over cur friend X. He seems TO have 'a'd
aside his character Of reformer altogether ana
all his enthusiastic plans and purposes and
to think and talk only of how he can better
.:s oun f,r,unes He is On his guard to be
sure in the presence OF his wife, and OF those
= no knew him formerly, bu, he tetrays' IL a
thousand ways. the change in his views ana