The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1857-05-22
The Western Fever.


We have lived in several States in the Ur'
ion. and have no hesitation in saying, that
Maine is Us healthy IL not healthier than any
other. She Is occasionally subject to eP''
denies which carry Of her people to o "bet'
ter land" But there has one prevailed this
spring which has carried on a great many
to no better land, everything considered'
than the one they have lett. IL is 'al'eu 'n0
"Western fever There are severai cause
for this, both remote and immed'ate inc
remote cause Is foolish excitement 'ha' '''A
place few years aSo among business me"
In trying TO do las our irienu oi tue n'"Ssoi
Journal says) "thres years work In one
Everything was ut that time put on the Dig"
pressure principle. More goods we're man
afactured than tho public called Tor, more
ships were built than commerce demanded,
everybody and everything was pressed into
service, and exhorbltant wages demanded
and paid, common workmcn receiving two
to three dollars per day In shiPyards. and
you couldn't get the slowcst kind OF a labor
er to spade up carrot.bed, under Sl'oo 70
$500 per day. We earnestly protested a.
the time, against any such unnatural excite
mcnt, and It was plain to tho most careless
observer, that there was no natural cause
for any such rush OF business, that It was
merely an excitement got up by Spectators
and that there must be a revulsion. 70 ac.
ton, when business would sink as much too
low as it was then too high.
That rcvulsion has come, and this is one
of tho causes of the "wcstern Fever" An
other cause is the ",dcpihry" 1--WE believe
that Is the best phrase,) Of our Congress, in
putting so much Of our public lands into
the hands of spectators. .....
They have done this by giving to the sol.
dicrs bounty or pension Of not more than
lG0 acr,s of n land. This land they well
knew would soon bc brought up by specula-
tors. and mcmbers of Congress themselves,
many of them. were of that class and have
gone into It. Now, if they wanted to re.
ward the soldiers for past services. why did
they not give them so much money outright
and have done with i'll There was and i
money locked up in tho treasury which
might have been lot loose for that purpose,
and il they wanted the lands settled, given
them away to actual settlers, or solu '''eh
to actual settlers Tor q sum just suinc'en' "
pay the surveying and incidental expenses
But no, they must be put into tue hNha' .
spectators, not directly, but In the inuirec
way Z" giving 'nc" :" ."0 '."p' y 49, 80,
iahus 70 So'u'cfs' "'', A"o""s =, "'' r,, 80
hanas 'ncy wou,a ultimately 'e''. m.,
"no'n'r ''u'0 VI '"0 "'''''" ,c ., :, H.,
"eS' 'fo" 'r' m, .i.'' .l,.c"a 80 noa.;a. ,h,
~ "0"'' sop,s' .,;s,. ss e., =, ,h, ar,
'0''u"', "'1 . '' 49,, ', 49,, -, ,,ou
.'' y S -. :. ....a.,on.
'''' :" '"'' ~ '. w ~ = - -, :,
.. 'no'"u'A " ' -, 49, e., :
I'LL '"ey can set' ""N wv " .,..,
steamboats, ana rail-cars ~ -,
win the expectation oil becomins
y i'c" j" u 'o''",sn' a',er '"ey get the.
| :, '", $50 "' "'"'
aua I .c ,u,I ts. - 'n,s.' ,,s, ',' "'V' an "n'a''
,o1 ,ho.o mn., - T. 49,, :,
80, -. 49,, .s... -.
,n..,. ona,,'.I =. -, - -" 80 =, ~ A., ~. .. ~
h,;n, 49,, $50, - u,.,.. -, - ar
80, =, a.. ~. = "N ~ 's''
~. " '"' WV
"ewou'd say 70 our iricnas' beware o'
'ne western ieSct' ior u you DO not Vainnta'
riy 'mo'oo IL you Will not suier oy II. Let
'ne young VINO nave not yet located them
serves ana are looking ABOUT ior an abiding
place, 90 west u they please land we would
S''e 'ne'n 'and 70 se''ic upon u we cou'd')
wv ''' '"o'' WIZ aie a'easy 0o'aou s"u