Daily Iowa State Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1859, 1857-12-21
For Alderman, Sd Wsrd.
AUSTIN CORBIN.
Iowa a Q Field for Young Professional
Non.

Iowa - . Field for Youns Professional
There 10 no class of Eastern people
more thoroughly deceived As to the ad-
vantages the West presents than young
professional men. They look upon
the West ~ q land Of promise, over
flowing with milk and honey, where
fame and fortune are to be had for the
asking. Visions Of seats in Congress,
large quantities Of erminc, executive
chairs, foreign missions, oil present
themselves dazzlingly and enchanting
~ to an Eastern imagination. The
career of = great man, like Douglas,
is the type Of the race, all young Yam
KEGS believe they would run, we're they
transplanted to Western soil. Never
were innocentsmore dcluded. There is
hardly State on the other side of the
Alleghanies in which the professional
tyro could not do better than in the
Vest. We have sometimes endeavor-
cd TO ascertain the premises on which
young Eastern men ground the conclu-
sion that the West affords q better
field tor the young practitioner either
in medicine or law, than the East, and
we have almost invariably found that
they have based all their notions on an
incorrect assumption-the lnferiority
of western physicians and advocates.
One fact all will admit, that in the rural
districts of the West we have not the
TALENT the learning nor the eloquence
which may be found in the large At
lantic cities, but it is no less true that
the common run Of our professional
men is fully equal to that class which
il TO be found in Eastern towns of the
size Of Dubuque and Davenport Place
half . dozen Western and the same
number Of Eastern lawyers before
jury, composed half of Eastern and
half of Weatcrn men, and we have the
fullest confidence that the West would
have its full proportion Of victories.
That being the case, what better
chance has a young practitioner against
Western man than against an Essterns
II the average ability ofhis opponents
in either section be equal, he has the
same opportunities at the East as in
the West. lie certainly gains moth
ing on the score Of incompetent com
petitors.
But the young immigrant practi-
toner has not only to contend against
men fully as shrcwd, as ready learned
~ those he left at home; he has also
TO scramble with them for smaller
amount of business than the average
run of Eastern counties afford. That
the law is not paying business in the
West is sufficiently proved by the fact
that very few men depend on the prof
its of their profession alone for sup
port. The attorney who is not land
agent, the Doctor who has not "a few
nice lots" to sell, is a rare exception a
sara avis. Take, for instance, from the
lawyers Of Davenport such men as
have the advantage Of a connection
with bank, or money to loan, or land
TO cell, and how many will there be,
who realize from their legitimate prac-
tice, enough to clothe we'll dressed
Dry Goods clerk! The fact is unde-
niable that in the East lawyers manage
to live above these outside contrivances
and IN the West few manage to sup
port life without them. TO say that
fees are smaller here than in most
Eastern States is to repeat what every
body knows. In the East, it almost
always happens that professional men
get rich, or at least attain a competen-
cy, whilst in the West, they can do
nothing more, and from the fruits Of
legitimate business they seldom do
that. So far As political preferment
10 concerned, the chances are . hun
dred fold better in the East than here.
Lot any man who knows anything Of
Eastern public men compare them with
the public men Of the western States,
and he cannot help striking the bal
anco in our favor. In the west there
are many more aspirants than in the
East. The country is already filled
With those who came here for the very
purpose Of getting place and they make
. ruah for seat in the legislature or ,
small county Office, which would as
tonish the sober, allow coach office
seeker Of eastern counties. Again, we
have fewer places Of honor 1--WE won't
ny . word of emolument here than
elsewhere - tho rigid economy of oul
people demands that one public Office,
shall do the work of two. The fact il
the man who succeeds in getting
odics in the West could get it any.
where, and that with far less trouble