The north Iowa times. [volume] (M'Gregor [i.e. McGregor], Iowa) 1856-1857, 1857-08-14
THE WEST.

Schenectady Star, in the columns o
which we find very interesting com
munication relative to the west. The
concluding portion we publish. a-
The writer is on visit from Rockford
Ills, to his native place, Saratoga Co.,
n. Y. He is now resident Of Rock.
ford, but we are glad to know that he
has bought property at McGregor, and
he designs to make it his home. He
has experience in business, is man Of
property, has travelled extensively in the
west, and among all the places he has
visited, he regards this as promising the
greatest progress. @ ". 4. ~. ..~
After describing in beautiful language
the preparations for the journey of him
self and wife to the east,-indulging in a
paragraph of we'll expressed sentiment,
he apostrophises the old Mohawk Valley
and proceeds:
But what contrast to western man,
between the still and quiet movements
of the Mohawk Valley and the hustle
of the mighty West. There is congre-
gated the fast blood of the East, equal
lied, submilated and refined by the COR
geous scenery of their vast lakes, their
noble rivers, and their magnificent prai
ries. -...ss.' ".+ .'
There the pulse beats quicker, the
blood flows freer, The whole being is
reused to new energy of purpose, to a
wider, and more enlarged sphere OF
ambition.
Notwithstand the croakings of some
of the old fogy Journals of the East,
that immense speculations in lands, and
in town property in the West, will prove
disastrous to the operators, and end in
ruin, bankruptcy and famine-such is
far from being q correct opinion. Look
at the towns on either bank of the
Mississippi. Davenport, Rock Island,
Burlington, Lyons, and the young CITY
Of Clinton, which two years ago was a
corn field. Look at Dubuque, Winopa,
La Crosse, st. Paul, and McGreeor.
where the writer has this spring seen
more than fifty loads of wheat STANDING
at a time, waiting their turn to be un'
loaded, preparatory to shipping down
the mighty father of water to st. Louis
and good market.
Look at the county of Clayton, Iowa,
which fringes the western bank of the
Mississippi and Winneshiek, and Fav.
cite, still further West, there can be
seen, rich agricultural scenery, UNEQUAL.
led east of the lakes, straight roads
nice houses, and fields of grain from
forty to two hundred acres, with farmers
who on the lst of March last, were hold.
ing their two, to ten thousand bushels
OF wheat each, raised on land that were
entered three years ago at Goyernmen,
price, 1926 per acre, and last year, tha,
with one blowing, brought them thirt,
five bushels OF wheat per acre which
within the last four weeks sold at 81 1C
per bushel ON the Mississippi.
If this is ruinous speculation wo,
can the farmers Of Schenectady and old
Saratoga afford to be ruined.
Permit me, Mr.. Editor, to inform nv
Eastern friends, who are incredulous or
the subject, that this is the secret, why
parties IN Northern Illinois and Iowa
can afford TO pay three and four pe,
cent per month for the use of money!
Its IN fact but affording facilities to en-.
terprlslng and energetic men, to make
three, tour or ten times more out of the
money than the lender.
Ihe assertions of some of the Eastern
Journals, that 1.-The speculative mania
which now curses the West, carries
with TIA neglect Of agriculture" is evi-
dently mistake.
whence came the surplus twenty
millions bushels of wheat shipped ia
Europe from the crop of 1856. Who
raised the corn to fatten the thousands
OF tons Of pork, that were packed a,
the various points in the Northwest las,
fall? ~ a4
Where does the cattle como from to
supply the thousand head that is weekly
reported in the New York market, as
illinois and Iowa cattle, if that depart.
ment of Agriculture is neglected
Food is dear we admit, but not scarce
and it arises from variety Of causes
the general appreciation OF values the
world over, consequent on the stimulus
of gold the equalizing tendency of r
Roads, and the immense migratory
movement now pressing to the West
and Northwest, which will be not less
than a million this year from Europe and
the East, all three disturb the equilibri
um. between production and consump'
ton, which will soon regulate itself.
Live stoct, we admit, in the South,
west has suffered more or less, in con
sequent of the unusually severe, ane
protracted winter, which has caused ;
very large consumption Of corn ant
oats.
L