Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1857-07-03
The West.

piece with the customary talk of Western
men, and of Western letters, except that it
does own that some may lose money at the
West, concession which few out there are
willing to make. The practice Of alluring
immigration by talking up and writing up
the Western country has been reduced to
perfect system. All Western man are
adopts at it. Every new settler is taught
the trade in the first month of his stay
Thenccforth his friends are urged in
frequent cpistles to come out West and
make their fortunes. AS correspondent of
some Eastern village paper, he dlates upon
the rise of property and the greatness of
the country-and if you drop in upon him
in his new home, you find he can talk of
nothing else.
While our young men were really in
many cases lettering themselves by removal
to the new soil of the Praires, we here
could not complain Of all this, although we
saw our State yearly drained Of the best
bone and snew of its population to enrich
the new states. But now that a move
West is likely in the great majority of cases
to be " bad move it is the duty of
Eastern journals to advise their readers
here to stay at home.
In answer to the arguments of the writer
below, we need only quote from private
letter received from heretofore lourshng
city in the Far West, which came by the
same mail with his communication. Its
writer is permanently located at the West
and we have every confidence in his state
ments. lie says
I" The times are very hard and business is
terribly duh Eastern creditors are for
bearing for fear of losing the whole A
single move that creates panic will over
run the city. Speculation ran wild last
summer, and real estate is lying dead in the
market and must soon fall very much both
in the city and in the country adjacent
The price of living is frightfully dear and
will be so through the season. There is
little prospect of times being better this
summer Farming lands are much too high
but farming produce commands any price,
so that farming pays but the city, land
we hear the same from most of the small
cities Of thu -tatcJ have vut,un tho country
and have come to a point when they must
either fail up or stand still, which amounts
to the same thing
Young men arc leaving, as there is little
prospect OF Enjoyment
hope very much that !. may be better
in the West as the season advances ana tia.
the crisis may pass, but it seems to me i'm
possible.
have talked with several business men
who say that their only hope is in larger
crop this season and the continuance of tho
present high prices for grain.
Young and old who are in any way com
fortably Oh at the East had better stay un r.
til at least another year, and see what the
result will be. \ crash must come to this
country, as the price Of real estate and
Lying is beyond reason, and any accident
will bring things down and distress will
follow. When things come down to their
par value with the East, money can be made
much faster and easier there than here. |
Most of the money made here comes from
the East, and the supply is about to stop"
Berlin, Wis June Goth 1857.
GENTS; have just finished reading an article
In your paper of June 5th, headed "a Crisis I'M |
pending at tho West" and fearing said article |
might deter some good people now living arav
d'rr East from coming West who would other. |
wise come, | write this, that both sides Of the
On ma hav C,;r
impends over the West" may be true, but who
Will 1t ''a'" nine out Of ten so crashed will be
Ed''"h m'n, absentees, who own unlmproved viii
lage and city lots, and thousands upon thousands
Of acres of unfenced and uncutiyated farming
lands, which they will not improve themselves,
nor sell to those who will. except from five to ten
times their cost Had you headed your article
A crisis impending at tho East" it would have
been nearer the TRUTH az the o,c,,,,
Of these lands nearly all live there. / hop, md
pray such crash may colne,it would hurt no "hon.
est folks and will simply throw some good lands
into market at reasonable prices
do not blame the Eastern people for wishing
to stop this "ceaseless flow" Of their mon and
money" to the West, but it cannot be stopped. il
never will stop, it is destiny.
"A he
number coming West this year, and one hundred
dollars is low estimate for each person to bring.
but even at this it makes thirty millions Of dol.
lars, Add sixty millions more to be left here for
our grain, beef and pork, and ten millions mora
sent here by Eastern capitalists to loan. and vou
get some idea Of the amount of money coming in.
to the West this year. BY the U'ea mean west
of Lake Michigan and the cast line of Illinois.
with your leave we will look at the condition Of
the West, moment. greater proportion Of the
here arc farmers than in any other mart
oil the world and Of course if they prosper the rcst
OF the community will do likewise The far,ncrs
in the West (mostly) do not owe a dollar on THAR
iarmos, having bought them when the land was
low and paid for them during the last few year.
Of good crops and high prices they have cyerv
prospect OF good crops again this year and present
prices, viz Spring Wheat ; -; oats SOC Corp
.oc. Fork 80 per Dbl, and other thing. in PRO.
portion and they get the cash for all this produco
At their own doors, from EaH"n buyers, with
E'At"" money; how eau this mako hui f,u.e, hero,
Another large class at the West are mechanics
but no" can they fail to do well when all these
armers want houses and barns built, and clothes
boots and shoes, wagons and plows made, horse
h'eins and house painting, and thousand other
'inds OF mechanical work done, and have money
o pay for tho same. All kinds Of mechanics do we'll
lore' do not know Of any mechanic who work,
or less than ST. to 81, per day, and it il better
or th'm than 50 would be east
Another class are the laborers but thew aro
"dV doing we'll Railroad hands get SIPS md q
arm aborora l. 80 now and will get 81, as soon A.
arrest Commences, ant laborcrs are r,lv ,,,,, nt
a. When you reflect for a moment uIon tho '