Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1857-06-27
srrcuLArroNs IN TIE wEsr,


A correspondent Of tho Philadelpbia Bul
letin writing from Prairie du Chen, (Wiscon-
SIM thus alludes TO the fever Of speculation in
the west:
Everybody peculates-everybody buys and
sells land--everybody lends or borrows mon
ey- everybody is either a millionaire, or
about to be. in bis own opinion Labor is
high, aud SO is everything else, and the whole
course OF business runs in the highest kind
Of tide. People buy tract Of land for,
say $1,000 ay it out into a town, and in a
few weeks or months sell one twenty fifth for
the same prices as they paid for tho entire
tract. Therefore, that town is considered
WORTH twenty-five thousand dollars. although
there mny not be house in it. and the owners
spread themselves accordingly. Now. if the
aforesaid town happens to be OH the river, or
u main road. or to have peculiar advantages
of soil, &c., it really does Gil up, and become
what its proprietors expect There are
many such towns. But if it is n0where. q. c.
utterly uninhabited and not even laid out on
the scil.) or is ON the road to nowhere, then
il subsidies in short time, and the proprie-
tor or propretors pick their flDts and try
something else. There are vast numbers Of
emigrants arriving here, aud you can easily
see that if twerty or thirty families settle
together, the place becomes "a town" imme-
dately. Well, these towns arc laid out in
every conceivable direction, just as fast as
the conveynucers can get up the maps or tho
engineers can survey the ground. Now con-
slider n;ne-tenihs Of the business population
OF city of about $4,000 people, either d.
rectly or indirectly engaged in the real estate
business, each individual soul Of whom imag-
ines himself making money by carloads, and
rushing into new transactions just as fast as
they can borrow the money at the rate of
from two TO i've per cent. u month, and then
you bave the city Of Saint Paul, Capital Of
the Territory Of Minnesota in the United
States Of America. iu the year 1851
Our stay was short, but owing to the fact
that we found ourself known to quito num-
Der of Pennsylvanians Lo know aud handle
1.-The ropes" in this graced game OF "heads
win, tails you lose," it was but short time
before we were 80 thoroughly posted AS to
have numerous brilliant offers of lots and
sites, and also 10 have a fair taste of the way
things ore carried on. There is no asc clab-
Grating this sketch. Tho same head over.
heel spirit which shows itself in regard to
real estate, spreads into transactions Of all
kinds, until, we believe, every body, from the
whitc-washcr to tho cashiers of the numerous
banks at the street corners, is "speculator"
TO a greater or lees extent
There will Ee snash some day. us every
body has been sapienty crcakng for two or
three years. bat it wlll not do any material
damage TO ST. Paul or 10 the territory. And
We will toll yon why.
Thus: ST. Paul has by six or seven thou
sand population the start OF any town in
Minnesota, aEd 40 place but ST. Peter can
a .,.l, a H.. t.,l
is placed there. Next: they have q most
splendid agricultural country to fall back on
when this mania ceases. They have soil
somewhat resembling that or our own State,
and better tigber Though nothing to brag
of than any State North or W. ST uf Indiana.
and next, their population is Of very good
class First come the poorer emigrants who
ore mostly Germans, Norsegians, and some
families from the vi stern States who are
agricultural Then comes the New York
delegation" larger than from any other
State; second, Pennsylvania; third, the New
England States, and fourth, Western and
Southern people. Very many Of these are
solid men" who have been led Off by the
all 'pervadng land insanity, but who will show
their grit when the smash comes. -" Sixth
ly and lastly" they have plenty Of minerals
in Minnesota which have not yet been worked
to any great extent. Thirdly" TO continue
the Dogberriun caIendcr) they have Tot u
tinge or trace Of that ncver.su hiciently.
hated and accnrsed slavery to blight or blast
their fair soil, and to eat the life and soul and
energy out Of the people ncntally, morally
and physically.
For all of which reasons Minnesota is sure
to so ahead, just like Missouri, when she
sloughs os her unfortunate children Of Noah's
disrespectIul son. who onSht to bp the patron
saint Of Cincinnati.