The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1864-02-12
THE WEEKLY PIONEER AND DEMOCRAT.


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both the sspro and CON" popular sentiment
relative to hunting gold in the regions
westward ho," whether in California,
Oregon, Colorado, Idaho, or any other Ho
It will be hard to explain to those unini-
tiated, the difficulties Of an editor to avoid
setting forth the advantages as well as dis
advantages Of. any popular tendency SO at
tractive as has always been the disposition
Of mankind to ''dig for gold" although at
last we must, in obedience to the behests
of true sense of duty, be compelled to
draw conclusions disparaging to one view
or the other.
In such situation we find ourselves at
present placed, and to those who properly
can demand our real views, as the result
of all we have said and published upon the
subject, we cheerfally propose the follow
ing consider atoms.
In the first place, then, to be candid, we
say to all Minnesotians, do not go to the
mines unless you have nothing else to do.
If there are any great advantages to be
derived from the expected harvest Of
| gold, by those who remain at home,
certainly the farmers, mechanics and mer-
chants Of Minnesota, which is the nearest
agricultural, mechanical and commercial
region to the mines of Idaho, must reap
| the golden benefits of those. adven-
lures. We secondly urge that everybody
ought to. look well before they make a
| move which at most is little better than a
lottery. Who can say that among all his
acquaintance he can name one out of ten
who went to California through the frenzy
of the gold fever, who ever realized a''tithe
Of his friends or his own expectations
We need not recount the hardships,
hazards and privations of such an under
taking. If it were to defend our country
or to promote the advancement of human
veal that any of our fellow-citizens went
forth through weary marches, through
sickness, through deprivations and bar.
barous habitude incident to miners life
still all would be redeemed by the patriot.
ism or humanity of their purpose. But
when all this is avowedly for undue and
hasty gain, we ask the aspirant to pause
and consider what he must lose for the
dross he may chance to gain? If mar
of family he ought to know best what he
leaves and what be loses by his bargain
with avarice. If single man, we advise
him to consider twice before he goes
rather than once before he marries.
| But leaving all these considerations and
falling back upon the grosser matter o.
naked gain, we are ready to assert that
it will be better for every Minnesotian I'm.
less he be, a vagabond, to stay at home
and avail himself of the resources which
are actually lying at his own door. He
should remember the old fable of q fathers
will wherein he bequeathed his cons a
treasure hidden in his garden, for which
they unsuccessfully dug several years, I'M
til they at last found themselves rich from
the agricultural results of their labors.
Here is Minnesota with the fairest pros.
poets, the finest climate and richest re-
sources of any new State in the Union.
Experience has shown that she can pre-
duce the most abundant and superior yield
of all products, ordinary to this latitude
which meet with ready sale at almost
exorbitant prices. Here, too, every other
branch IF business, however dull the times
may at present be, has the brightest prom
Use for the future; and we reassert that il
gain alone is the object sought in these
gold adventures, that by using the same
effort, with one-half of the privation, nine
| tenths of all who leave or will go to the
gold mines, might succeed pecuniarily,
douJly as we'll at home, in Minnesota.
If there is gold in the mines the
best and surest place for the ner-
chant, farmer or mechanic Of Minne-
sofa to get it is to stay right in st. Paul,
or anywhere in this State, and wait till it
is brought right to their doors to be ex-
changed for their services and commod-
tiles. As pertinent to these observations,
we will subjoin some remarks on gold min-
| ing made by Hon. THos FL. BENTON in the
United States Senate in 1649:
/. am friend to gold currency but not to
gold-mining That is a pursuit which the ex-
| perience of nations shows to be both impov
! erishing and demoralizing to nation. / Ire
greet that we have these mines in California !;
But they are there and am for getting rid Of
them as soon as possible. - 80 :
It is no matter who digs mp the gold or
where it goes The digger viii not eat it and
! it will go where commerce will carry it. The
nations which have industry have ag-
riculture, commerce and manufactures they
viii get the gold provided always that they
keep out small paper money,
i care not who digs it up. i want it dug
M. I want the fever over. / want the min
ing finished. Let all work. who will Let