North Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1867-current, 1867-08-14
COrrespOnd ence.
DEBORAH, Aug. ~, '67.

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DEBORAH, Aug. -, '67. Il
Col. & john Yours of the eth was du-
ly received. You can judge my surprise
when was informed that my letter would
appear in the TINES. Thank you for the
commentator you gave it. 1t is much
more than it deserved. --.--
There has nothing of material interest
transpired here since wrote you last y
Times are rather dull, which is occasioned
to some extent by the preparation for har-
vest, that promises to be a fair one, no
thing extraordinary, though. In some in
stances cutting has already commenced.
do not think that the West will realize
as flush times as is anticipated during the
coming fall, although l can see no reason
why she should not, if the harvest proves
to be good one. In the first place, it
will take until about the middle of Deem
Der before the present crop finds its way to
market, and, besides, the farmers, I think,
have learned lesson from the past which
if followed up they will profit in the flu
,ure by it. 1t is this-heretofore, as
general thing the farmers, as soon as
heir crops were ready for market, have
.arted almost every bushel of it away
rhe consequence has been that during the
winter and spring we have paid exhorbit-
int prices for -four, &c. Part of our best
and largest Touring mills have been oblig-
ed to shut down until they could get grain
from elsewhere. Should the farmers hold
back one-half their crop this fall it will,
in a measure, have tendency to keep
money out of its regular channels ami make
business somewhat dull until next Spring.
In 1859, Winneshiek County produced
about eighteen bushels of wheat per acre
of oats fifty bushels per acre. Last year
wheat averaged but fourteen and one-third
bushels per acre. Then the country was
new and sparsely populated compared
with what it now is. True, we produce
more grain to the square mile now than
we did then. But there is another thing
to be taken into consideration. We had a
less home demand. Our money was not
counted by the quire, nor were we troub-
led with revenue tax. Labor was cheap
er. The necessaries of life could be had
for mere nothing to what they now are.
Hold on Pat. am going too far with
this.
BY the way, would it not be good idea
for Uncle Sam to keep an eye on tract of
country that lies to the southwest which
borders on the United States in lat. 2O0 :?
l think it would be more profitable than
keeping track of the Will-o'- the-wisp that
he is now after. What will the black votes
that he is NV fishing after, amount to
when compared to the dollars and cents
expended in procuring them !? A great
many complain that the country is too
large now Perhaps it is. But will it be
too large when the two oceans are connect
ed with two or three iron bands. Now.
the way look at it, we are yet to leave
something else for posterity than a legion
of lazy, black voters. Some say we have
silver territories enough. We have for the
present population. In fact, too much
But if we had less Of fanaticism and more
manhood, we would soon find that our
country was small enough. Negro suf-
frage and all that sort of thing will not
add to the Nations wealth. To say moth
coffee, cottooh, TOBACCO, indigo, sui gar, e1c.,
and yet with this rich country, the exports
from its principal port to the United States
amounted to S363,755 "a, during the year
1864. True, they have, like ourselves been
engaged in war. But what could that
country be made to produce with all its
advantages if it should become annexed to
the United States and propelled with
the go-aheaditiveness of the Americans
Some years ago when Uncle Sam was talk
ing about paying Sl9,O0O,000 for Cuba,
some of our "illustrious," far-seeing men
said that we would starve to death. Cuba
would ruin us. Yet we went through a
war and incurred a debt that would
have bought hundred Cubas at that
price, and are told that we are in better
condition than ever before
Come to think, we have little tract of
country south of us, formerly known as
the Confederacy, that needs our attention.
The question seems to be at present -
" How mean can we treat them" We as
Americans ought to try and see how we
can .toryive them. If they acted wrong,
they certainly have suffered in more ways
than one. They have lost all they had to
lose, while we, l may say, have been the
gamers. Would it not be showing Chris
tan spirit land we of the North have al
ways boosted OF such) to treat them as be-
comes fallen foe ? Instead of giving them
curses and kicks as we have been doing
for the past two years, would it not be bet
ter to extend to them the olive branch, and
instead of the black, deamon-lik spirit we
now are showing them, brotherly love and
Friendships? But where is the use Of cx-
pecting it. We have lost all our old pat
ariotism. Instead of Christianity that we