Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1871-02-22
CALIFORNIA.
An Interesting Letter from Smith r
Gum.

The following correspondence from
Hon. Smith r Gum, to Minnesota
paper. has been kindly handed us by
Osborn Strshl, Esq, Of River Falls
As the writer is well known to most of
the old settlers of. the county. his letter
will be read with more than ordinary in>
terest. II will be seen that his state
meu;s of the Golden State conflict some.
what with the generally received idea of
that country. :" All is not gold that gilt
ters:'
Santa Clare. Cal, Dec. Goth. 1870
People east Of the Rocky Mountains,
have not a very correct idea of Caliior-
mia. They have been used to hearing
everything connected with it extoled, till
they conclude tina. all the cxceiiences of
earth are concentrated 10 California.
And truly it is y wonderful country;
liz mountains Of ore, its gigantic trees,
its productive soil. aud saIubrious eli
mate, all combine to make it a desira.
bic country. And many imagine that if
they can reach its golden shores. their
fortunes are male, and consequently there
are more discontinued people in Cali
fornia than in any other country, accord.
ing to the population; and if it stopped
at dscontentnent it would be WE'LL but
this dlsconientment goes on till it reach
cs insanity. and, to day, California has
more insane persons according to the
population, than any other country in
the world, there being now over eleven
hundred insane persons in the insane
asylum, and the cry is still they come!
This is out Of population of less than
six hundred thousand.
The persons who have written most in
regard to California have been those
who understood very little of the WAYS
and means of the Common aud poor PEG
Pile; they have generally been editors
from the east, or literary men. whose
reputation and position introduc I'd them
at once into the best society, and during
their stay they spent their time among
The rich. seeing the sights and living off
the fat of the land. They SAW fruits and
flowers in the greatest abundance; they
Jared sumptuously every day, had their
tables spread under the Zig trees aud
plucked the fruit from above their heads
TO eat on the table; saw the finest fruit
produced in any Iaud, and drank the
juice of the grape, pressed from punches
set before them, almost fabulous in size
they saw beautiful buildings and palatal
residences. grounds adorned with shrubs
king the most beautiful picture that the
eve Can feast upon; and Of course, under
this influence, they could not fail to write
California up in good style; they heard
Of the productions of the soll-of wheat,
sixty bushels TO the acre, aud wrote it
up accordingly, not stopping 10 consider
that those figures were the extremes and
not the rule. They were told that the
common laborer got two dollars per day
for his work, and jumped at the concIu
sion that where labor commanded such
prices, that work must be plenty. But
they did not see the hundreds Of men
through the country out of employment,
with a blanket rolled up and carried up
on their back, their only possession, with
out means enough to pay for nights
lodging, but sleeping on the ground
where night overtakes them, and often
hungry; vet such arc the facts in the
case.
Men work in the mines in the noun
tains mining for gold, hoping to make a
strike year after year. aud failing to
do so become discouraged. roll up their
blankets and come down to the v lagos
seeking employment, and without friends
or acquaintance, the chances are against
them. They have perhaps left wife aud
children in the east, and cannot even get
mean. to get home again. A number
have said TO me : if ever | get money
enough to get home again, this country
will not keep me-
An old man said 10 me a few DAYS
ago: have worked twenty years in
the mines, and If | had only come to this
valley at first. and saved fifty cents per
day, and worked at my trade, (carpeu-
teri | would now be worth something,
but as it is. have spent the best of nv
life in the mines, and am now not worth
anything This is the experience of
hundreds and thousands OF men scat
| tered MI over the country.
California has not advanced in wealth
and population anything near as fast as
she should have done with the natural
advantages she possesses.
| Several causes have contributed 10 re-
tard her progress in that direction.-
/ Among those causes may bs mentioned
that of the people Of California during
the war adhering to gold as n currency,
and excluding greenGacks. This proven
ted much capital from coming from the
east for investment here, and gave the
people currency that is cumbersome and
announcement, for with this pretended
gold currency, silver is really the princi
pal circulating medium, especially in
small tranactlons, and even where gold
is used, if man has five hundred dol
lars Of it he can't carry it with him with
out much Inconvenience, as that amount
weighs nearly two pounds. Another
cause is the hand monopoly, and the
high price at which land is held. The
land here. to great extent is in a few
hands comparatively. and it is nothing
very uncommon for one man TO own five
n II IL