The democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-05-22

''''iV nave O@en s'ulen since Christ
mas. HIS Satanic Majesty will Ger.
tainly poll a heavy vote in the Kansas
precinct, This is easily accounted for
by the fact that nearly every loose char
acter in the east, when compelled Ly
some crime to ''leave his country for
his country's gocd,' makes tracks for
the far West, and there meeting with
so many kindred spirits, plunges
deeper and deeper into crime. An
homes: man, accustomed to living in an
honest community, may form some idea
from this statement of facts, how pleas
ant it is to live "op, West" we
would parcntaetica!ly remark at this
point that Kansas boasts Of ltepubli-
can majority Of %, goo
Even among these people the "fsrcr"
to GO 'out West is undiminished.
After hating a short time at cue place.
they hear glowing accounts Of an FL
Dorado further "out West''-and away
they go, continually ION the wing
Consequently the houses they erect. or
which are put up for them, are of a
temporary charac!cr-no regard to the
comfort of the tenant being in the mind
of bis landlord. This is in towns !
Rents ere enormous. Those Of our
readers who have noticed Mr.. p. u.
Hale's beef-shop, on Main Street, in
this place, will be surprised to learn
that such u building would rent readily
for from ST. to SIS rer month,-oi.
rays in adrance Western people
have no confidence in each other. Ex-
perience has taught them never to trust
their ueighbor. All are on the
grab y and the man who is the most
successful swindler is looked up to as a
model man.
But the most unfortunate and truly
miserable creatures in the West las a
class arc those who take up land uudcr
the Homestead Law. y great majority
of these people gotbcre with Just money
enough to take them to their desert
homeland there they are obliged to
stay for five years in order to get a
title to their property. The reader can
imagine himself set down in the
boundless prairie, without a ueigLbor
save buffalo and prairie dogs-for
may miles lie has nothing to eat,
no none :. no shelter. Nhat is he to
do? Ills Is what they do iu many
cases: A few Of them band together
and make the highwayn.qn's levy upon
The cmigrants passing through who are
bette, supplied than themselves. With
a wagon-coyer for a tent, and with
what they can hunt and steal, they
manage to exist-,he most miserable
creatures upon the face of the earth.
The folly of this thing is apparent.
Any young man in the eastern States,
with common industry and economy,
can soon save enough money to buy a
tract Of land, and get immediate title.
Then he can 90, or stay, or sell-as
best suits him. But for a young man
to throw away FIVE of the best years OF
his life in order to obtain few acres Of
wilderness, is folly SO supreme, tina. We
must need: call it insanity. \ our.
ter section such as is allowed the
homestead man, can be bought for from
$500 to S30O-but the homes,eader
gives FIVE years of his life for this
triding amount-worth, to any farm
laborer here. 81 500 not counting the
additional comforts he would cujey in
his eastern home. lfany adventurous
young reader should feel inclined to
doubt this statement of the case, let
him consult the hundreds who are now
making their way home the best they
can-POOrcr Lm t'iser men.
As to health, We need only say that
in Lawrence, with population of less
than six thonsand. there are THIRTY
PEAcTiclXG rRYsicrsNs-aH Of ,rhom
are continually on he rpn-and this
illustration applies equally well to all
parts Of the West. Persons brought
up in the healthy mountain atmosphere
of this State may try the West if they
pleaso-we shall lay not SO much as a
straw in their way-but they shall be
forewarnCd.
We honestly compare this rush to
the Western States to the great oil ex-
element Of 'Gl-'65. Al is hustle,
money scemg plentiful, few get rich
but We believe that two-thirds of the
Americans wholeave comfortable homes
in the east, for all the discomforts Of
the west, will cone back broken in
health and fortune-but still happy
that they can once more break bread in
decent State, among decent people.
We were struck on our return jour
ney by the number Of people-espec-
tally Nirginians-who were on their
yay horne agaia. The reports of the