Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1873-10-10
THE FAR WEST.
lettings by the Way.
Correspondence of the Bulletin.

Here l am IN the "Golden City,
the great cosmopolitan city of the
Pacific coast-and truly one meets
citizens of every cline, people Of
all colors; and each and every one
is allowed the full enjoyment OF his
religious or political belief. But here
as in the States, Anti Monopoly is the
great cry nowadays, only here it is
entirely railroads.&c.. Middle men
are here permitted to rest in peace
on what they can legitimately make
by trade or commerce. But as in
the states, it is being carried too
far, and already we hear Of many
attempts at corruption where we
should look for better things. The
railway men have had quite a set
back by the Anti-Monopolists, and
have discharged a number of men
and quit work OH their two hun
dred miles line. south of this place.
They alleged-which l presume is
a fact-that European capitalists
are losing confidence, and will not
furnish the ready, but in the end,
l opine much good will cnsue. I
have always looked upon the plan
of giving so much to railroad COM
panics to build their roads, in the
same light that | do parents giving
tLcir children little starts as they
go along, and, as they absorb that,
more is wanted and looked for, and
instead Of being independent, they
are dependant. But according to
the present outlook, the men who
build roads must do it on their own
merits, which will create a more
healthy system, and roads will be
built where they are needed and
will pay, and foreign capital less en-
ploycd. The last panic should be a
lesson to us. But will we ever
learn? Do we not like to be hum
bugged? Look at Barnum, Fisk,
Jay Cooke, and other great jugglers
on the Atlantic, and Stanford,
Croker and the balance on this
coast, and you will find humbug-
gerry in it's highest style and
name, and yet such men are held up
as examples of what men will be
come by energy &c. Stanford and
the rest of the c. p. r. r. men have
over $40, 100000 Of the government
money, and may well laugh first, at
the futile attempts to collect the
past due interest on the bonds. But
the people here are in good earnest,
and / think will accomplish some
thing in the end. The coming
election is looked forward to with
much anxiety. l hope the day is
not far distant when men Will not
be measured by their money, blu,
by their moral worth. 1t may be
too much to expect of a poor NOR
tai, as the poet says:
Worth makes the man, want of it the fellow,
All the rest are either leather or prunclla,
and whatever is done, will finally
result as Of old-money, money
money.
Since l last wrote you, have had
a nice trip on horseback. My
brother having a couple of mus
tangs that are good riding animals
we concluded to take trip across
lots over the mountains, and
tho first thing had to do was to
leave my valise at the shanty, and
pack my clothes in blanket rolled
up on the crupper of the Mexican
saddle: Then we put up three days
embarrassing of butter, bread
bacon, canned salmon, potatoes, tea
and sugar.
Any one who has travelled over
the sage brush country compre-
bends the delight of Il ride over the
mountains and valleys of Nevada.
will here say, for the benefit Of
those not acquainted, that the roads
for the most part are good and near
ly level, and would be splendid fol
buggy riding, if it were not for the
dust. But we took a short cut fol
three good reasons, which made
our trip fifty miles nearer than b,
the road. one third less than the to-
tai by road; first, saving Of stage
fare prompted the trip on horse
back; second, TO visit an old friend
from Iowa, in the mountains (Cor
tez); and third, to look at some
sheep ranges.
The first day we passed over d
large alkali flat, that looked as
though salt and saleratus might be
had for nothing. We came across
a spring on the flat that the horses
would not drink from, so strongly
impregnated was it; you would sup.
pose that it was the remnant of q
heavy shower on a sand desert, but
as it has been very dry season, il
must be very good spring. All the
springs in the great basin, sink soon
er or later after leaving their head
which is a singular phenomena, and
one, the solution of which, has thus
far only been guessed. A creek
will be running rapidly and ripping
along gaily, and all at once it sinks
not with rush, as if down hole
but apparently dries right up, and
as suddenly appears again-the bed
Of the creek keeping right along, the
channel well-delined by the spring
or winter freshets. The warm
springs we passed, and they are q
curiosity of nature too; only guess
ed at.
We passed Col. Simpsons old
wagon road and what dreary re
minder Of by-gones, are the tall tel
egraph poles of the old route, with
the wire still on them as Of yore
TO show you the dryness of the eli
mate, the poles put up in 'el ofpop
lar, are now as sound as ever. Ii
the states they would not have last
ed three years. The last great rush
over the above road was in '64-5
during the White Pine excitement