The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1875-12-02


90 by for the present with this remark:
A Republican form of government is the
best for mankind, if mankind is worthy
of it, and that is the very problem we are
now solving with an outlook not very
promising for the affirmative.
A hundred years hence some subject
of King Ulysses w., looking over the
files of the Anti-Monopoist may light
upon the above sentence and say, that
old fellows head was level.
What am l dreaming about? Why, if
the monarchy comes Ulysses |. will have
all the files Of the Anti-Monopoist
burned by the public hangman-mon-
archy always has an official hangman,
and a good deal of hanging for him, too
and the ''pestiferous little dema-
gogue," who at present runs it, confined
in railroad box-car and exhibited
throughout the country as warning to
those who would dare to lay impious
hands on blessed monopoly.
How hard il is to get out of this po
litical rut, when one has got into it.
Well, here goes
l have been through large portion of
the State this fall, and found the farm
ers, Notwithstanding the harvest-storm,
in good humor with fair prospects before
them. All OF them who are now pros
porous have earned that prosperity by
years Of hard, honest labor, hardships
and privations. l make this remark for
the benefit of those who may be inclined
to publish immigration pamphlets. 1t is
cruel, it is sinful to allow any romance
into Ir
good State for man to come to, If he
comes TO settle upon land | believe it is
as good State as he can find. But he
must come here not expecting para
disc, nor that ''our winters are pleas
anter than our summers" people who
write so, form their judgment near to
coal stoves, carpets, storm doors and
buffalo robes. They know nothing of
scaaty clothing, open shanties, treeless
prairies, and the fierce, terrible, drifting
snow storm. These are the enemies
many of our settlers had contend
against, and bravely they have conf
quered them. To-day they have thes-
comfortable homes, their young grover
of trees growing up to protect them
from the summers heat and the winters
storm, their well filled granaries, and
plenty OF warm clothing. Those who
come now will not have to suffer what
our early settlers went through; never
theless, those who come with but small
capital will have to manfullv struggle
with privations and hardships for some
years before reaching comfortable indie
pendence.
In speaking of Minnesota as home
for poor men, anxious to win for them
selves honest independence, the twin
boon OF rugged health, it would be re-
miss not to speak in Just praise OF those
men of meaus and intelligence who have
turned their attention to tree planting on
our praires. They have not been sat
listed to say 10 the settler, you should
set out trees; but they are giving him
practical lessons in tree planting on the
farms they have opened, and along the
railroad lines under their control.
I have spoken OF treeless prairies; a
few more such enterprising citizens as
have ready turned their attention to
tree planting and the name will have no
| significance in this State after a short
| time.
The last time l was at Manka o, a
| town always 60 to with pleasure and
| leave with regret, though l cannot say
| with certainty that its citizens share in
my personal feelings met at the store
Of John f. Meagher. Mr.. Peter Dicf
one OF the leading Mennoni!es located al
Mountain Lake, on the Sioux City rail-
road. You may imagine that was glad
! 10 meet Peter when l was informed thai
| he was one OF those famous emigran,
| Menuonites we have heard so much
about. and that there was every con-
yenience for interviewing him, in the
| shape of an oblig,ny German who was
willing to act as interpreter.
| The Mennonite colony at Mountain
Lake, on the Sioux City railroad, has
| twelve square miles of territory, made
up of government land, railroad land,
and land bought from original settlers
Each family has about 100 acres, bu,
they are not as is generally supposed, all
capitalists; on the contrary the passage
of % families was paid from Russia; .
families more had just as much as land
ed them at the colony, and there are
about 40 families worth from s.. 900 to
| $50, 900. Those latter have assisted thei,
poorer countrymen by buying oxen toI
them. building their houses. and In every
other way assisting to make them com
| Portable
| did not ask Mr.. Dick anything about
| the peculiar teHets of his religion. bu,
this cattle-buying. and house. building
for ones poorer neighbors, seems to me
the very essence of christianity. An
honest. industrious. Woodworking peace
full people that practice this golden rule,
are indeed valuable citizens.
/ | hope the next time we have revival
in ST. Paul. when all the good people
will be assisting their neighbors with
prayers, that Peter Dick, the Mennonite
/ will be invited down, to tell how they
pray tor their neighbors up at Mountain
Lake.
| Mr.. Dick informed me that the Siou,
City railroad company has acted very
generously toward them in the way O
freight and passenger fare. charging bu
one-half the usual rates, this Including
material for building their houses. Blu
! he snok. IF others rho boJ ,,,,& .I.,