The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1875-05-21
0verdOne California.

ONerdOne CALIFORNIA.
The st. Paul Pioneer Press of recent
date says: Many State papers have chron-
icled the return 10 their former homes Of
persons who were induced by the glow
ing accounts sent out by the railway COM
panies and real estate agents 10 emigrate
from Minnesota TO California. Every To-
cality possesses one or more of these vic
tins who have gone TO the Pacific coast,
and who. after acquiring the usual expe-
Renee of disappointment and blasted
hopes. have sadly returned to their old To-
calities 10 COMP ence life anew. Too
many. unhappily. are unable TO return at
all, while Others have halted by the way
in other States, where they are struggling
10 make up the losses incurred in the ILL
advised removal 10 the golden shores"
of the Pacific. But notwithstanding
these numerous examples of the misfor-
tunes which have befallen the victims of
the California fever. some p, ople still re-
fuse 10 learn by the experience of others,
and prefer TO try the experiment for them
selves.
Mr.. Justus Ramsey has just returned
from a several months visit 10 California,
and he corroborates the statement that
every thing j. grossly exaggerated about
that State; that all sorts OF business is
overdone; and that an immense number
of people all over the State are totally
without employment. A San Francisco
German newspaper. in an earnest cditori-
al. urgently appeals 10 the Germans To
stay away from there. as large mum bers OF
their countrymen are already in distress.
owing 10 the absence of re-
remunerative occupations. Mechan-
les by the thousand are out
of work. and having exhausted their re-
sources, are without the means of remov-
ing their families omore favored regions.
Mr.. Ramsey met with an estimable man.
formerly from Anoka. a skillful mechanic.
who was out of work. and had been for
many months. and who could not even
get an opportunity to labor for his board.
Farmers who have removed 10 Califor-
mia are even worse off than mechanics and
laborers. for the quantity of arabic land in
the State is out of all proportion TO the
area of the State. ana the best land is linn
tied 10 the valleys, and consequently its
price is fabulous and totally beyond the
reach of men in ordinary circumstances.
Land brings so to $50 an acre in locali-
Ties 2U0 miles from san Francisco. and
that, too. i'm regions where transporiOn
facilities and local markets are none OF the
best.
Much has been said about the wonder
ful capacity of California for the produce
ton of fruit. but this, like all the rest,
consists OF a modicum OF truth. upon
" hich is based an immense amount of
humbug. California oranges and lemons
are failure, even when produced as far
south as the Mexican boundary line, and
few of them are fiji for consumption.
Grapes. TO BE- sure. can be raised in some
of the valleys. in abundance. just as they
can be D.ofitably raised in Minnesota: but
the vintage business u only successful
when carried on by the largest dealers,
who. with an immense capital. are able to
raise the fruit and manufacture IL into
wine and brandy, or ship the same in large
quantities 10 the ccnters of consumption.
Another imposture Is the statement so
largely circulated. that several crops
year can be gathered. This is declared
to be humbug by those who have lived
there. and who are disposed 10 tell the
truth. Every body has heard about
strawberries i'm California all the year
round" but when on the IL h Of March
the newspapers announced that strawber-
ries had appeared IN the San Francisco
markets, Mr.. Ramsey went out 10 get
some, but they were not 10 be- had. III
subsequently appeared that about two
pounds of berries had been produced.
which was two or three weeks earlier than
was ever before known. and hence these
two pounds sold AZ the extrayagant figure
OF 81. 20 n pound. No more straw berries
then appeared until the 10th OF March.
when two more pounds came TO market.
so much for strawberries all the year
round, which is simply another illustra-
ton of the general catchpenny phrases
with which people have been deluded into
paying tribute to the Union Pacific Rail-
road Company.
Small farmers cannot flourish I'm Cali
forna. There is no place for them there.
for they are brought into direct competi-
ton with the men aud associations who
do every thing on so large "A scale that the
humble tillers of the soil are overshadow-
ed and crushed out.
Neither is the climate of California any
thing like what is claimed for IT, In jan
uary aud February Mr.. Ramsey saw every
body wearing about the same sort of win
ter clothing which is necessary In Mime
sofa. and though the mercury rarely
reached the freezing point. people Rugged
the fires and stoves just rs they do in the
colder attitudes.
The nor'westcrs which sweep down
over California. aud which are in motion
good portion of the time. sweeping be
fore them, as they do. the sand and dust
from the avid plains, are a detestable
feature of life on the Pacific coast as the
coolest weather of Minnesota.