The star. (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1874-1875, 1875-05-06
EARNING SCANDALIZED.

We are well acquainted with the farm
ers and familiar with their resources,
business habits, and method of making
sboth ends meet" We know exactly
the course that was pursued by the first
settlers i'll the gigantic forests of Ohio,
and we are not at all ignorant Of their
life on the broad prairies of Illinois,
Wisconsin, and the far West.
The first settlers in the heavy forests
of Ohio lived on what they could produce
The first years they livet chiefly on corn
and pork, and such as were hunters
caught plenty of game.
1t was several years before much
wheat was produced. Those who set
tied within reach of the Ohio made their
chief market in the South by flat-boat
transportation, and with very small net
returns-barely enough to pay taxes,
buy such clothing as they did not pro.
duce at home, and the very few gro.
ceries they could afford. The settlers
in the interior, north of Columbus
hauled their produce from 20 to 100
miles to the lake, in immense Pennsyl
yania wagons, in which they lodged
They took along provisions for man and
beast, because the profits did not per.
init even the nominal tavern fare of that
period-l2H cents per meal and. 6 cents
for lodging.
These wagons were drawn by from
four to eight horses. Those who settled
within easy reach Of the lake ports did
not get any definite price for anything
until after the opening of the Erie canal
and for many years after prices were
less than half the present rates, and
only half cash was paid by the dealers
the balance being "store. pay" Good
hands from the East who averaged /;
hours per day the year round were hired
at $40 per month with board, half cash
and half store pay. Throughout the
Western Reserve the Connecticut specu
1ators sold their lands to the actual set.
tiers at the enormous swindle of s. per
acre-land which they should have had
in 100-acre farms for nothing.
This was the only debt that any Of
them incurred, and they suffered many
years OF bondage to the speculator be-
fore they could make the last payment
or course there were some thriftless set.
tiers who failed. There has always been
class of 'ssquatters" who did not.abide
long in the same locality. Those who
succeeded in paying for their farms had
mo difficulty in living clear of debt, and
the most of them increased their prop.
erty in the course of thirty years. A few
became rich-that is, worth from $40 COZ
to $4,000.
Consider what these settlers had to
do. Go into a forest Of gigantic oaks
poplars, walnuts, beach and maple, and
consider the amount of hard work n ec
essary to clear a single acre. 1t was
about months work for a man who
could swing the ak ten hours per day
and perform lighter work the balance o.
the time.
Opening farm was one of the hercu
lean labors for which very few are now
competent And yet, with their FARMS
paid for, they had no occasion to go into
debt. No prudent, honest man would &C
into debt beyond limited store bills
which were promptly paid in produce.
On the prairies it has been different.
With the land all ready for the plow, toe
many settlers have been infamed with Q
passion for getting rapidly rich. A quar-
ter section farm has been despised BY
all except the wiser ones, who believed
In being independent Of the money lend