Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1876-11-25
Some of the Hardships of the East.

Some of the Hardships of the East.
The reporter of the Seattle 1ntelli-
gencer has interviewed party of i'm
igrants recently from Minnesota who
propose to make our Territory their
future home. One of these an Eng
lishman, settled with his family in
that State on a farm, but annoyances
similar to the "plagues of Egypt
absolutely drove him west. He gave
some rather interesting fact concern
ing the deplorable condition of affairs
in that State from an agiculturaE
point of view. He spoke of the;
severe, cold Winters, which render the.
country desolate and life almost o.
burden for several months in the
year. These were formerly the great
est obstacle to the pioneer, who looked
forward to the cold Winter with heart,
forebodings and distress. 1t often
found him i'll prepared to contend:
with the cold dreary months. But
now the huffetings of a semi-arctic
Winter dwindle into insignifcance
compared to the great western plague
the devastation of the grasshoppers
which lay whole districts desolate,
blast the hopes of the husbandman
destroy the fruits of whole years
toll in a single day, and leave the fell
wolf of hunger bowling at the very
door of the frugal farmer. He says
the coming Winter will pinch many
of the impoverished farmers, and
leave them in the most dernier want.
Together with the devastation of the
grasshoppers in many parts of the
State most severe drought has pre-
vailed this season, and many sections,
spared by the grasshoppers will pro-
duce but little more than enough to
pay for the seed sown. He instanced
one farmer of his acquaintance, who
raised from sixty acres, sown last
spring, only $50 bushels of wheat,
and this he said was little better
than the average yield in that locality.
Wheat when he left, was selling for
only 81 cents per bushel. In one of
the districts visited by grasshoppers
last summer, he counted 200 on one
corn stalk, and counted in some spots
200 eggs deposited by them to the
square inch. In corn-felds they cut
the stalks down to within q foot of
TIE ground. The heavy timber is no
obstruction to their course. They
have crossed some of the heaviest
timbered districts in the State, and
devasted farms that had been hewn
out in the wilderness. The lumber
business he says. is also suffering
general drawback from the hard
times. There are hundreds out of en-
ployment, and these who are employ
ed are working for about one-half Of
what they formerly received. A few
years ago choppers received from $50
to $50 per month, while now they can
only GET 325 or $50. and work is scarce
at that. The times there at present
are ominous of no change, and many
are becoming discouraged and lsav-
ing the State.
% The person was Raw Phillips, now in
the employ Of Messrs. Lagley & Murphy,
on tho Olympian.-Echo.
There are two deliberate falshoods
in the above three-line paragraph
The publisher of this paper is not,
and has not had any connection with
the Olympian, peeuniarly or other
wise, since the first of September,
nor has he written line for it, or
dictated a single paragraph, since
that date. Mr.. Phillips is not in bis
employ, nor has he been for several
weeks past. What is to be thought
of man who can deliberately pen
such q contemplate falshood. and still
profess to belong beneath the drip
pings of the sanctuary. The church
is injured more by such hyprocrites
than it is by all thu shafts Of inhdel-
ity.
Sc The publisher of the Stella
COON Express advertises his paper for
sale. The Port Townsend Argus is
likewise on the boards, and we doubt
not there are other publishers who
would willingly accept fair equiv
alent in cash for the "honors" and
dead-head tickets incident to the bus
mess.
E The biennial report on the
progress of Oregon gives the white
population of that State in 1876 as
about los, 900, against 81 900 in 1870,
but, though the growth of population
is slow, q prodigious amount Of
| wealth ia produced. Nearly &C. 600