The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1879-05-23
COUNTY AND CITY OFFICIAL PRESS


Everybody says the times are hard,
but We don't believe in this matter that
what everybody says is entirely true.
Money. Of course, is not % plentiful
NOR 20 easy to get ~ it was . few
years ago. but to answer the same pur-
pose We don't need 20 much Of it now
- We did then. To illustrate our
meaning more plsinly. We have only
10 ny that in the course Of twenty
years residence on Puget Sound We
have bought milk ct . dollar . gallon.
and batter ct dollar pound; -four. Of
anssin5srior quality, st ti6 per barrel;
eggs It six bits and . dollar . dozen;
calico 1t foar yards 10 the dollar; lum-
Der ct from 80 to 80 . thousand; beef
ss two bits pound, &c, 20. Now We
bay milk ss from 20 to 40 cents . GAL
lon the year round. butter at an aver
ego price Of 30 cents . pound. -four at
Is SO9t6 90 per barrel. eggs at 25 and
30 cents dozen. calico ct from 10 r.
32 yards for the dollar, and lumber
from % . thousand up. Then. though
. mans wages were from three to
six dollars day, it took . whole
days work TO get . calico dress
for his wife. Nov. with wages
ringing from two to four dollars
sdsy. biz ten hours work will buy
dressss TO last her . whole year. chang.
ing them every other month. And 20
- might partioularizs With the ether
articles named, and also with . thou
Sand others.
People in thoss days did not live -
they do BOW. They dwslt in log osbins.
or in frame houses without plaster.
cloth and paper or paint. They made
no prstsnse Of hiring help, for nsns
wAs 70 b hsd. They did not 60 on
excursions, or attend operas. Almost
their sole amusement WAS furnished By
tho very % eas,onsl show that came
along and the country dance. For
grand ball" the charge was ten dol
lars. In tbs way Of table Injuries
there was. what would be considered in
this day. absolutely nothing. The first
two years Of our residence in the Ter.
ritory We saw no kind of cultivated
fruit whatever except gooseberries and
seeding apples. and no other was
raised In the county. How diRsreut
now And how poor the individual
fesls who cannot afford to live in q
painted and plastercd house. who can.
not In season afford his strawberries
end cream, and who cannot occasionally
take . trip up or down the Sound!
SURE enough, the times are not what
they used to be. and may God Be praised
for It. There isn't ono Of Us who would
20 back 10 the old times II ws could
who would live in the same manner We
did score OF more ofyears ago. reosiv-
ing tho same wages. paying the same
prices. and suffering the sAms ineoa-
veniencss and discomforts We did then.
Growl ~ We may our condition l. very
much batter than il was then. With no
telegraph, no railroads, With semi
nouthly malls from CAlifornia and the
East with . single wrctchsd steamer
and two small schoonsrs navigating the
Sound. and with moro Indians than
whites in our towns. this was . wissr-
able region indeed. The people lived
here not froa choies. bat beosuse thsy
could not get away. Compared with
tunes past the present times ere in the
most essential respects the bsst We have
ever had.
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TINE ANCIENT oaoeR q UNITED WORK.