Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1879-02-27

Go West-but Not too Far"

Go W9St-but Not too Far"
So many OF our people have gone
TO the new sections Of the great un.
developed West and so many still
think of going that letters from such
men as Mr.. Oliver will be read with
interest by nearly ell readers. But
people should guard against being
led into removals they may after
wards regret. Those who came to
Grant County prior to 1850 thought
it as good a country as those now
locating in Nebraska and Kansas
think their new home is. After
trial, after there are no new things
to be broken into or found, the peo-
pie there will exhibit the same feel.
ings of discomfort they have here.
The many will become poor the
few will gather wealth.
Inquirers should make due allow.
ance for the bright coloring given
to pictures of the beautiful western
country. Our neighbors who go
there have no intention to deceive
but they have put behind them the
misfortunes endured here, and, IN
willing to look upon the possibilities
of new trials and failures, they see
only the beauties of the picture and
have no stories to tell but such as
they see. Their intentions are hon.
est and their declarations are honest.
They see only the beauties of the
country and they listen only to the
charming stories told of it. The
letter clipped from another paper by
Mr.. Oliver and sent US for republica-
ton serves az an illustration upon
that point. 1t seems to US that the
unprecedented reader. whose eyes are
open ready to detect cunning allure
ments, would see at once that that
letter was gotten up as an advertise
ment by land merchants and prob
ably paid for as such. We have not
space to go through the letter and
expose its devices step by step. But
what is its main argument? 1t is,
that Immigrants should stop in the
settled portions of Kansas, where
there are schools, churches, doctors,
lawyers, merchants, markets, and
"sooiety"-not go too far. Land
can be bought there at very low
prices" Those who go further can
get Government land for nothing,
but the writer tells US the farmer
who il 200 miles further on in the
frontier can only sell his wheat for
SO cents g bushel while the man who
has bouqht his lands (of those who
have lands for sale, of course,) can
get 70 cents for his. This is as much
as to say that it costs ont there 25
cents per bushel to carry wheat 200
miles on the railroads. Many of rs
are so ready to believe the big
stories of the Great West that We do
not stop to think whether this is
true or not. We shoald guess the
more probable truth to be that wheat
can be shipped to market from points
200 miles west at additional rates of
not more than one cent per bushel.
And then, according 10 friend Kuhn's
letter in this paper, the homestesder
would have no taxes TO pay, which
would save him more than the ad-
ditioual freight. Yet the writer
asserts that the near man will have
% to 40 per cent. over the other and
"sincerely wishes that ecery one who
moves 10 the West could have this
important Observation-Disclosures him."
There can be no doubt of the wish
of that writer. If they can get all
their near lands sold they can
then so farther west gobble them
up and have them ready for sale.
The letter is credited to the Western
Homestead. Of course the paper
ought to be called the Western r.
r. Land Advertiser. After being pub.
lished 10 that paper it was taken to
an office where one side of several
hundred "pstent" papers are printed
and put into those at perhaps 80
cents for each paper. 1t was from
one of these that our friend Oliver
clipped IL. As We have said before,
people 10 situations where they can
not live, should seeK change. Go
west or 60 where an improvement
in your condition is certain. But be
not beguiled by the smooth flowing
sentences of interested advertisers
or the mental condition of those
whose eyes are turned from misfor.
tunes here to the beauties only
of homes untried and countries
not made. Our age of hard times
here has passed out west they have
only passed the age of--grasshoppers.