Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1881-02-23
westward-who! whyl wherel Howl

gland. He wrote recently for u local
county paper an article on Dakota, and
the many letters received from people who
seem To be contempt 1ting trip if not a
removal west, mas suggested to him the
advistblltv of writinga word Of caution
enter upon venture which they would
altcrward regret.
Many 90 west and succeed, securing
goo homes or developing Il lucrative bus
mess. while others fail, and finally return
east, sadder, poorer, but much wiser. This
arise, partly from the unaltertble fact of
human character, that everywhere some
men succeed while others fail. This al
ways has been true and doubtless always
will be. As II rule, those people will fail
who, in their own estimation, know SO
much that it is of little use to attempt to
tell them anything.
While it is tue that it would be very
foolish thing for some men to leave old
and fond associations, and an already
secured success in New England, it is just
as ue that large class of our young
IN IN olght not to allow the magnificent
financial returns from the development of
the west to be secured so largely by for
egners. This is being done not only by
the foreign emigrants that are crowding
our ocean steamers, but also by foreign
capital.
Three classes of men, reasoning always
on the suppostion that they are men of, at
least, medium ability, ought to go west.
First, young men who have yet to attain
their success. To this class we would also
add those middle aged men, who, from
unavoidable causes, have, in the last six
or eight years, seen their estates shrink
from living competency to II narrow
margin of from five hundred to II thousand
dollars. With this, on the government
lands of the west, they can make IA fair
start, ard with good luck in II few years
have good homes. A middle aged man
with a family, who has less than five hum
dred dollars, had better contfHttdlV accept
the inevitable, and remain where he Is;
where, with Industry and economy, he can
make "A livelihood. The exception to this
is the man possessed of an abundance OF
vim, who can arrange to leave his family
for year or Two and pioneer alone. If
he can do this two or three hundred dbl
lars, above the support Of his family, will
with plenty of "sand" in his make vi,
give him success.
Second, young or middle aged men who
have capital and taste for farming, who,
by buying the cheap railroad lands can
open large farms, and, by the use of mod
ern machinery, raise grain, the profits of
which are very large, us many men have
already demonstrated With sufficient cap
ilal stock raising is also made 10 pay
large dividends.
The third class are the men who prefer
to loan their money rather than to take
the care of its Investment in business.
& The west can atfprd to pay and actually
does pay Il rate Of interest from three to
five per cent larger than the east, and an
equal if not better security.
In answering the question WhoP' we
have also answered the WhyP"
There remains the Wherep" and the
How?" There are very many different
opinions on he former of the two ques-
] tions; and in answering in favor of Dako-
ia we do not do so with an ignorance OF
other localities.
Kansas, Nebraka and the far west have
/ advantages. The writer went west preiu-
diced in favor Of Kansas; but visiting the
two states, K lns;ts and Nebraska. and
admitting that they offer much to the emf
grant he located in central Dakota, on the
famous Dakota or James river valley.
One of the first arguments in favor of
Dakota is its unequaled heathfulness of
climate. Its soil is unsurpassed in fertility
and much less of its territory has been
granted to railroad corporations. The
whole of this wonderful valley is open to
Il government settlers. and instead of being
B located far apart. as in the railroad tracts
where speculttors hold the land, they set.
+ tie close together, and school districts be-
& come in few months as thickly settled as
the rural districts of New England.
81 the writer also thinks from observation
that the lands of Dakota are less liable to
s drouth than the lands of Kansas and Neb
raska that now remain subject to entry.
AG IN bp tAn npratnra IF ba t,rr;tn,,,,
it is certainly saubrious in summer,
thou IA the winters may be severer than
some think desirable received weather
report as Indicated by the thermometer
every morning and evening during the
q month OF December, 1880, and the mean
morning temperature was less than one
half degree below zero, while the mean
evening temperature was four degrees
above. Considering thai his has been an
exceptionally severe winter west as well
as east, the objection against Dakota on
account OF the severity of the winter is
not very forcible to New Engianders, who
are used to i've or six months of that ar.
ticle.
The spring is much earlier, the spring
wheat being sowed largely in March.
Tue writer was in Dakota November
last, and more beautiful fall weather he
has never seen than hey experienced
there The ground WAS not closed until
o lout the first of December.
How!" Some men of lmi ted means
make the mist Ike OF endeavoring to look
the west all over before they settle-a task
that will require all summer and n small
81 fortune. 1t is better to correspond arge civ
and if possible deci e on the part of the
s country you will settle in, if it suits yor.
and then 90 direct for that section. lf%
# come up, or nearly up, to your precon.
# ceived idea, it is safe to settle Never t.ke