Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1881-07-21

bet!" and proceeded with confidence 10
draw a mug of tea" thought, rs
took it, there was a peculiar bede on it
land sure enough, was drinking St.
Louis lager beer! Out Of another part
of that same can, ] saw that smart boy
draw genuine cold tea for man who
said he was from Lawrence. Said the
boy to me, as the other man stepped
aside: "You bet don't sell a Kansas
man beer. They don't git this child"
AS we came on, found the Kansas
people on the train were all excited,
and the new Constitutional prohibition
was the universal theme of discussion.
Several of those expressing themselves
had favored its adoption, but now de-
nounced it. They said poor carpen-
ter had been arrested the day before
for buying "spirit"-level, because the
new Constitutional clause prohibited
any one from buying, selling, or giving
away alcohol or spirits without physi-
clans prescription; and as his spirit
level contained alcohol, he had to go to
Jail. / was much interested at the dis
cussion of the subject. Now that they
have sddled the experiment upon the
State, hope it will be fairly tried; but
shall not be surprised to see it speedily
overthrown. .
/ did not see the same marks of pro-
gress i'm Kansas as were visible few
years ago. 1 am glad. to say that no
Southeast Missourian can better his
condition by coming to Kansas, or to
any other point in the West. From
personal observations 1 can say that i
do not think there is any place on the
continent where the poor man can 30
readily get a home, where so good N
home can be had for so little money,
where honest effort is better rewarded
than in Southeast Missouri. AS good
farms can be bought there for $500 to
81 900, as can be had here for $4,000 to
$4,000. In fact, poor man cannot buy
land out here, fence it, di : bitches over
it, buy his water right, and get started.
Every chip that boils his tea-kettle has
to be bought. Every stake and every
rail that encloses even his chicken-yard,
has to be bought, and hauled great dis
tances. Every tree or shrub to make n
shade for his babies to play under, or
relieve the eye from the glare Of the
fierce and blazing sun, has to be plant
ed and tenderly watched for years to
secure success. In the mountains, of
course, this is not 80. But there, small
bits of Ian only can be found fit to
cultivate, and op it only few things
can be grown, owing to the great al
titude.
One has only to look through these
mountains aud see the vast sums of
money and untold labor spent i'm search
for gold and silver, and the countless
failures, to judge of the disappointed
hopes wOrn-out lives. and weary, suf-
tering and sickening disappointments
which these mountains have witness
ed. The ruins left by the disappointed
weary army of miners and prospectors
mark every hill and valley, every
mountain top and glen, as plainly as
the devastations of great battlefield.
And well may this be said,-for there
never was Drawer army marching to
battle, in all the grand pOmp aud cir
cumstances of war, than invaded these
mountains, and have thrown up ram
parts and battlements as imperishable
as those of the ancient mOund-builders
who have vanished forever. Nine hun
dred and ninety nine fail utterly in the
mines. One i'm a thousand succeeds M
well, perhaps, as he would or could by
earnest effort i'm Missouri. One i'm ten
thousand makes q moderate fortune
One in fifty thousand becomes mill
ionaire. Tens of thousands Of men
who had fair competerce, lost 1t all
in honest effort to find rich mine
Governor Tabor, who five years age
was a poor miner, IS now worth five oi
six millions. A friend of mine who
failed a few years ago, and left me
few thousand dollars poorer, is now
worth a million by lucky investment
Of few dollars by his wife in Lead
willie. Miners sell one day at five hun
dred dollars, and next week are worth
many hundred thousand. They sci
at million, and IN six months ar
worth practically nothing! A min'
which cost three Of US less than $500
a year aga, the party in charge of it as
sures me will be sold before Christina
for $4,000. a few years ago three O
us invested S2, 800 each in some Goa
prospects. 1t was sold afterwards 70
100000. The purchasers spent som
So. 900 i'm developing it, got out $40, 90
or $4,000 worth of coal, and found
was exhausted, and so utterly worth
, less. Such are the ups and downs {
mining life out here in the mountains
No man should invest more in mir
/, ;ny anfarnrisa than no can thorouphl