St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1882-05-05

but | think it safe to estimate their
number equal to all other kinds of bus
mess houses combined and this esti-
mate is not 50 large as the average
Western story The amount of mon
ey worse than wasted in liquor and to-
baccO is enormous, and something to
make every thoughtful person sad in
contemplation of its effects.
HERE AND THERE.
At Ration, New Mexico, our party
walked up under the lee of the noun
tain to get better view of the valley
and the mountain range beyond.
Close to the base of the mountain we
came upon solitary grave with a
wooden and nameless headbOard.
Nothing i'll particular was thought of
the matter; while one thought the
site beautiful one, another consider
ed it "a singular locality to start a
graveyard. On returning to the town
a resident friend volunteered to show
us the grave of IA man who was lynch
ed few days previous, and the tree
on which he was hung. We told him
we had already discovered the grave
and the tree was soon pointed out.
Going into the post Office in the same
town, one of the party heard loud
talking as though an auction store was
in full blast next door. On investiga-
ton it proved to be a gambling house
under full headway. In the first room
there were five men behind tables or
counters in different parts of the room,
while Oh the other side of the tables
were the men who were being fieeced,
as thick us they could sit or stand.
The currency used was silver dollars,
and there were as many different
games as there were operators some
had cards, some balls, and one had Il
large wheel. The men gambling were
of the lowest type of white man, Mex
leans, Spaniards, etc. The eager
cOuntenance, depressed or elated look
either as they lost or won, was ii study
and a lesson. In one corner of the
room stood the proprietor behind "A
bar, dealing out liquid fire to the thirs-
ty. This he does seven nights in the
week, getting off Sunday forenoon
long enough to lead the singing in the
only church the town sustains. | was
told that his place is thrOnged nightly
by poor men who there spend every
dollar they can raise-money which
they and their families need for the
necessaries of life Nevertheless the
owner has made $4,000 in two years.
| had intended to say something in
these letters on Horace Greeley's fam
Gus text, young man, go West" but
| have already exceeded reasonable
limits. My observations thus far, how
ever, have led me to certain conclu-
siOns, one of which is that the laborer
or mechanic without capital is better
off East than West. A man with capi =
tai, with good judgment and a steady
head, can get rich faster West than
East. But there are cOmpensations
and disadvantages in all sections, many
of which | have already limited ut in
these letters. Much of the talk and
blow about the West is made by the
railroad corporations that have pushed
their roads into the new country, tax
en- up all the available lands, and now
want to sell them out at an enormous
advance. They mislead the ignorant
and unwary. They give only one side
of the story, us thousands of poor, dis
cOuraged men and women all over
these plains will testify. | met a
Presbyterian minister at Pueblo who
has spent seven years in establishing
churches all over Colorado. He said
in these seven years he had travelled
10000 miles, going into nearly every
habitable part of the state. He is
young, bright, intelligent. In reply to
my questions he said Oh, it is Il God
fOrsaken, desolate land-treeless, with
out water, with no resources but the
mines and grazing. But the climate is
good, replied. The most changeable
climate in the world, said he One
may start out to ride and be too warm
without II outside garments IA cloud
comes up and Obscures the sun, and
in ten minutes with all the wraps he
can muster the driver will chatter with
the cold like a man with the ague.
No, the climate of Colorado is dry, but
not equable.
So much from a man who knows all
about Colorado. Do you wonder then
that | say let no man go West with
out taking money enough TO get back
East again if he wants to? And it
will take considerable money, too.
Railroad fares are ten cents a mile,
and the distances are immense. Milk
is fifteen cents a quart potatoes 81 81
a bushel corn meal about the same
price; house rent Sl5 a month fol-
three rooms board from six to ten
dollars week, and everything else in
proportion. When you hear a man ad-
vising everybody to go West, without
regard to race, color or previous con-
dition, you may set it down as a sure
| thing that he is in some way paid fol
his talk c. MS.
The wife of Senator Bingham used
to tell pleasant story of the time
when her husband was trying to get
votes in the Pennsylvania legislature
He gave dinner party to a number OF