The Portland daily press., 1883-12-24
KANKAKEE, Ill.

kAEKAKEE, Ill.
came here through region that has been
longer settled than some other parts Of the
State which have seen. There are here
many large, handsome farm houses with excel
lent barns and other farm buildings, all well
painted and in good condition. 1 suppose
these are samples of what will by and by be
seen through all the State, especially when
the great tracts of land now held by rich pro-
prietors, shall be divided and sub-divided
among their heirs and the heirs Of their heirs,
or when they shall 90 out of their families en-
tirely, process which is rapidly going on.
Here. as elsewhere, as a rule, boys, born to
large expectations and trained to idleness-or
rather allowed to run loose and wild with no
training whatever, with no occupation but
that Of indulging every inclination, very soon
come to the bottom of the strong box left to
their disposal, however large and deep it may
be. The fathers, engrossed by personal and
selfish aims, plan and toll and save, with no
time to spare fol- their children, and perhaps
with no capacity for controlling and directing
them-suddeuly pass away and leave all be-
hind to those who have never been taught the
value and proper use of wealth, and who have
no conception of any other employment fer 1t
than to crafty every whim and indulge every
propensity. And so the largest fortunes ac-
cumulated by whatever methods, by the IA
thers, are soon scattered to the winds by the
sons, who have no thought for the future, who
live only in and for the present, and who by
their habits waste their health as we'll as their
wealth, and do not live out half their days,
and leave no name behind. Many tales in this
direction are told of rich families here.
Everywhere go / see along the lines of rail-
way establishments for the manufacture Of tile
to be used for draining the land. Farmers
now understand that their crops may be
doubled in quantity and improved in quality
by the thorough draining of the SOIL As 1
travel through the country, see long lines of
bitches running through the farms with the tile
laid beside them ready TO be put in place, and
often see almost endless lines of them lying
upon the ground, ready for the bitches, not yet
made. Without draining, the crops here are
uncertain, and sometimes, as they are this
year, of inferior quality. Unreasonable rains
often retard the sowing and planting and often
delay the proper ripening Of the crop, as it has
happened this year. The draining of the land
will prevent very much Of this loss and dam
age. There Is no reason to doubt that by and
by the cultivation of the land here will be as
thorough and skillful as it Is in Holland,
where it yields large returus to the farmers.
Some of the free trade papers out West, are
glorious over the talk of Mr.. Beecher in favor
Of that policy at the Watterson meeting in
Brooklyn. DO not know whether his disci-
pleship will help very much in that direction.
After his many theological slides and slips
there can be no telling which way and where
he may not slip and slide by and by. Consid-
ering the uncertainty of hts opinions upon
many subjects and his antecedents, it would
be NO great wonder If his next plunge should
be into free - or any other liberal way of
thought and life But whatever he may do or
think or say, his position at home is assured, so
that the gospel faith and gospel life as thus
propounded is sure of a strong following.
The liquor traffic in Illinois is very strong,
especially the whiskey wing Of it. There are
larger distil,eries here, I am told, than in any
other part of the country, larger it is said than
elsewhere in the world. 1t results from this,
that the "liquor question" is very troublesome
to politicians, who hardly know which way to
turn between the disiillers and licences on the
one hand aud the "fanatcal" temperance
people on the other. The former will vote no
ticket that has not beer and whiskey in it, and
the temperance people will not vote one that
has, and SO the politicians are at their wits
end. There is ne balance and no scale by
which the probabilities can be accurately
weighed or measured so as TO relieve the dect
sion from all uncertainty. 1t is fortunate for
us in Maine that the hquor interest is very
weak, being confined entirely to a few respect
able people, who would manufacture and sell
LIQUOR If they dare, and to few people not so
respectable who sell liquor in spite Of the law
secretly aud on a small scale, and will continue
to do SO 'as long as it is profitable" as Hon. j.
II. Drummond said at Lake Marsuocook last
summer. It viii probably be made unrroft-
able in the near future. NEAL Dow.