Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1883-05-10
Letter From The West.
F.nao. Dr. NAV list,

FARGO, ID. T., Nav LIST.
Ed. NoRTHwEsT-"Time whereof the
memory OF man runneth not 10 the con-
trary," hath frontier territories been
-chsrscteri1ed by liars OF most prodigious
proportions. but for thoroughbred elon-
gators OF orthodox veracity, Dakota GER
tainly carries the banner; but unless q
man had q bunet-proof hide and cop
per.lined stomach, would not advise
him TO proclaim the above statement in
q loud voice from the house-tops, for as
consequence. he would either be made a
target for "bull dogs" or forced to take
dose OF Red River whisky, which is
terror to Lightning. .
The particular class of individuals re-
ferred to are known throughout the
northwest as boomers, term Of pure
ly western significance and which prop
erly defined means persons engaged IN
the art of enticing tepderfeet hither by
means OF copious advertising, robbing
them Of their ready lucre, and turning
them loose to the mercies Of the merci-
less Dakota Billiards. Is their advertis-
ing success? For answer, let US take
up our position at one of the railroad de-
pots and witness for one day what is
repetition of daily occurrences for the
past. six weeks, and rehersal of scenes
to be enacted daily for the next three
months. As nights black curtain is
lifted from the broad, fiat, treeless ex-
panse of country, we cast our eyes east
ward: and see them coming in elegant
palace sleeping coaches, in common day
coaches, in emigrant cars. in freight cars
and on top of freight cars; coming by
four-horse teams, with mule teams, with
OK teams; coming by hundreds and thou.
sands, all jubilant with expectation, with
glowing imaginations of Golfers of untold
wealth waiting their eager hands; but
alas for misplaced confidence, alas for
the victims to the cunning wiles of the
western boomer, who invariably holds
the high cards. and for the average ten
derfoot to ''see" him means an inglorious
"bust." Within six months after the
advent of this mighty tide of immigra-
tion into this country, two thirds Of them
will be glad to start with rickety wagon
and span of bony mules, for Goods
country" and consign this much adver-
boomers and all, to the realms of eternal
woe. Three small words, viz: land,
wind. liars, express the sum and sub
stance of this country. or the land,
there is full 100 rods to an acre, per-
haps more; of its producing qualities l
shall probably give you some idea at some
future time. but will say here that as a
wheat producing country it is not what
it is Cracked up to be-" and the i'm
mense yields Of No. hard wheat, are
exclusively the products OF the fertile
brains of the boomers. f,al.,. ,....s-..
The only real successful crop is Swede
and Norwegian children, of which the
producers are abundant and the yield
immense. The average yield of wheat
per acre for the past fivea years has been
but 12 bushels. This is not the guessed
at conclusion of "a disguested tend derfoot,
but the result Of actual inquiry. on The
winds,
"But how shall describe @
What nought resembles my eye hath SEEM
this much is cerrain--it causes chill of
of grim terror to creep up my spinal col
umn to think of fiae raging, bowling
blizzards that swept over the prairie dur
ing the winter just past, or rather just
passing. for it has not been twelve hours
since the air was full of snow fakes.
Of the liars-well. the undescribed, in
describable billiards. are the gentlest of
zephyrs when compared to them.
The conspicuous absence Of fuel these
boomers never mention, but for the ben
eft of any who may be contemplating
moving to the "land of promise"(9 will
state that wood costs from So to $12 per
cord, and coal 80 to $1s per ton, which,
in consideration of the fact that red
hot stove is necessary requisite to in.
door comfort for about nine months out
of every twelve, will eat discouraging
hole into the twelve bushels per acre of
mo, hard.' While there are men who
accumulate fortunes in Dakota, and do
it comparatively honest, their name is
not "legion," and their wealth is not
made by tilling the soil.
Having already usurped considerable
of your space will conclude by saying
that laboring man has no business here
on account of the great length and ex-
treme severity of the winters, and that a
man with family is far better off in the
quiet possession of forty acres of Henry
county soil than with whole township
of the God forsaken, ice-bound, blizzard
cursed, one-cropped north Dakota prairie.
Yours truly, n
s Y. A. H.