The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1888-04-26
why Can't We Keep Them Here,

recording the success OF our young
men who have emigrated to distant
fields. A number of times has the
SITTER chronicled such instances and
from only the limited Held of its i'm
mediate locality. And the direct OBJ
ject of this brief article is to make
mention of Lauren and George
Wood, sons of Roswell p. Wood of
Winhall. Both these boys are in CAL
ifornia. Lauren, the elder, is a con-
ductor on the Southern Pacific rail
road and has a pleasant run at S95 a
George, who only went out a
year and a half ago, commenced work
for the same railroad company at
Oakland, his business being the max
ing up of passenger trains. Last
June he went to Los Angeles, con-
nected with repair train, tagging
and switching; now he is baggage
master on the mail train from Santa
Anna to Los Angeles at salary of
SS5 q month.
In all such cases the question at the
head of this article comes up forcibly ::
Why cant we keep them here? Our
young men do not suddenly develop
upon emigrating. They carry all
their pluck, energy and business ca
pacity with them, and could have ex-
ereised them here had they been given
the opportunity. Then why can't we
keep them at home? Our state in
many respects is new. Immense ag-
ricultural and manufacturing POSSIBLE
tiles are wholly undeveloped, and if
the brains and muscle that yearly seek
other fields could only be kept at
home and set at work it would soon
blossom like the rose. Why, 0 why ?
And echo answers, why? Yet there
are reasons, and enough of them,
without doubt. One reason is that,
like the Jews, we are "peculiar peo-
pie" In almost every community if
there is a desirable position to be fill
ed or an opening to make money up
waddles, granting, some old fat SOW
that says she needs greasing, and the
people pick her right up, if she is
lop-eared, and besmear her all over
with the fat of the land, and turning
say to the young man, "git" and
if he has any brainshe does "git'
and the community hasleft the old
lop-eared fat SOW, and nothing else.
If it is a railroan position, the young
man certainly stands nokind of s
chance, for he is not supposed tc
have learned how to manipulate the
political wires-don't know how to
set 'em up for the bosses who ride on
free passes and receive orders from
the big boss.
When the matter of building the
narrow gauge railroad was being can
vassed the burden of the talk was that
it was absolutely necessary that some.
thing should be done to keep oul
young men at home, and that this
road would do the cure for the Yves
River valley. Under the impression
of the truth of such statements towns
were bonded and the road built; {
few fat sows have been creased but
the actual benefits to the people nigh
be put i'll ones eye without obscu
ring his vision, and as to our young
men the columns of the SITTER are
open to any one to record the number
of these this enterprise has retained
among us. Don't all speak at once
Don't let Londonderry, Jamaica
Townshend, Newfane, Dummerstor
and their contiguous towns sing GU
these names at once, that would b,
confusing. One at the time, gentle
men, and the SITTER offers you space
to tell how your young men have far
ed.
You ask, what is the remedy TO
this thing? There can be but onn an
swer in view of the fact that boss rul,
and selfish management by dominan
factions are responsible, and that il
for the people to resolutely take tn
matter in hand, sit down on all sucl
methods and bury the bosses and sell
scheemers so deep that it will tax
at least three toots of Gabriel's hor
to resurrect them.
But more serious cause of this OF
der of things, because harder to rem
edy and more extended in its influence
exists in the fact that every dollar i
Vermont that can be spared from &C
tual necessities is sent West either d
rectly or through her savings institu
lions and is not available for push
ing individual enterprises, and
avail themselves of this capital OF
brainy young men are compelled
take Greeley's advice. Statutory Ell
actments compelling our savings bank
to make all loans within the stat
and exempt the same from taxatio
might, in a measure, prove remedia
I.s,4 L..