The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1890-05-29
LIFE IN THE WEST.
what a Portland Man Has 60 Say
About tt-When He Went West It

I
About it-When He Went West It
Was the Mistake of HIS Life.
EWELLINGToN, Ohio, April 18th, $780,
A few weeks ago, l saw an article in
your paper asking for letters from those
in the West, or had been here. In re-
sponse, will say:
left the State of Maine u years ago,
and l have been sorry ever since. l am
not great scholar; what little know
learned in a little old school house in
SearsmOnt; and many a load of casks
have sold in your city.
When | had been here a year, l mar
ried and built me little home, and have
been at work early and late, through
storm and shine, to pay for my house
and provide for my little ones. And l
want to say that when man comes out
here single-handed and short in pocket,
and expects to get rich, he takes on a
load that will make him round should
cred. If had stayed in New England
and worked as hard as | have here, L
could have had So where now have 81,
and enjoyed life a great deal better.
Mechanics can be hired for S1.j0per day;
laborers, S1.15 to S1.25; men who hire
out on farms get Sl2 to SIS per month,
and work from day light till dark, living
on pork and potatoes and such produce
as will not sell.
am in one of the smartest and richest
towns in the state, and the centre of the
cheese-making district Cheese here is
what lime is to Rockland. There are
rich farmers here, and | will tell you
how they got rich. They came here 30
or 40 years ago, and bought large tracts
of land at so or S12 an acre, built log
houses, cleared the land, and lived ON
''hog and hominy," and waited till the
price of land made them rich. Some
now leave the farm to the boys and
move to town, but get their living off the
farm, for it takes money to buy their
produce in town. And when we want
new school house, they will grOan and
kick. They never had such things, and
they don't want to be taxed to death for
the benefit of others.
Now l will tell you of another kind of
farmer. He is young man who comes
here from the East, full of muscle and
grit, but short in pocket. He sees
farm he likes, but it will cost him from
$50 to S75 an acre, s per cent. and first
mortgage; that lays him out. "0h well,
the owner says, "tell you what I'll do
I'll let you this farm for SO per acre, and
you can soon pay for it" Well, he goes
to work. The house is old and out of
repair, little or nothing in the way of
conveniences for the 'tother half; there
is no pantry, and large cupboard is
luxury, and a good sink not to be
thought of. ''We never have such
things" Corn will be light, wheat thin,
and after the owner has got his 50 per
acre the farmer begins to wonder where
his returns are coming from. The
owner will tell him he made some mis-
takes, and had to buy tools, but that
next year he will do better. So he tries
it again, and still he finds himself ON the
wrong side, and the result is an auction
sale, and all goes, and he tries it again.
The facts are, that farm had been crop
ped to death before he took it.
Every year the towns are filled with
sale bills, and men will be going some
where else in hopes to better themselves.
But the days of getting rich out here are
past, and Horace Greeley's go West
young man." is no guide to 60 by The
young man who leaves the East and
comes out here in hopes to better him
self, makes the mistake of his life.
Good practical farmers here say that
their farms have not paid expenses, and
the only time farm produce rises to a
good price is when the mud is so deep
that teaming is out of the question.
have, within a week, seen two horses
dragging a light buggy with all four of
the hubs in the mud; and could go five
miles on foot quicker than that team
could.
The land here is low and flat, with not
hill in sight, and our scenery is
tree tops and clouds. The climate is
not as good as that of Maine; it is cold
and damp.
Foreign immigration and pauper labor
is crOwding the native out, and many are
going back to New England, and buying
the deserted farms, which is the most
sensible thing they ever did. They have
learned from bitter experience that pros
porous farming is thing of the past
here. | want to say, if man can sue
ceed here, he can in New England and
if he is a failure there. he will only add
to his misery by coming here. If man
is making living there, and laying by
few dollars for rainy day, the best
thing he can do is to lay by the cost of
going West and keep to work. And
when he is 80 years old, he will thank
his stars that he cured his western fever.
Everything here is done with a rush,
and the weakest man goes under. l am
staying here under protest, and if / was
able would be back in New England as
soon as could get there.
Dear old New England! l love the
stones used to stub my toes on when l
went to school, and would plead with
the boys land girls, too), like a preacher
at Northport camp-meeting, to stay
right where you are; put your shoulder
to the wheel and help build up your ma
tive state, one of the best sections the
sun ever shOne on.
Society here is graded, and if a man
has money he is all right; but a work
ingman is only looked after by three par
ties-the landlord. the tax collector and
the political ''cuss" who is running for
office We have poverty and suffering
here, and our poor houses are not empty.
Now have written all you will care to
get from me; but l will give you the ex-
perience of two Portland boys: They
came here in October-smart, educated
boys, able to work their way almost any
where-and bought a drug store and
started in. After two years they went
back to Portland and married, and came
here and settled down to business. In
about two years more, they began to see
breakers ahead, and sold out: and when
they left here about all they took bacK
that they did not bring here was their
babies and experience. l will tell you
where they are now. Mr.. E. S. Everett
is one of the firm of Cook, Everett &
Pennell in Portland, and is making
money and enjoying life. His partner,
H. G. Starr, is running drug store at
Cumberland Mills, six miles out of Port
land, and doing well. think he was
more glad to get back to Portland than
he ever was to get away from it.
If this will be of any good, use it,and
would like copy of the paper. This is
not scholarly letter, but it is ''cold
facts as know from observation and
experience.-S. f. Black in ROckldnd