The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1890-09-25

dances, P'etc., and it was not un-
common for one hundred or more
young people to come together from
different parts of the town. These
gathetints afforded the highest pleasure
to old and young. Four-horse teams
ran regularly from the town to Boston,
always loaded with cheese, butter, pork,
etc., and returned with goods for the
storesj but, alas, how is the gold
changed, and the fine gold becomes dim
The Western fever set in about 1887, and
one by ono caught it, and in the next
twelve years desOlation began to take the
placeof thrift and plenty.
~ left to return to my native town, in
1S47, and even up to 1855 or go there
was not such marked change as has
taken place since. s
'"Thefe has evidently been steady
decline In tho town up to within three
or four years. In fact, the fever burned
itself out and to-day there is but
remnant left; yet the soil is there, and
with proper care much of it can be made
to produce as of old, and with the same
industry practised as in olden times,
the wilderness can be made to blossom
and the desert become fruitful field.
''The town now seems to remain about
stationary as TO number Of inhabitants,
yet believe there is growing impress
sion all over the State that the lowest
point has been reached, and more con-
fidence is felt and expressed in Vermont
farming. think it is evident that our
young men begin to realize that man
with small capital can do better and
be more comfortable in Vermont than
West. b. ,.......
~ take great interest in the plans to
re-people the forsaken farms which are
scattered all over our State.
d .f. Yours truly, ..'
EDWARD Crosby"
The General Government offered pub
lie lands to settlers at nominal price,
and new States held out extraordinary
inducements Many of our best citizens
and most successful farmers thought it
for their interest to avail themselves of
the offers made. The movement West
increased in volume, through the two
decades Immediately preceding 1860,
and afterwards until it seemed as
though portions of our State would be-
come depopulated.
The stage routes determined to a
great extent the location of the early
settlers, and tho introduction of rail-
roads tended TO attract the people
from the hill to the valley and to the
railroad centers.
EFFECTS OF THE WAR OF THE RE-
| -n. .rr BELLION. 20 .Hr ..a...
Another factor pertaining to this sub
ject made itself felt and was impOr-
tant in its results. The War of the Re-
bellion called from the State to the
Union army over $4,000 men-young,
vigorous men. Thousands died on the
field of battle; thousands were grievous-
ly wounded; while other thousands,
with little money saved, did not return
to the homes OF their fathers, but
drifted to the village and city, or to the
far West, to take advantage of the act of
Congress, making the period served in
the army count upon the time required
to secure q quartersection for home
stead. Their fathers, with no children
at home t lean upon in old age, followed
their sons to the West or passed to
places. Not One-half of those who
entered the army from Vermont ever re-
turned as permanent residents.
Assuming that but for the War of the
Rebellion a large portion of these young
llltu NOuuu nave llNcu anu Icdf6u ldlll-
lilies in the State,. the natural result
would have been that Vermont would
have at least population of 10000
more than it now contains, and many
less unoccupied farms.
There is no better illustration of the
difference between to-day and ante
bellim times than our empty school
houses or their vacant sites. In %
towns 10l school houses are standing
without teacher or pupil, or have gone
to decay. fE.tt
LANDS UNSUITABLE FOR CULTIVATION.
1t is an unquestionable fact that por-
tions of the abandoned lands are rocky,
badly located, and in some instances
worn out This statement applies, in
a few cases to nearly whole townships.
To illustrate: There is town in Wind.
ham county, made historic as being the
town on the summit of the Green Noun
tains, where Webster, in the LOG
i Cabin" campaign of 1910, delivered an
Il oratiOn before an assemblage of men
and women, 'gathered from the Hudson
even to the Connecticut. The meadow
where he stood, with the orchard neal
at hand, are now grown up to trees,
some Of them evidently more than forty
years Of age. The house he occupied is
IgOne. The "log cabin,n drawn by forty
yoke of oxen, and subsequently, set upon
a foundation and occupied and preserved
for years as memento of one of Ver.
mOnts most noted days, long since went
to decay, and its site ID matter of dis
, pute. OF small village near by,
scarcely q yestigc remains. The old stone
fences, once enclosing cultivated fields
now lead through growing forests. More
than one-half of the town cap be pur.
chased for much less than 81 per acre
and portions are worthless except as
timber makes them OF soIpQ value
Notwithstanding the price at which they
can be bought, it is more than they arr
tworth for farming purposes. Not one
tenth of the lands in this town present
any inducement to Scandinavian ol
American for settlement. They SHOULD
be left for the "woOdman's Sxe," II
furnishings for the mill. 1t is a wonder
that any great portion of the lands il
this town were ever occupied for farm
ing purposes. There are other town.
resembling this to a greater or Less
degree, but none have come to thu
Commissioners notice which wOult
, Justify statement quite as unfaVorablt
to their resettlement.se 4. 'a
The fact that our lands have been left
uncultivated, and our population, during
some decades, has decreased, Is mo-
entirely without its bright side; and W,
!, do not alone suffer from the causes men
toned, as our sister States have e3pe
!, rienced the same decline in population
and farming interests. ar -
Even in the Central Western State
! the movement has been still westward
: Nebraska was settled largely by peOpl,
Z from Iowa and contiguous states. Inth'
West others were ready to purchase th,
lands OF those desiring TO move, but witt
us no tide of immigration filled ou
vacant places. tfl
vERMoNTERs IN OTHER STATES.
Q Representatives from Vermont are il
: every State. There is hardly large cit,
0 (which has not its organization Of th
g "SOns of Vermont" A native Vermonte
. is seldom found in Western town whl
Z lis not an active, valuable citizen. TIL
n energy born OF mountains and hill
!, bring success to farmer, business an,
i professional man, or politician. His low
of justice and regard for law, his energ,
G and diligence make him leader anon
S men. Tine highest places of honor ant
( trust are filled by him in State an,
J, nation.
|, In proportion TO population, statistic
= show more membersof Congress born il
Q Vermont than in any other Stale. 1t
i this same spirit of enterprise and unrest
of which we sometimes complain, tina
s brought the early settlers from beyon
y the seas, and has filled our "A State
y with prosperous people.
v DAIRY AND OTHER INDUSTRIES.
MI 1t is a fact that a large portion @
{ the lands now unoccupied, but once GU
0 tivated, can again be made fruitful. o
! nm nAIMTO