The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1891-01-29
PORTLAND, JAS. &c.

vino WAS not In public life. We fell to
talking of business conditions and the
like, and l asked: "What Is your judy
ment as TO the relative merits Of East aud
West for general employment. and max
ing living2'
Il have looked over the West some,
said he; II have closely canysssed the
condition of people In both sections. Inc
West has some adyan' ages which the East
has not but II q man without means or a
few hundred dollars should ask my ad-
vice. would tell him TO stay in Maine.
'Do you mean stay In Maine 10 farm
| asked.
yes, to farm" was the reply; land
will tell you why. The Maize farmer
can cultivate but u few acres; he has a
rough time with the rocks he can't ride
and plough he can't hoe corn in Il buggy;
be can't leap and bind with six mule
team he Can have acres on acres of corn.
But on the few acres he ha-, he can raise
hay that VIII bring cash, potatoes that
ale money sweet corn the best in TIE
woili, aud If he attended to 1t he could
raise chickens and scores of things that
would pay. He can make the Test butter
il he can't raise droves Of cattle. He is
near the best marke. in the world. He
can raise the best apples ever heard Of,
make maple syrup and all that. Then i'll
seasons when he can't farm, he can find d
| job of work at something else because
there are SO many employments. But in
the new states of the West there Is little
else but farming. But one general em-
ployment, wages are low, because thele
is no varied demand for libor."
"AIe no. the farmers of the West bet
ter OF In the West than in the Essl!'
| by no means as matter OF fact, un-
less the people of Maine have changed
in ten years, no people in the world from
top to bottom are more comfortable. Ev-
en- 10 Illinois, l doubt If the farmers, on
an average are rs comfortable as in Maine
where they attend to their business as
men attend to other vocations. DO you
hear Maine farmers calling for food and
clothing every winter to save them from
starvation? If you have have not; but
no year passes that the cry does not come
up from Western Kan5a-, Nebraska and
some portions OF Dakota, seud US food
and fuel or we famish. The western hsk
of Kansas cant be depended on for q
corn crop oftener than once 10 three
years and some of In cannot be depended
ON a. all. 1t is a beautiful country in ap-
learance and New Eng lander would cali
| it Paradise because there. is no tree OF rock
miles of it. In the early season 1t Is an
expansh of verdure. Corn will grow as
corn grows nowhere else until sometime
about July 4th, when the drouth kills all
There is no rain there. Oil Thomas Ben
ton called it the American desert and he
was right 1t is country for cattle rang
es and nothing else and will not be until
some system of artificial irrigation is dis
covered. 1t is fact, yes, a fact that
whole counties that were settled during
the boom of 1886 and 1887 have been
abandoned.
What was it you said about the for
closure Of mortgages? The men who took
up lots Of these lands mortgaged them
for more than they they were worth. In
those years agents representing eastern
loan associations did for the privilege of
giving the greatest amount of money on
mortgages on such lands, and the result
is that men who got l60 acres OF land, for
little or nothing or purchased it at Slips
an acre, mortgaged ii in the course of a
| few wears for S. and acre which was a
good sale. Good farm mortgages are
| good investments and there are lots of
such but those made during the craze of
1856 and 1887 are not"
| what about the mortgages and in
vestments in cities in the New West?"
"Well," said he, as a meaning smile
lighted up his face, II think l could
write you dozen names of Maine people
who could tell you al about this from
practical experience II they would. In
| 1886 and 1887, goodly number Of Maine
people with few thousand dollars rush
| cd out to Kansas City to speculate In
boom" city property. There was mil
lion In 1t. People went crazy. All the
country about Kansas City was turLed in
to city lots tine sand plains OF Wichita
became, In the Imagination of these peo
pie, one vast city. Farms near other
cities sold for fabulous prices. Yes, they
invested, but have you heard of any of
them who got their money out? Kansas
City is something of town but 1t is a
grave yard of the savings of New Eng
land people. II these people who have
been bitten would talk, they would tell
story that would read like a revised his
tory of Eutopia. II the money that has
been hope fessly lost by Maine people in
those speculations had been invested in
industries In Maine, the old State would
be hundreds of thousands OF dollars bet
prosperous industries by the dozen. re-
member that Joe Nancy raised his voice
against the policy of taking Maine ca itol
west In 1856 or 1887 and got himself de-
nounced by men in the swim, but the
brainy Manley was right; and II Maine
people had needed his warning, some of
them would have assets instead Of liabli-
ties. Now 1t Is amusing to think of 1t.
Napoleon Of Finance took thousands
on thousands of dollars from Maine,
Massachusetts and Vermont to put into
an Investment Co. In six months, back
came dividends of 10 per cent. 1t made
them crazy and they put in every dollar
they could scrape. The first dividends
were paid out of their own money and
the second out Of the money OF the next
victims, but who are getting dividends
now? l fear that the worst is not over
Some OF the best men | know in Maine
have been drawn into deals and schemes,
honest and hrst-class men. l wish they
were safely out"
The one trouble with Western agri
culture" said my friend sis that it has
been over done. We went crazy about
raising the bread of the world
From 1875 to 1887, the production of
whest, corn, cattle and hogs WAS incteas-
ed three times as much as population.
Other nations went into the same bust
ness. Result: over production and low
prices"
but" said I, ~ have read that there
Is no such thing as over productionf
"Yes". he replied, "a good many bright
young men who have been the victims OF
the fine theories OF alleged political eco
nomists have had such absurdities rattling
k,rt tkn
man knows that when he has the money
to buy all the bread he can eat, he can't
make use Of more than s l.2 bushels of
wheat in a year; II the country raises .
bushels per capita. is not l2 bushels
over prodl ctiou2"
Then you would not advise the young
man 10 Maine to 90 West and grow up
with the country" said.
| "Wtll, II he means to work there are
chances In the West, but would say that
II he used his brains, he could make as
good . living In New England. That's my
judg ment and l have looked the matter
over 10 both sections. Be sides about all
the good lands are taken up-a fact that
all should resi- re. As for wsges-all sorts
of wages ale higher In New England than
IN the West, because there are mole kinds
Of employment"
l am able to give but small portion Of
the hours talk had With my friend, but
~ 1t WAS given in earnest and Is 1t seem.
ed 70 me Of value, went away and put
1t on paper for the REroRTKR.
MAINE.
DANA's sARsAPARILLA CURES.
Prophet John +. kNlckerson announces
| In the PItts6tld Advertiser that he has