The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1892-01-29
VERMONT Il GOOD ENOUGH.

One OF the State papers Furnishes
letter from Vermonter, in which
prominent New Hampshire man is cred
tied with saying: Men are foolish to
spend their last dollar on a worthless
farm in Dakota and then be obliged to
walk East again as many do, when they
can come here to old Vermont and for
mere song buy good and productive
farm"
The application of this will be readily
diScernble by VermOnters who have seen
many OF their neighborS influenced by
the tlattering inducements of sudden and
enormous wealth, offered by Western
"boomers," to find, by sad experience,
that they were, i'll most cases, without
foundation.
1t is true that, at one time, large for
tunes were made by such as riskcd much
on the possibilities of the then New
West, but this was in the line of specula
ton, merely. AS soon as the first rush
and excitement was over, with the es-
Enlistment, development and steadying
of business enterprises which naturally
followed, came the lessening of the
chances for new investments and unusu-
al margins.
Men who were first on the scene at the
opening of the country, accumulated the
greater part of the available lands and
took advantage of every present posi-
bility for profit Then, when the news
of their wonderful successes reached the
East and the great tide of emigration to
that realm of golden prospects set in,
they, having most in their possession,
were enabled to confront the new arriv-
l.. 81, Il
prices for lands and merchandise, or TAX
ing their chances on the possibilities
which might be left. In most cases,
their limited funds would not permit of
successful competition with the longer
established and richer settlers who were
avOwed spectators and equal to their
business, and the newcomers found
Western life more perlous announcement
and no more profitable than that in old
Ne" England, if it did not proJe alto
gether ruihuus financially.
There are doubtless many men to-day
who can say that they might, at one
time, have purchased for an insignificant
sum the ground upon which some grea
Western city has since been established,
but, for some reason, which they never
explain, they did not improve the
chance, and would be unable to buy it
now ut any price The sad song of lost
opportunities is echoed by many n one
who found things are not what they
SEEM in the West. 1t was great spec
| ulation, and it is comparatively over,
having taught the lesson which all great
enterprises do, that no capital and greed
for sudden wealth can never successfully
compete with all capital and expertness
and training in natter of finance.
1t was the old story of first come,
first served" and there are few corner
lots" in the West to-day.
Moreover, the West owes its redemT
ton from prairie waste to its present set
Element and prosperity, to the efforts of
New Englanders, and those of New Eng
land blood, who were the pioneers in
that great field, and among these, Yer.
mont has Il greater representation in
proportion to her population than any
other State. This same enterprise, if
applied to the cultivation of the soil of
| their native State, and the fostering OF
| its industries, would have brought equal
gains to VermOnters without any risk,
and would have enhanced the value of
those farms which the gentleman from
Granite Stlte says can now be bought
| for "a mere SONG"
| 1t must not be forgotten by such as are
inclined to consider the West a veritable
FL Dorado, that large proportion of the
| funds employed in it's development is
| furnished by Eastern capitalists, and Sc
cured by mortgages on the Western
farms, and that it was acquired at home,
even when the opportunities for so doing
were far more limited than are to-day
81. Adams Messenger.