The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1893-08-18
OUR WESTERN LETTER.
BERWICK, III, Aug. II, 1sl

DEkWlCk, LII, aug IL, 1000
To the Editor of the Bdnner.-DEAR
SIR: Since writing last, have spent ten
DAYS in Chicago and then came down to
Santa Fe to this "Garden of the State'
and have come to rest for at least six
months. have followed my old plan of
taking school and thereby give myself
time to make the acquaintance of the
country and of another family of cousins
Robert A. Elliott is Democrat, who is
wide awake on the current issues of the
times and heartily supports the present
administration, hoping for relief from
the "hard times?"
am Democrat too, if you go back to
the primary meaning of the word, and
say it means Government of the peo-
pie, by the people and for the people,"
but am not very enthusiastic over the
present prospect. / have sometimes to
laugh in my sleeve little, as listen to
the bright anticipatiOns of those who
look for sudden Democratic reform
On the other hand it is equally amusing
to note the complaints of those who
charge every diaster to the administra-
ton. In answer to those who look for
sudden relief from the extra session, l
would say we have too much legislation
already.
There was a great deal of sensible
truth in book of Herbert Sponsors
that read years ago. 1t was on educa-
ton. l will make note of one thought
that 1 remember He was talking of
legislation and the schools, and he SAID,
in substance though 1 can't remember
his words, that as people fly from one ex-
IRENE to the other in their views upon
the popular problems of life, it would
help them to better and juster view if
they would realize that the extreme
opinions of the contending parties were
equally just views of opposite sides of
the same truth and would seek so tar as
possible to coordinate these antegonis-
tic errors and thus square their opinions
by the golden mean" But if l dom c
quit this you will take me for politi-
clan and don't want that. / have not
got time now to speak of my visit to the
Worlds Fair, so l will only say that in
the Vermont building looked over the
register for what familiar names l could
find 1 noticed the names of, Leonard
and Houghton from Bennington. did
not look all through for had to give
place to the others of the crowd that
wished to register.
l patronized the Vermont cabin where
the cider and the maple sugar held sway
and the log cabin of New England in
1776 where ''ye olden times welcome"
was extended to the visitor for 10 cents,
and substantial dinner was served at
'12 of We clock" Price so cents.
This is fine corn country and abund-
ance of old corn attest the fruitfulness of
former years. The oats were prema-
turely ripened by the ex RENE drough
and are not up to the average of thirty
bushels per acre. They were injured
somewhat by worms and rust.
l must not forget to tell you of a re-
cent excitement that is a little novel to
say the least. There have been a num-
Der of rain makers in this region recent
ly and one Company of them got the
Rock Island Railroad into trouble.
They proposed to the company to water
the country along their line and the lat
ter gave them the job. They rather
overdd the matter and brought flood
that destroyed bridge of Santa Fe cor
ner where the two roads cross and the
latter company have sued the Rock
Island for damages If this suit is sue
cessful 1t will settle the responsibility of
making the rain upon Rhode Island
Company, and then, Hurrah for the rain
makers! If you are ever troubled with
dry weather just send West for your
medicine men. l will close with joke
on Kansas from recent paper.
After the extreme drought there came
storm of wind and rain. l don't re-
member whether 1T was field of grain
or prairie grass that was set on fire by
lightning, but the: wind kept the fire
ahead of the rain so the crop was des-
troyed before the rain could catch up.
The Editors comment on this marvel
is, that he shall not be surprised at hear
ing of Kansas wind that could blow a
deep well out of the ground.
Yours Truly,
G. E. BRECKENRIDGE.