Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1895-04-04
ON THE BORDER LAND.
CALAIS, MAINE.
Anril |. 1898

of Calais and the region round about,
taking courage from the fact that none
of the readers of the REGISTER are near
enough to me to express, by means oil
ancient eggs or otherwise, disapproval
of an humble effort TO entertain them.
| have always thought that persons
should be very careful how they write
of cities within whose gates they are
strangers, and as have been in this to
me a strange land but short time, 1T is
not likely shall get every detail exact,
however hard may try to do so. Ii
has been stated that New Englanders
have occasionally gone South, either for
pleasure or profit, remained few
months, and impressed with the cruelty
of the color line, returned to their ma
tive heath to lecture knowingly upon
the race problem. However, | shall
not with my limited knowledge attempt
to solve any momentous problems, either
social or political, that may be con-
fronting the good people of New Eng
land, but shall content myself by wrl-
ting of some of the things that have
caught my eye while on the border land.
| write this little ''whereas, or preface.
in order that if perchance this letter
should, like the proverbial chicken,
come home to roost amid the pine
branches of Maine. or in palmer words
fall into the hands of any of the good
people of Calais. it may serve somewhat
as an apology for any mistakes 1t may
contain. To begin, this is section oil
the United States and Canada that Is
interesting to the stranger in many re-
spects. AS Shepherdstown and other
places in the Shenandoah Valley are of
interest to the stranger on account OF
their being in that section where SO
many incidents occurred during the
late war. so is this locality of interest on
account of the many things that took
place during the early history OF the
American Republic More history has
been made along this border from st.
John to Quebec by the Americans, Brit
ish. French and Indians than has ever
been recorded, and numerous have been
the warriors who have fought on the
banks of the ST. Croix before the white
mems vessels loaded at the wharfs OF
Calais and spread their sails to join the
fleet of nations upon what Virgil called
1.-The white-winged sea-"
Having been ordered temporarily TO
Vance boro, a small border town on the
west branch of the st. Croix, about 40
miles from here, had an opportunity
while on the Canadian Pacific Railroad
of seeing some of the farming lands (D
belonging to the province of New Bruins
wick
In all that part of Canada upon which
my ewes have rested have not seen
spot which seemed to me fertile enough
on which one inclined to scold could
raise even a disturbance, and on this
account have thought that here good
homes could be secured for some of the
poor. hen-pecked husbands of Shep-
herdStown. | am told, though, that
somewhere back over the ridges, this
side of the North Pole, good farming
lands abound. This portion of Maine
is not a farming but numbering and
manufacturing locality, although large
crops Of potatoes are grown In TINS,
Washington, county; and Aroostook, the
large county west of this, is one of the
largest potato-growing districts in the
world. am told that the annual yield
of potatoes in Aroostook county is about
S. 1000. 600 bushels, and that from three
stations alone in that county $500 cars
were loaded and shipped to market in
one season. The yield per acre is often
300 bushels of merchantable and 70
bushels of small potatoes The latter
are consumed by the numerous starch
factories located in that region.
Vanceboro, being upon the Maine Cen
trail and Canadian Pacific Railroads, has
probably more immigrants passing
through it than any other point on the
Canadian border These immigrants
are from Nova Scotia and other prov
inceS of the Dominion, and many come
from European ports, land at Halifax,
and then of course find their way into
! the States. The United States Govern
ment has a commissioner OF immlgra-
ton at Halifax. who notifies the in
| spectors of any violation of the laws
| that are likely to occur in their respect
! i've localities on the border. Some of
! these immigrants are capable of making
good citizens. but some are not. | had
promised to send some of these female
! immigrants down to ShepherdStown for
wives for the widowers and bachelors,
but when | saw their grimy condition
| and heard them speak in answering
questions, concluded to let the boys re-
main in single bessedness. The immi-
grants are rigidly examined as to their
age, nationality, occupation or calling,
whether they are under contract to per-
form labor in the United States, wheth.
er they are likely to become paupers
how much money they have, etc. II
after this examination the inspector Is
satisfied that the immigrant is not OF
the classes excluded by law he or she i:
admitted, but if they are of the excluded
classes they are, by the train or vesse
by which they came, sent back over the
border to the care and keeping of an ole
lady called Mrs. Victoria. stated il
my first letter that Calais was not vii
lage There are more industries located