The Monitor-register., 1896-04-03
From Yankee Land.



MR.. EDIToR:-I have just returned
from a fire along the river, in the upper
part of the town. I was on my way
home from the book store, when the big
whistle on the gas works blew the fire
signal. OF course, / at once started for
the scene, and was greatly interested in
the apparatus used here. The town has
several hose carts stationed in different
localities, a hook and ladder company,
and an engine, which is kept in a build
ing near the centre of the town.
/ do not think that the fremen here
are ready for work as soon as those at
home, but / cannot say anything about
their work after they are ready, as
the fire was practically extinguished
when they arrived. 1 did not intend to
say anything about the fire department. of
Exeter in this letter, but as / had just
returned from the fire when / commenced
to write, / thought the above might not
be out of place.
l intended to write again about the
customs of New Hampshire, and SO l
shall tell about the method of holding
elections. Before I begin, however, 1
would like to correct a statement made in
a previous letter. As this town has a
population of 1850, I supposed it was a
city, and was greatly surprised to learn
that 1t was not even a borough. The
question of its becoming a city has been
voted on several times, and each effort
has been defeated.
The election is held on the same day as
the election at home, the polls opening at
III A. NJ. and closing at about 6 P. M.
The method of voting is as follows: The
first office on the ticket, say, for instance,
the town clerk, is read off together with
the names of the several candidates.
Then each man present takes a slip con.
tanning the name of the candidate for
whom he wishes to vote and places it in
the box. After the polls have been Kept
open a certain length of time the votes
are counted, and the candidate receiving
the greatest number is declared elected.
The town is governed or controlled by
three men, called Selectmen, all having
the same power. This year the chief
contest lay between the old Selectmen,
the temperance candidates, and three
other men-the liquor candidates. The
vote took place at noon, and the whole
town soon knew the result by the ringing
of all the bells, which signifed that the
old Selectmen had been victorious. The
method of voting is surely very tiresome,
and, l should think, troublesome, as a
man has to stay at the polls all day if he
wishes to vote the entire ticket. sup
pose that system of voting would be
considered ''behind the tines by the
people of WoodsIown. The Presidential
elsewhere.
Another thing that seems queer to me
is the method of taxation in this State.
A long slip of paper, full of questions, is
sent around to each property holder to be
filled out by them. One of the questions
is, 'How many chickens have you ?" and
a tax is levied on each fowl.
Some of the people here have tried to
tease me about the celebrated Jersey
mosquito, but they have not had much to
say about that pleasant little insect since
l told them that l saw more mosquitoes
up here during the first three weeks of
September than | had seen at home for
the last eight years.. As the ocean is but
ten miles from Exeter, mosquitoes are
very plentiful in summer They are
mostly large ones, called "gallinippers."
The past winter has been Unusually
mild" only 65 continuous days of sleigh
ing. They generally have from 80 to 1875
days. AS soon as the first good snow
comes all wheels disappear and the heavy
and express wagons appear on runners
Carriages and buggies give place to
sleighs, from then on all transportation is
done in that manner uutil the spring
thaw sets in, when wheels apain appear.
This country is great for cycling, and
there is a club in this place Of more than
100 members. The ride to Boston, a
distance of 81 miles, is very nice until
you reach the suburbs of the city, where
the roads are very bad most of the time,
quite a contrast with the suburban towns
of Philadelphia. The wheelmen ride in
all kinds of weather, and very frequently
one sees a man riding in a heavy SNOW
or a hard rain, and even when they
arrive at their destination they provide
no shelter for their "steed," but leave il
out in the storm.
The spring weather begins about the
middle of April generally, when the PEG.
!, pie start to work in their gardens, and
then a great deal of work is required o.
them, as the soil is only about six inches
deep. Below that depth lies a thick bee
of sand, which prevents the raising Of
vegetables that have to be planted deeI
in the earth. On some farms the soil il
so thin that no ploughing can be done.
I shall close by mentioning one of the
most amusing customs of the Yankees
On all the railroads the cars have no ice
coolers, but at certain times a man comes
through the train with a tin bucket anG
two glasses, and any passenger who is
thirsty can help themselves from the
, bucket. That custom is as far "behinC
/ the tines as any in use here.
Hoping that l have not taken up toe
much space in your paper, and thanking
t you for the space kindly given me,
, remain, very respectfully, N. c. P.
P. 8. I hope that if any resident o
|, Yankee land sees this article, they will
not be offended.
The leading article in the April Forum
is a noteworthy paper by Senator Sher-
man, entitled Deficiency of Revenue tn,
Cause of our Financial Ills" The Sena
tor contends that the President and Score
tary Carlisle mistake the cause of on
!, present financial condition in attributins
it to the demand for gold for United
States notes, and he thinks the fact
which he submits in his paper will cc2
vince everyone that the true fnapoia
!, policy is to supply the government will
ample means to meet its current expendi
lures and to pay off each year a portion
of the public debt. He criticizes tht
|, Wilson bill very severely, declares that i
has produced a deficiency every houI
!, since it's enactment, and attributes oul
financial ills-sspecially the continued
exports of gold-largely to its workings