The Republican journal., 1897-09-02

plums. They were not suitable for the
''outside'' market. Shippers did not get
enough out of them to pay for the boxes
and freight. Then the trees ceased to
bear. Farmers commenced to pull them
up. And last winter, every remaining
tree winter killed. In the spring they
were all as dead as Goliah after David got
through singing rocks at him. Pyres
were made of dead trees, and the fond
hopes of fortunes through arctic plums
were duly cremated thereon. But the
notes given for the worthless things, -four
ished and waxed fat, and increased in size
every day, and many mortgage was
given because of those notes. Many were
nearer insolvency than ever before.
The assessment life insurance men also
swarmed down upon the county, ''like
the wolf upon the fold.'' The swirl of
their brazen tongues was heard on every
hand. In some mysterious way, unknown
to old reliable stock companies of stand
ing and reputation, their assessment com
panies at small cost could and would pay
to the estate of the insured, after he had
been gathered to his fathers, large and
fabulous sums of money. Their prom
ises were more alluring than the sweet
words of politician. They sold ''poli-
cies'' right and left. The agents gathered
rich harvest. They lined their pockets.
They feathered their nests. They made
hay while the hay shone. Then the as
sessment companies began to break and
tumble. They became insolvent. These
sold out to other assessment companies
more insolvent than themselves. Finally
the most of them landed in a receiver 5
hands. The policy holders had parted
with thousands of dollars of their hare
earnings, and simply had as an equiva
lent therefor some nicely printed pieces
of paper which may be of value to the his
torian in future ages People who haC
invested in these policies then saw the
grim walls of insolvency move up another
foot.
The modern Robber Barons the loar
and building association men, came. They
stood in the front ranks OF polished liars
cheats, and swindlers. They were the
greatest benefactors of poor suffering hui
mainly since the days of the blessed Say
Jour. They organized local associations
They sold ''shares'' to old men, to young
men, to old women with gray hairs, t.
young women with flaxen curls, to boy.
working by the month, to girls doing
| house work at two dollars per week. TIL,
| ''dues'' were a dollar a month, month il
and month out. All was fish that cam,
into the glittering net Of these grabbers
| They took no notes, but like the ancient
| highwaymen, they demanded cash. In
that last great day, when Gabriel gathers
together the clans of the earth, for sen
tence, Dick Turpin will be commended
for his honesty when his doings are com
pared with those of the loan and building
association fellows. They gathered il
| thousand of dollars. Then came might,
crash. When the dirt and dust of tn,
mighty explosion had cleared away, gone
was the great head centre, gone were
the agents, gone were the hard earnet
dollars of the shareholders.
The ''big stallion men came TIL,
nags were worth about one hundred ant
fifty dollars each, but they sold them tc
''clubs' of fifteen or twenty men, TO
eighteen hundred or two thousand dollar
each, taking in payment therefor the join
and several note of the entire ''club. ,
| These notes were Immediately sold, at
! liberal discount, to men who had none.
to invest in good paper, and the stallion
! men got out OF the county. The ''stal
lions remain, the notes remain. Tn
notes are good, and the 'stallions' ma
| De 9tOu, 1OI something.
Patent right agents, book agents, higl
art agents, all sacked away Aroostool
wealth. Is it any wonder that hard time
| followed, and that SO many people sough
the haven of rest, the city of refuge 70
the poor and oppressed, the court of in
| solvency? But, thanks to mighty Zeus
that period, like the reptiliau age, ha
passed away. The people OF Aroostool
/ have cut their eye teeth. Their eyes ar
now opened. They were once blind, bu
now they see. The ancient Indians re
garded the first Spanish Adventures a
| children of their God, the sun, but afte
Il short experience with them, their opin
ions underwent a mighty change. A SINH
lar change has come over Aroostook. TIL,
''steel stove" men were the last to appear
But their stay was short, and their victim
few and far between. Aroostook peopl
have learned their lessons, and paid TO
them. Henceforth they will do business
with the people whom they know and cal
trust, and who are responsible. Gill
strangers, with plug hats, starchet
dickeys, glass diamonds, kid gloves
patent leather shoes, gold headed canes
sanctimonious tlemeanor, can no longe
make them believe that it would be goot
investment to buy the moon at ten dollar
per acre for summer residences. Caribou
Republican.