Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1897-02-15
LETTER FROM SPOKANE, WASH.

ply VT, and then / like to look at 1t
afterwards. Was there ever a boy
who went far from home to whom
name of his W State was not an at
traction. And then "Vt." seems SO
small that having to go SO far I think
perhaps the letter would not get
there. But some one has said it
would, if it was a rue Vermonter.
Get home [ mean. 1t does lot seem
so far as it used to on a map to look
5000 miles, way off into this country.
I can take the n. p. or Great North
ern Ry. from here at s O'Clock Mon
day morning, go through Minneapolis,
from there via the $500" Ry. and
| Montreal, and be home on the mail
train Friday morning Git would be II
O'Clock by my watch). It would cost
about 500 all told, including sleepers,
meals, etc. Gould say probably $25
going two ways by buying a return
ticket, and second class for one fourth
less.
Just think, 5000 miles ind days. no
waits, only two changes, in bed every
night and all the comforts OF home,
for 500. I enclose herewith a check,
in payment of my subscription to the
MONITOR for the present year, which
kindly place to my account. I watch
for it's coming each week. I like to
read what is going OF at home.
noticed by it, a few weeks ago,
hat Mckinley had been elected. I
had heard it before, and lots of peo-
pie said even in this State, that they
had thought he would be. I don't
think Bryan heard it but recently
though, as he and his takers have
just left the stump" I wish we did
not have to elect another President
for ten years. I think We should
joy more Republican times if business
could be unmolested for a stretch like
that, and politicians be forced to earn
an honest living.
[ seldom see much in the MONITOR
about the West, or more particularly
this section of it. But this is a great
country. Very rich by nature in var
led The State of Washing
ton is as large as all New England.
Yet there are only 350, 900 people in
it. There is lots Of room. Someone
has said that had Columbus landed on
the shores of Puget Sound New Eng
land would still be an unexplored
wilderness.
There is lumber enough here to last
the nation a long time when other
sources fail. The wheat raised in this
section effects the markets Of the
world. Anything will grow that is
planted and taken care of. No one
has better fruit. The climate is more
like southern Pennsylvania although
we are further North than Vermont.
In fact Washington is sometimes call
ed the Pennsylvania Of the West.
But as every other section has done,
in the beginning they tried to do
things too fast, and perhaps you have
that we had a boom. Yes, n
we have all had a pretty rocky time
during the past five years to pay for
it. Lots of people who had never had
anything got rich in a few weeks. AL
though they yer not used to it, they
liked it and they did things, and made
improvements, and built buildings
and spent money just as though they
were old heads at it, and always ex-
to have plenty. Meanwhile
lots of people came here from every
else. People who had plenty
of money, who had made it by long
years of economy and hard work,
experience had made skillful
in handling it.. Yet they all seemed
to think that the country wouldn't
take care of them and went ahead;
but they went too fast; things got
stretched out too thin and broke In
a general collapse followed
and everybody here went busted.
every one owed everyone else
and couldn't pay anything,
though they all wanted to, but moth
ing had any value. Money had been
pouring in from the East for invest
but the whole country seemed
to have gotten a touch of something
and it stopped pouring. The banks,
had been carrying all but 40 per
cent of their deposits available were
suddenly called upon for all their
available and a part of that 40 per
cent. They did not have it, could
not collect it and they busted. Wheat
to 10 cents a bushel and no
market. Some few called it-boom-
others said it was lack of conservat-
ism and good Judgement; but disaster
so general and no respecter