Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1898-01-06
COMMUNICATED.


forth in the History of Eagle River"
published each week in the REVIEW.
And we feel sure that not one in hum
dred of the inhabitants Of Eagle really
know what beautiful place we have
in which to make our future home.
We wish to emphasize the word,
HOME. AS we look over the homes of
the town, how many we find that are
neglected and run down.
1t reminds us Of some of the mining
towns of the west; the homes are SIM
ply place to stay in, and the grounds
place to set the house on, and when
the ore from the mines give out the
people migrate to other parts and rich
err fields, leaving the old town deserted
and the houses to decay and fall. A
naturalist walks through the forest and
can tell by the nests that the birds
have built whether they are native or
s'home birds, or whether they are
MIGRATERs, by the way they build
their nests. Some of them are made
with great care, many OF them are dug
out of the side of trees and limbs, 9TH
ers are network of fiber and lined
with wood, hair and feathers. Such a
nest is intended for "Home" in the
true sense of the word. And after the
young are raised and the season past,
the nest is ready for them the next
spring, by simply refining them, as we
repaper our homes each spring and lay
new carpets. While others, like many
of the homes in our beautiful little vii
lage, are made by piling few sticks
on top of each other and lined with a
few dead leaves, that they can be per-
manently deserted after the young are
Matched.
So many of the citizens here seem to
be transients and only intend to stay
long enough to make a few dollars and
then desert the place for richer fields.
Now let us see what causes this state
of things: is it because the people do
not want home, and wish to live a
rowing life like the Gypsy, or is it be-
cause of circumstances that will pre-
vent them from having home? One
may go to Rome and find houses that
have stood for three thousand years.
Will any house in Eagle stand that
long? some of them will not stand for
ten years, and you ask the owner why
he has not made more substantial
dwelling and he will tell you that he
does not intend to remain here always.
There seems to be a general dlssatls-
faction among greater number OF the
residents here, and the reason for this
lies at our very door. There is not
any encouragement offered to new COM
ers nor old residents, to build or i'm
attractive and durable. Most of the
people here are in moderate circum-
stances and if they should make sub
stantial improvements they undoubted-
ly would have to borrow few hundred
to do it with, and by the time he paid
six per cent for the money and eleven
Der cent taxes it would be almost i'm
possible for d laboring man to meet his
payments ayirfi and pay his taxes, and should
lie be working for the county he would
be given an order that he would have
to sell at d discount OF pay attorneys
fee to place it ii Judgment in. order to
collect it. And so he must live in his
temporary home until circumstances"
changes the condition OF affairs. The
farmer knows that every acre OF land
he clears off, not only adds to the value
Of his farm, but adds in a greater de-
gree to his taxes.
Thus we see real estate worth but
very little, not one-half what it should
he. all because of CIRCUMSTANCES.
Now men, business men, laboring
men, is it not about time to wake up
and put stop to the condition OF the
affairs in this county, and see that vi
las county is put upon, and run on, a
cash basis. Then see that the appro-
priations are used for the purpose in
tended and not overdrawn, thus run
ming the county in debt every year.
This would cut down the taxes and the
county could pay it's debts and not be
continually bankrupt. This would en-
courage the people to fit up their
homes and clear uD their farms, and in
ten years the farm land and city real
estate would be as valuable as any
county in the state. And migration
would cease and immigration would in
crease. Who can do this? Should we
fold our hands and say, s.let those in
Office bring this about?" No! it Is the
voters business to do this, and it
should be agitated until next fall and