The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-03-30
What Is There in the Word West?

(J3y o. Y. Hutchens in YadRin Ripple)
/ see most every day and night in this
neighborhood, men both young and old.
preparing to leave their homes and seek
the much talked Of and msrepresented
West What does it mean2 Are these
people being misled by pretty pictures
and imaginary tales gotten up by the
railroad companies, and sometimes BIZ
people who have been West? If so. we
should seek the truth Without impli-
eating anyone 1 wish to follow a young
man who is seeking this great and won
derful land.
We see him as he starts to work
here at or 9 a. m, qpits at II for din
ner and commences work again at y.
m. and works until or o'clock. This
is in The busy season and | think is
about the amount of labor for the av-
erage farmer in this section. He gath
ers corn, etc, enough to last him over
winter, sells two or three hundred dol
lars worth of tobacco and quits work
! for the remainder of the year about the
| first of October or November. From this
/ time until spring his time is spent as
| rule in hunting parties and general
! sports. But he is not satisfied with this.
| He reads of the West, he hears everyone
| talking of the West and finally he dreams
of the West as a place of money, health
| and happiness. He hears of Tom (his
old chum who has just gone West a few
weeks since) getting $50 per month, and
he at once decides to Ego West" lie
sells what he has for what ne can get
and tells mother, sweetheart and friends
farewell. He gets on the train and at
last lands in the promised land"
Next day we see him looking for
Job" Well. we will say he finds one.
which is not always the case. He hires
for a dollar per day, which he considers
good wages, as people tell him that
| wages are not so high az they used to be.
| The first month we will take as the aver
| age. If he can stand the work and does
! as much as the other hands and has good
| health, he can put il eighteen or twenty
| days this month, as bad weather and
rainy days are not counted. Granting
him good luck he has so. Ills board
costs him at least $14O0; clothes are
| higher there than they are here. We
| will count his clothes extras, ETC., at SO
| per month, which make ST. Our friend
| He goes to work at 4 a. m, quits ole
hour at dinner and works until dark.
| During this time. if he stops work with
out good cause he is locked. # you
will figure up his work here and his
work in the West, you will see and get
an average result of our st-strucE-
| boy. AS rule the fellow works on for
a while, hoping and telling, goes to Il fair
or an opera show. sees Skirt or l<oo-
chic KOochie dance, buys him bicycle.
| watch and q 81 bulldog pistol and lands
back here to disgust us (Who have been
there With his big tales and put on
ways If you ask him if he is going
back when he first arrives he will say,
yes, I'm not going to stay in these old
red hills" Nine times out of ten he is
glad to stick his feet under the old mans
table and away down in his heart he de-
| cides TO continue this act. He has Learn
ed to work and has a different idea OF
the word West. l have known men who
worked for wages in this country 10
work in Indiana from November until
April for their board. This was in Hen
ry county, the richest county in that
State. People who went to those States
% or 80 years ago when wages were
sac TO $75 per month. land for nearly
nothing and the country not overcroWd-
ed, have made money. But this time has
passed as all trades are crowded more
today in those States than they are in
North Carolina. l have known good
clerks in the largest stores in New Cas-
tie, Indiana, to work for IS per week.
If you are thinking of going West to
| at tn bn
man who sold out and went to Nebraska
and finally tc Kansas. The hot winds
killed his crop in Nebraska, the grass
hopper eat it up in Kansas After he had
spent several thousand dollars he took
his two poor old mules, hitched them to
an ole wagon, put the following sign on
his wagon sheet and started for his once
happy home in North Carolina:
Farewell farewell, last farewell!
To Nebraska and Kansas, too:
l may sometime emigrate to hell,
But never again to you"
In the above statements | have not
wished to offend anyone, but have tried
to tell the truth. Some of our young
men are doing well out West-many are
doing we'll here. 1t is high time we were
all aroused ON this subject. when we
consider the fact that several hundred
of our young men, our States life blood
are being lured away by these false mis-
representations. About all of them come
back, but they are generally dissatisfied,
and will never do as well as they would
had they stayed here. Have you noticed
old North Carolina is rapidly improving?
Read the weekly reports. The South is
rapidly gaining and it is only q ques-
ton Of time and development when we
viii be superior to the North
Scrofula IS bad thing to inherit or