Sistersville daily oil review. [volume] (Sistersville, W. Va.) 1902-1905, 1902-12-22
The People OF the Far West,
SEATTLE, WASH. DEC, 49,

IQGd IuGL Wao SOAhS
among a very fierce lot of people.
At Spokane, Washington, realizing
that l had reached the wild and
wooly," I dropped into a hard
ware store and with all the seem
Ing indifference l could muster,
asked 10 look at donble barreled
Derringers. The clerk seemed sur
prised, and said they didn't have
such thugs In stock, adding that
very few people carried deadly
weapons In Spokane. So went
out to think 1t over, and as yet I
haven't bought any kind of shoot
ing iron." Yet the impression l
had Is general In the east, or was
when lett FIVE years ago, Why, If
shortly after my arrival in Spokane
a band OF painted Indians had rid
den down Riverside avenue on the
dead gallop, with cow boys after
them shooting as they came, 1t
wonld have interested me a good
deal, but 1t would not have sur
prised me any; 1t was what I ex
pected. Instead, 1 found the state
populated with law abiding white
men, nearly all young and recently
from the east like myself, and hus.
tiers almost to the man.
There are very few Indians here,
and they are only to be seen when
they make a pilgrimage In rickety
farm wagons, or more often In dug
out canoes, from their reservations
to the cities where they sell bas-
kets, toy bow and arrows, and clans,
and lay In stock ofsupplies which
always includes bright colored
cloth and dye stuffs. The Indians
| of the coast tribes are low. slow,
and "as meek as Moses" Most of
them can speak more English than
they are willing to have known;
they prefer to have you talk "Chi-
nook" with them-this Is jargoon
composed of distorted words from
the English, French and native
Indian tongues.
The Chinese who come here
only stay till they have saved up
money enough to 60 back and be
rich men In the celestial empire"
among their cousins" as they call
all their friends and relations, so
they can'tabe termed residents.
So study of the psopla Of Wash
ington Is simply study of trans
p Irted Fasteners. The first ques-
ton you ask stranger out here IS
how long have you been in this
country" and the next IS what
state are you from?" If a man has
lived here for eight of ten years he
Is looked on as quite an Old settler.
People come for all sorts Of reasons,
but having come they stay or come
back, for the west wins the love of
her people and holds it 1t IS fine
to live where towns grow so fast
that every week marks change
for the better, and where people
who have been absent year have
to ask their way around; why, In
Seattle there Is so much building
that the appearance of an entire
district is often completely changed
In few months. And out here
man of thirty Is honored just as
highly as a man of fifty If he can
do the work. This Is a young
mans country, and a country
where everything Is possible.
Unlike the inhabitants of eastern
cities every one here speaks Eng
lish. Most of the people are native
born Americans, and our naturalized
citizens are from the countries of
Northern Europe ard quickly
adopt American ways.
Where there are SO mlny young
men with little except their hands
and their wits to live by, It Is onlY
natural that all sorts OF money
making schemes should be devised
and ably promoted,-many of them
with little backing except the en-
thusiasm of the promoters. But
there are also great many legiti-
mate enterprises and these furnish
profitable work for all who are
able and willing to do 1t.
Seattle Is strong union town
and union wages In the building
trades for an eight hour day, are as
follows, carpenters S. so, plumbers
$500, plasterers and brick masons
d. ~ doJ o,rrfore q M Hor,