Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1902-10-14

/ L nitt6 U66Il u Uilo Va PtsSc<s5S $780, -
tenth of this month. l came to Chicag
on the 18th, that is, left home at 0 A. N
and arrived at Chicago the evening o
the 18th; on the following day, Satur
day, I went out with W. X. Hilton to hi
home and remained there until Tuesday
the 10th, when l went to Madison, Wis
cousin. 1873 miles from Chicago, where
remained until Thursday, the 18th:
then went to st. Paul, Mimi, 27O miles
stoned at Merchants Hotel, was bus.
at the capital the following day, Friday
Tuesday, the Esd, left for Des Moines
Iowa, 312 miles from st. Paul, and OF
Thursday, the 25th, I went to Spring
field, ILL.,, 800 miles, and yesterday, tn
9th, I came here, about 200 miles iron
Springfield.
shall 90 to Chicago from here Tues
day, 3Oth, and Oct. LIST to Kalamazoo
Mich. to meet a member of the Stat'
Tax Commission of Michigan, and Thurs
day 90 to Lansing, the capital OF Michi
gan, to finish my investigation OF tina
state, and on Friday evening leave fol
NV home, which l would like to see to-
night of all places on earth.
have enjoyed my trip very much.
have travelled on day trains, most OF the
time in Pullman cars, and have seer
what is behind the wealth and prosperity
of Chicago and other western cities. VI
course the grain is all harvested, but
have seen corn enough to make belt ter
rods wide from Quoddy Head to the
Golden Gate, and such herds OF cattle
and sheep and hogs. And what magnifi
cent stretches of prairie farms! Ihere
seems to be no limit to the capacity OF
production.
After all, when we exhaust out vocabu
larry in praise of the West, how much
better off are the western than the Ne"
England farmers? They have poorer
houses. They don't live as well noI
dress as we'll as the Maine farmer. Lilies
fitful fever is short at most, and soon
over. Why not live where one can get
the most out of life? With all the fertil'
ity of the prairie farms, there is an alb
seuce of that neatness and comfort
around their homes which is so dis
tinctive feature of New England rural
life.
I don't like Chicago. 1t is a city OF
great things, everything on mammoth
scale, "The city of the new hope, It's
admirers call it, with its seren thousand
saloons, its army of bartenders, thugs
and thieves. To my mind it is nearer
hell than any other spot in this country.
Madison, Wis, is pretty city, not as
large as Lewiston, laid out diagonally
with a massive state capitol. / visited
the grounds of the University of Wis
consin, fine institution, buildings cost
ing $500, 900. There is also on the
grounds of the University of 800 acres
the building of the State Historical
Society, costing 100000. went
through that-one of the best buildings
| ever was in. Madison has SO licensed
saloons, but is a very orderly city. l
saw no signs of drunkenness.
st. Paul and Minneapolis, ten miles
apart, are both nice cities. st. Paul has
400 saloons and 10000 inhabitants;
Minneapolis 600 saloons and over 100000
people.
Des Moines, Iowa, is lovely city, nice
churches and other public buildings.
The state capitol cost S4,0OO,OOO. built
on an elevation with large grounds and
elegant approaches. Des Moines has Co..
600 people and plenty of saloons and
cheap restaurants. The Des Moines river
divides the city into east and west. There
is a bridge over the river on every street
running east and west.
Springfield, H., is about as large as
Lewiston and Auburn combined, level
plain. with coal mine here and there
on the outside of the town. The streets
are paved with hard brick and no effort
apparently is made to keep them clean.
Springfield has 1877 licensed saloons, $500
each. The state house is an elegant
building costing S4,500,000, but the
grounds are small and the building sits
low, almost level with the streets around
it, and one does not see the building
until under its dome.
visited the grave of Lincoln. The
cemetery is most picturesque spot,
mound shapen hills and deep ravines
covered with oak trees. Lincoln's grave
is on the top of one of these mounds.
He is buried twelve feet beneath the
base line of the monument pedestal,
which is large and about 30 feet high.
Above the pedestal is granite shaft 40
feet high. On the pedestal is bronze
statue of Lincoln and on either side
bronze figures representing the conflict
of 81.
In the base of the pedestal is a large
room containing relics of Lincoln, in
Guiding an original letter written in 1888
to friend, and one in 1864 to a lady,
written in that serious and religious
tone so characteristic of his last days.
There are the table and three chairs he
had in his law office when he was elected
president, about the poorest and hum
blest furniture | ever beheld. sat
down in the basket bottomed rocker, his
favorite chair; but what was the most
significant thing l saw there was small
show case literally full of Grand Army
badges, the tribute of visiting old soldiers
hundreds of G.. A. X. posts.
| wrote my name in register there for
visitors.
Then went to the corner of Eighth
and Jackson Streets to see the house
where he lived, when elected to the
presidency. The state of Illinois owns
it, and it is occupied by a niece OF Mrs.
Lincoln with her husband and daughter
The daughter showed me through the
house. There is but little of the furni-
ture Lincoln owned in it. The mother,
about your age, remembered Lincoln
we'll. There are about twenty thousand
visitors to this place yearly. Here |
registered again. The house was good
one for the '40s, and is worth about
$2500 to $4,000 with the land. This is
the only property Lincoln ever owned.
shall not soon forget my visit to Spring
field.
indianapolis is fine city. They claim
200, 900 Inhabitants, but / don't think
there are quite that number. A level
plain, an imposing capitol building right
in the heart of the city, and one block
away on the avenue leading from the
capitol is Indiana's soldiers monument,
about 175 feet high, the grandest one
have ever seen. l doubt if there is its
equal outside of Washington. 1t il
dedicated to the soldiers and sailors OF
the Revolutionary war, of the war OF
1912, the Mexican war, the civil war
and the Spanish war. cannot begin tc
correctly describe it.
STILL LOYAL TO OXFORD.
Judge A. II. Walker of Bridgton, {
| former honored citizen of Oxford County