Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1911-07-19
FOOLED By CALIFORNIA.
Sage of Iowa Journalists, Hon. Geo
ID. Perkins, Gives Good
Advice.

been at and near San Jose, CAL, the
past six months, and who gives her
observations in general and the dis
appointments incident to her visit
there.
San Jose, March II, 1911: You
ask me for my honest opinions of
muchtouted California. When l give
them you will think | am no boomer
of this state. First, l will give you
a brief account of the late food,
which was the worst l ever saw. 1t
has rained steadily since January l,
with no let up, no escaping it; mud
and water everywhere, weather cold
and disagreeable, sun hidden all day
and no moon at night, rain and high
winds. Yet they say there is not
much wind here. This sort of wealth
er ended in a flood almost like the
one in Noah's time.
Previous to January there was a
horrible drouth. Ranchers got
frightened. There were no pastures,
nothing green to be seen because of
the terrible drouth; water was at a
discussed it in whispers for fear
some of us eastern people would
hear it and take fright and not bite,
see? Well the rain did come after
very late date, after cows had gone
dry and the stock sold for want of
| feed
When the rain did come, like ev-
erything else out here, it overdid
things and nearly washed all the
wealth out of the country. Honest
ly, if l were to tell you just how
destructive the water was you would
not believe me, it would sound so
| fishy. My brother-in-law, who by
the way, has been quite California
boomer for some years, could not get
home for nine days on account of
the floods. He says any one leaving
happy home in Iowa with prosper
ity to come here where everything
fool. He saw acres and acres of
orchards simply ruined by sand
which had come over the trees, al
most covering the very tops. Thus
I vas ehe fansad Fertile Santa Cla i;
valley turned to a perfect sandy des-
ert. Never had the water been so
high.
If it is not one calamity here ii is
another They will tell you that II
months in the year compose the
growing season. Let me tell you that
unless you protect your gardens in
winter by warm shelter, nothing will
grow and in the summer if you do
not water them they will die out.
Come and try to raise potatoes and
| will give 81 dozen for all you
can raise unless you give them 90
times the attention you do back in
Iowa. Not one has my sister been
able to raise on her ranch near Los
Gatos and she has tried it dozens
of times.
If you get intimate and confiden-
| tial with some of the truthful peo-
pie here and they feel sure you will
not give them away they will tell
you they haven't made a cent here
the past five years, but are waiting a
chance to nab a sucker to sell out to-.
Come here and you will find that
every foot OF ground is for sale. Ask
any one if he wants to sell and his
eyes will begin to sparkle and take
on that eager look as if at last he
has hope of escaping the yoke that
has set so heavily on his neck since
he came here. The money made in
the east is brought here and SPENT
it is not made here. The fact is
this whole country has been largely
developed from eastern suckers
money.
pity the man in Iowa who sells
out to cast his lot here, even though
he owns but a shack. Give me dear
old Iowa or South Dakota instead
of the sorrows and drawbacks OF
California. Yes, | have met differ
ent people who came here from the
east and lost all they had and are
longing for the old home in the east
again. | fail to see any flowers here
now. There is no beauty: it is cold
the sun pops out and back again, the
sky threatens more rain all the
time. The trees are bare, only few
are green and they are not beautiful
nor numerous. The grass is thin and
short, vegetables are so high that
you feel you are chewing gold when
YOU eat them. Only special garden
ers raise vegetables now. Tell your
friends to come and try it two years
before they buy.
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In after years man doesn't ENJOY
iool;ng nj the nictures taken of him