Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-09-20
Stay in Maine.

stay IN Matne.
So many people go West and re-
turn with such stories or write of
such marvels as their imaginations
paint upon what they have seen and
realized, that it is refreshing to read
the communication of an Oregon wo-
man TO the Rockland Courier Gazette.
Among other things she writes:
Your people should consider long
before they leave good old New Eng
land for the West. With all its
golden promise" it has another side
as Well. Having lived here nine years
/ have seen many who are disap-
pointed and would have been far bet
ter off where they were. For people
with means it offers fine investments
and opportunity. but for the great
majority of working people it is
hard, long pull. There are thousands
of idle men today here. willing and
anxious to work. who can find nothing
to do, in spite of the fact that the
railroads and Chamber of Commerce
people advertise extensively. They
''have an axe to grind" The railroads
bring these people at reduced rates,
but there never are reduced rates re-
turning. If they go back it is good
ROUND rates. The Chamber of Com
merce members are employers of Ia
Dor. The more men there are in need
of work the cheaper they can be got.
"A man must eat" He has no choice
here-work at what will be small pay
,.lar hn
work
Clerks. office men and the like rarely
exceed Sis a week--more often 1t Is
$45 to $50 month, out of which they
must pay house rent (Which is high)
and keep a family-a hard proposition
if illness or the unforeseen comes,
soon eating up the little savings.
Farming is a worse outlook here.
Land Is out of reach of the poor man,
unless it is uncleared stump, land
which costs something like $500 to
$3.50 an acre to clear The apple
land" so much advertised is snare
and deluson. New England has the
finest apple land in the country going
to waste. The flavor is in the New
England apple The market and the
western spirit are only lacking to
make the rock bound hills of the east
return bigger crops and finer quality
than can be produced anywhere else.
You have many neglected opportu-
mites there in Maine that appeal to
me Soon as / can see my way clear
to do so / shall return, to try my for
tune among the best people on earth.
The advice of this woman. who
could have no other purpose than the
welfare of the people in the East
ought to revive the common sense OF
many who are bending every effort of
mind and body to the purpose of sew
ering the remainder of their lives from
old scenes and associations, for the
aliurements of 1.-THE land of promise, !"
that misleading term-the West.
of how many pitiful cases have you
known--eases in which fasteners
have saved and saved for years, then
raked together all. bid goodbye to all
their neighbors and friends and have
set their faces westward? And the
pathetic ending-a few homesick
years and endless work and worry in
new land of promise. steady
longing for the dear ones far away,
feverish fruitless hope to "get
ahead and return to childhood's
home, and then a reckless disregard
OF material chances, everything sac
riiiced to secure enough to get them
back to the old home scenes, where
they have : home no longer.
DO you know of such case? There
are many, even in Maine.
A Maine man who recently returned
from California, said he had come
back into Gods country to end his
DAYS he had had enough of alkal
dust. fleas, thirst for pure spring wa
ter, and longing for the sight an(
smell of sweet green trees. He de
clarea that he could make money il
any town in Maine If he would go I,
il and live as the average easterne
is willing to live among strangers Il
a strange land. the West. He sal
that eastern people seldom go to tn
far West with the determination t
spend their days there, but are viii
ing TO endure all sorts of hardshi
and priyation to save the competent
which they hope 10 take back east.
..why," he added, 4 could SAY
money on new land up Allagas
stream. or on Wellington bog, to lily
that way. Talk about western fru
farms. You can peat them TO deaf
il you viii go at it the way they {