his own interest, is constantly accusing his laborer of a breach of
his part of the contract. The men no doubt do become used to it,
and slacken probably in their endeavors when the tongue of the
master or foreman is not heard. But as to that matter of non-
payment of wages, the men must live; and here, as elsewhere, the
master who omits to pay once will hardly find laborers in future.
The matter would remedy itself elsewhere, and does it not do so
here? This of course is so, and it is not to be understood that
labor as a rule is defrauded of its hire. But the relation of the
master and the man admit of such fraud here much more frequently
than in England. In England the laborer who did not get his wages
on the Saturday, could not go on for the next week. To him, under
such circumstances, the world would be coming to an end. But in
the Western States the laborer does not live so completely from
hand to mouth. He is rarely paid by the week, is accustomed to
give some credit, and, till hard pressed by bad circumstances,
generally has something by him. They do save money, and are thus
fattened up to a state which admits of victimization. I cannot owe
money to the little village cobbler who mends my shoes, because he
demands and receives his payment when his job is done. But to my
friend in Regent Street I extend my custom on a different system;
and when I make my start for continental life I have with him a
matter of unsettled business to a considerable extent. The
American laborer is in the condition of the Regent Street
bootmaker, excepting in this respect, that he gives his credit
under compulsion. "But does not the law set him right? Is there
no law against debtors?" The laws against debtors are plain enough
as they are written down, but seem to be anything but plain when
called into action. They are perfectly understood, and operations
are carried on with the express purpose of evading them. If you
proceed against a man, you find that his property is in the hands
of some one else. You work in fact for Jones, who lives in the
street next to you; but when you quarrel with Jones about your
wages, you find that according to law you have been working for
Smith, in another State. In all countries such dodges are probably
practicable. But men will or will not have recourse to such dodges
according to the light in which they are regarded by the community.
In the Western States such dodges do not appear to be regarded as
disgraceful. "It behoves a frontier man to be smart, sir."

Honesty is the best policy. That is a doctrine which has been
widely preached, and which has recommended itself to many minds as
being one of absolute truth. It is not very ennobling in its
sentiment, seeing that it advocates a special virtue, not on the
ground that that virtue is in itself a thing beautiful, but on
account of the immediate reward which will be its consequence.
Smith is enjoined not to cheat Jones, because he will, in the long
run, make more money by dealing with Jones on the square. This is
not teaching of the highest order; but it is teaching well adapted
to human circumstances, and has obtained for itself a wide credit.
One is driven, however, to doubt whether even this teaching is not
too high for the frontier man. Is it possible that a frontier man
should be scrupulous and at the same time successful? Hitherto
those who have allowed scruples to stand in their way have not
succeeded; and they who have succeeded and made for themselves
great names, who have been the pioneers of civilization, have not
allowed ideas of exact honesty to stand in their way. From General
Jason down to General Fremont there have been men of great
aspirations but of slight scruples. They have been ambitious of
power and desirous of progress, but somewhat regardless how power
and progress shall be attained. Clive and Warren Hastings were
great frontier men, but we cannot imagine that they had ever
realized the doctrine that honesty is the best policy. Cortez, and
even Columbus, the prince of frontier men, are in the same
category. The names of such heroes is legion; but with none of
them has absolute honesty been a favorite virtue. "It behoves a
frontier man to be smart, sir." Such, in that or other language,
has been the prevailing idea. Such is the prevailing idea. And
one feels driven to ask one's self whether such must not be the
prevailing idea with those who leave the world and its rules behind
them, and go forth with the resolve that the world and its rules
shall follow them.

Of filibustering, annexation, and polishing savages off the face of
creation there has been a great deal, and who can deny that
humanity has been the gainer? It seems to those who look widely
back over history, that all such works have been carried on in
obedience to God's laws. When Jacob by Rebecca's aid cheated his
elder brother, he was very smart; but we cannot but suppose that a
better race was by this smartness put in possession of the
patriarchal scepter. Esau was polished off, and readers of
Scripture wonder why heaven, with its thunder, did not open over
the heads of Rebecca and her son. But Jacob, with all his fraud,
was the chosen one. Perhaps the day may come when scrupulous
honesty may be the best policy, even on the frontier. I can only
say that hitherto that day seems to be as distant as ever. I do
not pretend to solve the problem, but simply record my opinion that
under circumstances as they still exist I should not willingly
select a frontier life for my children.

I have said that all great frontier men have been unscrupulous.
There is, however, an exception in history which may perhaps serve
to prove the rule. The Puritans who colonized New England were
frontier men, and were, I think, in general scrupulously honest.
They had their faults. They were stern, austere men, tyrannical at
the backbone when power came in their way, as are all pioneers,
hard upon vices for which they who made the laws had themselves no
minds; but they were not dishonest.

At Milwaukee I went up to see the Wisconsin volunteers, who were


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