The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1885-05-21
WHEAT FARM MORTGAGES
IN TIE NORTHWEST.
One Of tie Hard-hips Of Frontier
Life as Described in Brad
street, OF Jan'y II. 1885.

fDls 81 DSse8BUu III Ibtu--
streets OF .Dan'y II. 1885.
To THE EDITOR OF BEApsTpEE1's.
s,Tg-Frank Wilkcson, in ycur issue
OF December Ii. handles Kansas
wheat farm mortgages very roughly.
He also goes out OF his way to attack
farming and farm mortgages III the
Northwest. know but little about
Kansas, but have lived thirty years
in the northwest. and what he says
Of this section is certainly not war
ranted by my experience.
He makes the astonishing usscr-
tons that the Dakota part OF the
northwest, in particular, Is so cursed
with an Artic-like climate and lack
of timber and fuel that farmers there
cannot be highly prosperous; that
they obtained their land from the
government for nothing after two to
five years residence and cultivation
as homesteads, and then were COM
PEELED to mortgage them to pay liy
ing expenses and government fees
in order to secure patents, and thut
il is only a question Of u little time
when they will become impoverished
under the burden Of those mort
cages.
That Mr.. Wilkeson should have
forgotten ordinary prudence and
discretion when he made these state.
ments is strange. He must havt
| known that Minnesota also extends
north to the British line. and is
therefore, within the same lines O
latitude and must CT necessity u,
subject to like climatic conditions;
| Western Minnesota, and especial,
the southwestern part. lacks timbel
and fuel us much as Dakota, with til,
advantage Of supply on the part o
Dakota, for the whole western an,
northwestern part Of that territor,
is underlaid with coal Of good quail
ty for fuel, that can be easily mine,
and eheaply transported.
As regards timber, north AM
northwestern Dakota, where timbc
Is most lacking, is nearer the pin
regions than the bulk Of the farm
lands of Minnesota. The soil AL,
products Of the two are cssentiall
/ the same.
Minnesota stands alongside hi
newer northwest to-day, not only all
powerful as a teacher OF this late
flood OF emigration, but with til
record Of nearly forty years Of sue
cessful trial that puts to shame al
such statements as these that MI
Wilkeson has 81 recklessly made.
| As to getting lands for nothing b
homestead residence, very few Of til
farmers Of the newer northwest hay
occupied their lands two to five year
before proof and payment. On til
lcontrary, most or them make 81
lmonth's residence only, and then pit
full prices under the prc-emptio
and committed homestead laws {
1.-THE United States. Counting ia
iuanai fees. commissions and cxpe1
|scs, il costs from $3.50 tosi5o for eac
lone hundred and sixty acres accord
ling to the class Of lands selectes
Nv statements In these respects til
records at the United States Ian
offices yer. clearly confirm. Eve
where the farmer docs abiaii. tit
by homestead residence and cult
walton, 1t Is still another exceptio
that such man mortgages his PIT
perry. I have been very famili;
with farm mortgages for ten year
and such is the result Of my obseI
walton.
Sow let rs see about this matte
Of farming and mortgage impovel
ishment. The following il Il st. PA,
pIice-list Of the best grade OF whe;
from the 3lst Of December, 1858,
the 3lst Of December, 1854 inclusiv
As personally compiled this tab
/ know it is correct: