Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1888-11-09
SIMPLY INFAMOUS.
Governor Martins Opinion CT the Doeu-
ment PeeentIy Issued by tire Dem
OerAtIe STATE Central 0Enntt-
tee and It's EEoCts.
An Attempt to estrOy the Credit o. the
state IS the act OF an Enemy, and
is Mean, Malicious and
Deceptive.

tion Of the document recently issued by the
state democratic central committee, pur-
porting 10 give ''farm, city, town and indl-
viduaI mortgage indebtedness" the ''muni-
cipaI bonded iudsbtness. except school, "
and the assessed value Of the real estate
of Kansas for 1855, - thus speaks Of the pub
licatIon:
s'This document passes far beyond the
bounds Of partisan pOlitics-it is political
infgmy. The man who for a supposed
political purpose, would thus traduce and
defame kansas, and destroy the credit OF
thu state, and OF It's citizens, IS public
enemy, and Ough5 to be 50 regarded by
every decent citizen of the state.
SIN the first place, there IS no more con-
nection. direct or indirect, between the
amount of the mortgage Indebtedness OF our
people and the bounded Indebtedness OF our
Municipalities, on the one hand and the
tariff question on the other, than there Is
between Cleveland's VstOes Of pensions on
the one hand and the theory Of evolution Oh
the other.
mortgage indebtedness of Kansas was in
CURED, not because OF the poverty of those
who borrowed money, but because OF their
firm faith in the growth and prosperity OF
the state. To illustrate: John Smith has
81. 600 in cash, and his neighbOr owns a
Farm or a town lot he offers to sell for
5000. John Smith has faith to believe
that the farm or lot will be worth So coo in
a year or two. So he buys the farm or lot
for Sc. eco, pays 81, 600 cash, and gives his
nOte, secured by mortgage on the farm or
lot, for the remaining 81, 600, but the farm
or lot is worth all he gave for 1t, and could
be sold. any day, for that price, or more.
No figures paraded by a political committee
for a mean partisan purpose, can make
John Smith believe that, because of this
transaction, he has been robbed by the
tariff.
owns a lot in some prosperous Kansas town,
worth 81, 500. He has, also, $1,000 IN cash.
The lot, vacant, IS unprOductlve. He Dor
rows 8, eco at 10 per cent, securing the loan
by mortgage, and with this 81 eco, puts up a
building costing $4,000, which rents for
S75 per month. The mortgage don't make
William Jones believe that he IS being
robbed by the tariff. If some democratic
statesman would tell him he was robbed, he
would be very apt to reply that the demo-
cratic statesman was either a lunatic or a
liar. Because he knows that he has a val
liable property, paying the interest on his
note. taxes and insurance, and in addition,
fully u per cent on the total value of his
property, VIZ, 81 900.
.sStu another Illustration: Farmer Will
Hams came to Kansas ten or fifteen years
ago, with only 500. He hOmesteaded or
pre-empted 100 acres of land. He has i'm
proved it, huilt himself a comfortable
house and barn, has horses, cattle and
hogs, and 81, OI0 in bank. He has chance
acre or "a 600. He borrOWS 5000 at 8 per
cent, securing the loan by mortgage, and
adding the amount to his $1,000 IN bank,
buys the coveted quarter section. 1t Is
worth every cent that he paid for 1t, and he
knows that he can make out of 1t every year
twice the amount Of interest on his note.
No democratic statesman can con-
vince Farmer Williams that because
of this transaction, the tariff has robbed
him. IL any democratic statesman came
TO him with any such story he would be
apt 10 reply, as did tho old Rh1lacelp ia
Quaker to q man who dealt Ia simil2 Pr stories.
Said the Quaker, Friend j Ohm, If the mayor
of Philadelphia should come to me and say,
Friend william, / wish thee Wou'd bring to
my Office the greatest liar IN the city /
would hunt thee up, Friend John, and
would put my hand on thy shoulder and
would say to thee Friend John, the mayor
wishes to see thee. ,"
Two-thir5s of the mortgage Indebtedness
of Kansas w8s, as have said, incurred by
Just such transactions as these, aud it repre-
SCENTS, therefore. not poverty or distress, but
the confident faith of the peOple of Kansas
IN the growth and prosperity of the state.
But the figures IN this political libel on
Kansas are as false as they are hurtfuI to
the state. do not believe thatthe mortgage
indebtedness of Kansas will aggregate 49,
OO0.CO0 or, in other words, 1t is not one
third the amount stated In this infamous
and mendaciOus attack by the democratic
state central committee, on the credit and
good name of Kansas and her people.
know that the pretended reports from many
counties give figures that are grossly eEag-
gerated, and 1 do not believe that the figures,
in q single instance, are either official or
correct. Lying demagoguesy who would
ruin every interest of the state to secure a
few hundred petty federal offices, have fur
tions for their facts.
"rhis infamous ana mendacious cam
paign document issued to deceive the
creduI0Us and ignorant during q political
will a mi tad
States by enemies of Kansas. Every state
Jealous OF the splendid devel-
opment and growth of Kansas
Will parade these shameless lies as
evidence of the fact that Kansas is bank
rupt. Thousands of people and millions of
capital viii be kept out of Kansas by this in
famous publication. Every man IN Kansas
who owns q farm, or town lot, or Is engag-
Cuniarily damaged by this lying circular, is
sued to serve a political purpose. In brief,
this publication passes far beyond the bounds
Of partisan poIitics-it Is simply the act of a
public enemy, who ought to be treated as
such.
wherever figures have been obtained, ]
have no doubt that the sO-ca.led mortgage
indebtedness includes the railway mort.
ny In the state having mortgage bonds, has
to record such mortgages in all the counties
through which it's line passes. If the mort
gage is for SAOC0,OO0, and the company
line traverses twenty counties. the Enortgao,
for $4,000, 600 Is recorded in the Office of tn,
registe- OF deeds for each county. Aggre
CAT ng all the o records and the amount i
swelled to $4,000, COO on a debt which Il
really one-twentieth that amount, or 81, ZOO,
600
MANY mortgages, too. are given to Sc
cure the payment of indebtedness IS payabl
by annual irstaliments. That Is, a either
bOrroWs So, 600, and gives four notes il
equal amounts, one payable in one year
one In two years, one in three years, and tn
last IN four. The mortgage to secure thes
notes covers the full amount, and thus, al
though three OF the notes EsIy have beer
paid of the recorded mortgage, not can
celled until the last note is paid, shows al
indebtedness OF $1,000, when, in fact Ia,
debt remaining is only SEQ.
saTba mean malicious dacautfve rbsr.r