West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1888-03-15
MR.. GIBSON ON THE WEST.

ARGUS a communication from Miles,
Washington Territory. written by some
one who was ashamed to sign bis name
to the article eritieising me for what
said about the west. Also an abusive
article in the Echo. little sheet pub
lished at Franklin, Neb., which. from
its makeup and printing. one would
suppose had three per cent. per month
mortgage on IL.
Now, Mr.. Editor, l don't wish to
get into newspaper controversy, for
that is not in my line of business, but
l propose to give you some of the rea-
sons why | was not favorably impressed
with some portions Of the west, and if
any Of the western people feel hurt,
they will have to stand it the best they
can have nothing bad TO cay about
Iowa where We stopped in the south
eastern part. They had good crops.
the farms were all we'll fenced, good
buildings, and were largely we'll sod
ded down in timothy, clover and blue
grass. The last prices had from there
corn was selling for 43 cents, oats so
cents. and hay $40 per ton. Fuel was
a reasonable price for prairie country
and people seemed prosperous and hap
~. I was told that crops were not
good throughout the State, and could
sec for myself they were not in the
western part.
In Nebraska and Kansas found
crops and almost everything else very
different. Some counties and even
some neighborhoods would have pretty
fair crops, while others adjoining them
would have nothing; but on the whole
there was not near enough raised in tho
two States to do them. and they were
shipping in corn, wheat and -four by
the car load from Missouri and other
States cast of them, and as the farmers
had nothing to sell, they had no money
to buy with, to pay their taxes and
meet their various expenses, SO the
banks were sending back to New York
and other points in the east, and secur
ing money and were loaning it on first
class mortgage at from IL TO Is per
cent and on ehattle mortgage that was
little shaky, 3 per cent month and
sometimes it could not be had at all.
From what could learn there are nine
out Of every ten farms mortgAged,
and many of them for so much that the
owners could not borrow any more on
them. A good many farmers had their
teams and cows and even the wheat
that they had sowed last fall, mort
gagged, and to-day there are quite
number of mortgages held by parties in
this county on farms in those two States.
While was looking around thought
L would ask what taxes were. A county
treasurer in Nebraska told me that they
were. 4 70 5 per cent. in his county.
ank towns kept up their schools by the
saloon license or they would be higher.
l saw Kansas mans tax receipt and
made calculation Of his per cent. and
ne paid a little more than 4 per cent.
The best soft coal 1 saw was in Ne
brasks. and came from Wyoming Ter
Titory. 1t sold for $40 per ton and il
not a. good as what am burning now
for which paid 90 cents per ton. In
Kansas, the coal saw came from the
States east Of them, and was selling
from $3.50 to 5000 per ton for soft.
and hard coal got as high as GIT per
ton. At one time wood was equally
scar &c and dear.
1t costs good deal more 10 build
there than It does here. My friends
told mo they had paid S55 per 1000
feet for lumber in Kansas. Now. when
put all these things against our low
rates Of interest, our cheap fuel, our
low taxes and cheap lumber and build
ing materials-that every acre Of our
land will bring an abundance Of tame
grass (something they can not success
fully raise), our hne fruit, our great
forests Of valuable timber, our mex
haustible coal mine, numerous coke
works, iron furnaces, steel mills. oil
wells, salt works, natural gas and the
various manufacturing interests that arc
bringing money into our State and
county all the time, Of our easvgoing
farmers who are out Of debt and sitting
around good fires that cost them moth
ing but little labor-when eompsre
these things with the high and dry
pFairies Of Nebraska and Kansas with
their Billiards, cyclones, hot winds and