Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1888-11-03
SIMPLY INFAMOUS.
Governor Martins Opinion OF tho Docu-
ment Recently Issued by the DEM
ocratic State Central Commit.
s tee and It's Effects.
An Attempt to estroy the Credit OF the
Atate is the CT of an Enemy, and
Is Mean, Malicious and
Deceptive.

tion Of the document recently issued by tn
state democratic central committee, pur
porting 10 give 'farm, city, town and lndl
vidual mortgage indebtedness" the "muni
cipaI bonded indebtness. except school,
and the assessed value of the real estats
of Kansas for 1885," thus speaks of the pub
licetIon:
'sThis document passes far beyond thu
bounds Of partisan politics-it is po!itica
infamy. The man who, for a supposed
political purpose, would Thus traduce and
defsme Kansas, and destroy the credit OF
the state and OF its citizens, Is public
enemy, and ought to be SO regarded by
every decent citizen of the state.
Gin 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 vetoes of pensions on
the one hand and the theory of evolution on
the other.
TT is a feet, too, that two-thirds of the
mortgage Indebtedness OF Kansas was IN
Cured not because of the poverty OF those
VINO borrowed money, but because of their
firm faith in the growth and prosperity of
the state. To illustrate: John Smith has
$1,000 in cash, and his neighbor owns a
farm or q town lot he offers to sell for
$4,000. John Smith has faith to believe
that the farm or lot will be worth 5000 in
agar or two. So he buys the farm or Iot
for $4,000, pays 81 600 cash, and gives his
note, secured by mortgage on the farm or
lot, for the remaining $4,000, but the farm
or lot is worth all he gave for it, and could
be sold, any day, for that price, or more.
No figures paraded by political committee
for q mean partisan purpose, can make
John Smith believe that, because of this
transaction, he has been robbed by the
tariff.
.Another illustration: William Jones
owns lot 10 some prosperous Kansas town,
worth 81, 500. He has, also, 81 600 in cash.
The lot, vacant, is unproductIve. he bor-
rows $1,000 at 10 per cent, securing the loan
by mortgage, and with this s., LEGO, puts up a
building costing $4,000, which rents for
$75 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 bs very apt to reply that the demo-
cratic statesman was either lunatic or q
liar. Because he knows that he has val
liable property, paying the interest on his
note, taxes and insurance, and in addition,
fully II per cent on the total value of his
property, viz, $4,000.
Still another illustrations: Farmer Will
Hams came to Kansas ten or fifteen years
ago, with only 800. He homesteaded or
pre- -empted 160 acres of land. He has i'm
proved it, built himself a comfortable
house and barn, has horses, cattle and
hogs, and 81 900 in bank. He has chance
acre or $4,000. He borrows $1,000 at 8 per
cent, securing the loan by mortgage, and
adding the amount to his 1000 in bank,
buys the coveted quarter section. It is
worth every cent that he paid for it, and he
knows that he can make out of it 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. If any democratic statesman came
to him with any suoh story he would be
apt to reply, as did the old Philadelphia
Quaker to a man who dealt in similar stories.
Said the Quaker, "Friend John, if the mayor
of Philadelphia should come to me and say,
Friend William, wish thee would bring to
would hunt thee up, Friend John, and l
would put my hand on thy shoulder and
would say to thee, Friend John, the mayor
wishes to see thee. ,"
Two-thirds of the mortgage indebtedness
of Kansas was, as have said, incurred by
just such transactions as these, and it repre-
sents, therefore. not poverty or distress, but
in the growth and prosperity of the state.
But the figures in this political libel on
Kansas are as false as they arc hurtfurto
the state. do not believe that the mortgage
Indebtedness of Kansas will aggregate $75,-
coo. Loo, or, in other words, it 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 exag-
gerated, and do not believe that the figures,
in single instance, are either official or
correct. Lying demagogues, who would
ruin every interest of the state to secure q
few hundred petty federal offices. have fur
nished them. drawing upon their imagina-
tons for their facts.
"This infamous ana mendacious cam
paign document issued to deceive the
credulous and ignorant during q political
contest, will be quoted all over the United
States by enemies of Kansas. Every stat
jealous Of the splendid devel-
will parade these shameless lies as
evidence of the fact that Kansas is bank
rupt. Thousands of people and millions of
capital will be Kept out of Kansas by this in
famous publication. Every man in Kansas
who owns farm, or town lot, or Is engag-
cd in business of any character, will be pc
sued to serve political purpose. In brief,
this publication passes far beyond the bounds
Of partisan politics-it is simply the act of
public enemy, who ought to be treated as
such.
'Wherever figures have been obtained, I
have no doubt that the so-called mortgage
indebtedness includes the railway mort
cages. For example, every railroad compa-
ny in the state having mortgage bonds, has
10 record such mortgages in all tho counties
through which it's line passes. If the mort
gage is for 100000, and the compsny's
limo traverses twenty counties. the mortgage
for 81 .000. 600 is recorded in the Office of the
register Of deeds for each county. Aggre-
eat ng all thee records and the amount Ia
svelled to $4,000, 600 on . debt which is
really one-twentieth that amount, or 81 000,-
"Many mortgages. too, are given to ee-
cure the payment of indebtedness payable
by annual installmente. That il, 8 citizen
borroWs 5000, and gives four notes in
equal amounts, one payable in ono year.
one in two years, one In three years, and the
last in four. The mortgage to secure theee
notes covers the full amount, and thus, al-
though three Of the notes may have been