Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1889-11-22
PRICE $3.50 PER YEAR.
THE COUNTRY'S TOILERs.
A Demand to Have the Census Show
Mortgages on Farms and Homes

Mortgages on Farms and Homes.
. The Western Economic Association, at st.
Louis has issued the following address
There is a growing feeling that the farmers
and other wealth producers do not receive an
equitable return for their toll. The state
ments are repeatedly made that the rich
are growing richer, and the poor poorer
that ninety-fve per cent.o the wealth OF the
country is owned by less than five per cent.
of the population, that three-ffths of all the
wealth is in the hands of less than thirty
Thousand persons; and that the sturdy, self
respecting farmer is becoming the American
peasant Lack OF facts upon which to base
conclusions has rendered even theOrislng
valueless, and ignorance of the truth makes
the prevalent discomfort only more danger
Gus. The first requisite to an intelligent ns-
cussiOn of the subject is knowledge OF the
actual facts in the case: Up to this time none
of any importance have been collected.
Much statistical information has been gath
cred and published to show the production of
wealth in this country, but none to show its
distribution. An important step IN this OIL
rection, in fact the primary step, would be
the collection of data to show to what extent
the farms and the homes, the bases of our
civilization are owned by their occupants and
free from debt. Correspondence has been had
with the chiefs of the Bureaus of Statistics
of the various States asking them whether
they had collected any such information.
With singular unanimity they reply that the
facts are of great Importance and ought to
be collected, but that the labor and expense
of such an investiga ton are too great to be
undertaken by State Bureau, and that the
work naturally devolves on the National
Census Mr.. Robert P. Porter, Superlntend-
ent of the Eleventh Census in reply to cor
respOndence on this subject, says that the act
authorizing the census did not contemplate
the collection of these data; that before he
can undertake the work there must be special
legislation by Congress instructing him to do
so, and that he will lay the matter before the
Secretary of the Interior with view to Sc
curing such legislation There is no doubt
that if general public demand existed, the
legislation could be secured. The country
cannot afford to wait till another. census for
the facts. as at least fifteen years would be
required to make them public, and in these
days of the rapid concentration of wealth into
few hands that time is too long for first
diagnosis of the case. By that date the
patient may be fatally i'll.
With view to creating such demand,
the Western Economic Association, of St
Louis, has issued this address to the farmers
and other wealth-prOducers of the country.
The practical method of procedure is for any
body of such individuals, either organized or
unOrganized, to adopt resolutions of the fol-
lowing character and to send them to Wash
ingtOn:
WHEREAS, There is a growing belief that
the farmers and other producers of the cOun-
try do not obtain an equitable share of the
wealth which they create, and that the farms
and homes of the country are very largely
under mortgage; and,
WHEREAS, Exact knowledge on this sub
ject is of great Importance in the study of
the social and economic questions of the day;
therefore, be it by insert here the name Of
the body adopting the resolutions, and the
locality:
Resotced, That it is our Judgment that the
next United States Census should show what
O DpOpI9 country
cupy their own farms and homes and what
proportion are tenants; and of those who oc-
cupy their own farms and homes, what pro-
portion have their property free from debt;
and of the farms and homes which are under
mortgage, what percentage of the value is
SO mOrtgaged; and be it further
ReS0tUed, That the Secretary of this meet
ing be requested to transmit copy of these
resolutions to Hon. John W. Noble, Secre-
tary of the Interior Washington, D. c., and
a copy to the Congressman from this district,
with a request that he use his influence to
have these facts collected and published.