The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1889-10-18

Yes. I heard of one farmer that had
come to be worth SIS, 900. "Does he
trade here in this town?' I asked
''TradeP' said the other contemp-
tuously-"why, five dollars OF groce-
ries would last him a yearP'
THE FRUIT CANS.
Among all the other inventions to
enhance the comfort of man there
has been one that is quite important
to both health and comfort that is,
the preservation of fruits, vegetables
and meats, in a fresh condition, in
air. tight tin cans. The waste cans
have become a symbol of civiliza-
ton. You can track the Attic ex-
plorer, the African expeditions, the
very caravans of the desert, by the
discarded and empty cans. 1t has
been question in the cities how to
dispose of their intractable remains
A gentleman was talking to me the
other day, and discussing the condi-
ton of the farmers, and he told me
a very amusing story! He said
there was one farmer in this section,
that was quite prosperous and an
other that was not.
A money loaner asked a machine
agent, in my informant's presence,
why the latter did not succeed?
"There are too many empty toma-
to-cans around his house." was the
witty reply.
And store-keeper and a lawyer
and two politicians, who stood by,
laughed until their sides were sore, at
this exquisite bon mot.
And yet every one OF these ocular
gentlemen was living off the labor
OF the farmer; they ate canned goods
every day, paid for with the farmers
money; but they thought it was a
sufficiently ridiculous explanation of
the poor mans condition, that he
and his family wanted the same kind
of food they enjoyed! They thought
it a farcible thing that a farmer
should expect to share in any OF the
blessing of the higher civilization
even to the extent of purchasing to-
matoes at ten cents can!
Now 1 don't mean to say, that the
people OF the cities ought not to live
well: I have no hostility to them {:
l have no desire to impoverish them !;
but I claim that the men who pro-
duce the wealth of the countrywide
turn one bushel of wheat into twenty,
and two head of cattle into one
hundred-who really create every
thing which the others eat or wear,
and the wealth whereby they live
and who own the land-the symbol
in all other countries, and all other
ages, of dignity and honor-should
not be turned back to PEASANTS fare,
or live cramped, impoverished, unin-
tellectual, unprogressive lives.
The wrongs and robberies inflicted
upon the farmers of Minnesota,
in the past thirty years, would, if
they were expiated, fill He'll plumb
full to the roof
What are the results?
| FARM MORTGAGES.
Acouple of years ago a dispute
arose in the East. 1t was urged by
some one that western farm-mort-
cages we're not good security for the
capital invested in them. And there
upon, to prove the value of their secu-
rites the farm-mortgage companies
published, in the New York papers,
some statistics touching the extent
and safety of their business. have
never seen the truth of these statistics
disput I'd. By them it appeared that
the to al of farm mortgages held by
them Ii the west amounted to two
billions of dollars, or considerably
more than the whole national debt !;
and that the amount held by them,
of acknowledges, in Minnesota
alone was equal to ONE HUNDRED AND
sEvENTY-FIvE MILLIONS!
OF actual farms in this state there
are, (see Legislative Manual 1889, p.
4OS), 81 ,45S; but no doubt in many
cases loans were made on wild lands !;
and the aggregate of $175, OOO,O
probably includes the mortgages
foreclosed as we'll as those now in
existence.
Think of the appalling burden re-
presented by that $175, 100000! At
ten per cent the interest would be
ST., 5OO,OOO!!
1t appears incredible. And yet we
know something of how many farms
have been lost under mortgages in
every county in this state. We
know it by observation and expert
TENANTRY IN DAKOTA.
There is Dakota-a mere baby-in-
years compared with Minnesota; ;
there has been comparatively but a
short time in which to foreclose
mortgages in that infant commun-
ity. And yet in a recent number of
that excellent paper, Farm, Stock
and Home," of Minneapolis, l find the
fO1lOwinr ovtro nrdinorv ctoto,nont.