Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-01-14


mean fresh mortgages. But it is matter
one,half of the wealth OF the country; |
they constituted one-half Of the popula-
ton. Between 1850 and 1880. as the
records show, they added "a, 122, 5sS.4Sl
TO their possessious but during the same
period the other half of the population
added S23, $50, 79t, S51, or FIVE to one of
theirs. As the farming population
largely increased during that time. it
would not be difficult to show that the
average OF loss and gain in respect to
property was against it, But how has IL |
been since 1SS0f How many farmers since |
then have become millionaires in the
prosecution of their business? When has |
wheat been so low2 We will quote from |
the last convention.
At st. Louis, Mo-, Oct. "a. 1882 the |
Interstate Wheat Growers convention
met with N. J. Colman in the chair. r
Lindblom, Chicago speculstor and CO.
operator, who was blessing To monopoly
and and a blessing 10 humanity. also con
tended there was no foundation for the
cry of overproddction in the last five
years. While production OF wheat had
decreased 81 per cent. the price had de-
creased 20 per cent. Cheap wheat was a
good subject for the home market to
discuss.
The flush times among agriculturists,
during and after the war. were before
1880. But here statistics come to the
front for 1889 for Illinois: A summary
of that volumn is TO be found on page 36.
showing the total mortgages of 102
counties, No. of hand mortgages,
o.. III; total. S147. $50, 054; property en-
numbered. S.0S2, 794 From statistics
on the same page there were filed in u
single year, 1887. 1898 new mort>
cages for Sl17 ,152, S57. covering 2,1S7.~
$50 acres of land Counting our popu-
lation at 100000 it maks debt OF
$500 for the head of every family. while
the new debt contracted in 1887 alone.
| $146.25 for each head of family. Rock
Island county for 1887 for lands. $l.317..
| $50; lots, 81 ,974. 1852: personal property,
ss4, 533; total, SO. 376,624. Over 2S per
cent of the lands are mortgaged, and at
an average of SIT 40 an acre.
Our present congress is devising a
scheme to substitute our ships to compete
for foreign trade, as this is done by the
English and foreign countries. l will
read the latest report issued by the bureau
OF statistics at Washington, Dec. 80.
1899 In 1870 S346. 900 of our farm
products went to the Argentine Republic;
in 1888 only $113, 179 was exported from
our farm products; from England ia 1859
TO the same place was "a 0S6. S5l, while
in 1888 they were $3S. 102. 1884 With
Brazil: In 1859 we sold that country
S6,01S,901 worth of goods. In 1888
trade increased to only $7.137. 900. 10
1859 we bought of them S22 419, S19. In
1898 we bought S53, no. 34 Now Mr. L.
Frye has introduced a bill to compen-
safe our ships-to compensate With for>
eign ships who receive subsidies. Sta
tistics show they get 81 500. 900 mail for
the English merchants fleet which has
5, 1856 steamers, representing 81, 100, coo,
600 capital; this is 81 subsidy for every
S244, 900 of capital. Mr.. Frye proposes
a compensation for them of about SO per
mile taI sstS & 1853 S5S tos Bur
den. "a per mile for second class Now,
| ii there is no mistake about this. the COM
pensation for carrying mails from New
York to Liverpool would be $4,000 in
round figures for each voyage. Assuring
a ship would make twelve round trips a
year, the compensation for each ship
would be S216,000 This would be more
than the entire cost of the ship in three
years. But it would cost las a great deal
| to get merchants marine in the foreign
trade equal to that of Great Britain in
this way By the time we had secured
the capacity OF their amount OF tonnage,
/ o ha at laacf COX nhn =
600 year.
What that means needs no explana
ton. All the world pities the poor Irish
man, who. because he can't pay the
'rint," is evicted from his holding; but
wherein is his case harder than that OF
the American agriculturalist, who, be-
cause he can't meet the interest. is dis
possessed Of his home with the loss of all
his investment.
The same contrast appears on the
stage only Farmers Daughter" has
been a popular American play. We SEE
nothing incongruous in the title, but in
England IL would he as meaningless rs
among us would be "Only n Bankers
Daughter" or "Only Rail President;
Son"
The investment of capital has beer
carefully compiled by the best source OF
information obtainable:
On Investments in farm lands 2 per cen
In railroads, steamboats,
| and shipping ...... ................ 4per cen
On investment. in railroad mortgages o per cen
| " In city, tenement and
business houses ................... per cen
on Investments In farm mortgages. per cen
In active mining includ-
| ing cOhl..... $1,000 per cen
On investments in telegraph. telephone,
etc. (actuAl cost .................1 10 per cen
on investments in electric and gas light per cen
| IN banking. ............1 II per cen
" in merchandise ........ 10 per cen
in manufacturing not
| having tariff productions. .......... II per cen
On investments In manufacturing not
having tariff and trust 40 per cen
The farmers case is admirably illus
trated in one Of Esop's inimitable fables
1t is the story of the frogs, who. getting
tired Of their old humdrum ruler, KinG
Log. decided that they would have new
aud spirited sovereign, and so selected
the stork to be the king. who. as soon al
he got fairly over them. proceeded mos
energetically to eat them up. TIL,
American farmers have not only one, blu
many. King Storks in trusts and othe
, monopolies. which their favorite tarif
policy has set over them, and which ar
devouring them with a gusto that prove
them TO be possessed of a most roys
stomach.
The eloquent Patrick Henry said: Nv
can only judge the future by the past.
Look at the past:
When Egypt went down 3 per cent O
her population owned 81 per cent of he
wealth. The people were starving.
When Babylon went down 2 per Ger
. of the population owned all the wealth
!. . The people were starved.
When Persia went down 1 per cent {