The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1890-05-03

SHYLOCA AND HAS bONOmEN.
A resident Of Bottineau writes as follows:
Last spring settler who had lost his crop
by frost. and had not the means to buy seed,
applied to mcney-loaner who had adver-
tissd to supply seed TO those in need and
take security on the crop. The best bargain
be could make was to pay $l. so per bushel
for No. l North ern and II per cent. interest.
After signing the papers he received An or
der on the Elevator c C'mpany for 20 bushels,
took the 20 bushels to neighbor' Q, and
cleaned three bushels Of dirt and chicken
feed out of it The nsighbor saved sample,
took il to the elevator. and asked how much
he would give for such wheat. The reply
was: your wheat 10 rejected, and Is worth
48 cents This fall the settler threshed
from the l84 bushels 10 bushels, and his wife
spent days under the hot sun cutting some
of it with table knife. In October, money
loaner notifies settler that II not prepared
TO meet his notes to call and he will carry
him over He Is as good rs his word, but
the settler finds that the 20 bushels ofre-
jected wheat that cost $40 last fall now cost
$50, and his three COWS, yoke Of cattle, and
implements. in fact his all mortgsged to
secure payment Of 20 bushels rejected
wheat
Itwould perhaps, be going too far to say
that this example, too frequent just now in
the dried out upland counties Of central Da-
kota, is exactly counterpart Of anything
here. But there ia no use blinking the fact
that the per cent. per mounth man is here
and getting in his work to the probable ruin
Of most Of his victims and the serious loss
Of the country. No one can fix an exact
rate. and say that is the highest which the
creditor osn honestly exact, and the debtor
without certainty Of ruin pay. But tits too
certain that there are and have been such
cases, and the more the pity. History, it 10
said, often repeats itself. There 10 . bit Of
very old history which reads very like the
experience Of those farmers, no matter
which side the line they are on. The down
hill career Of tho improvident and unfor-
tunats farmer 10 the same to-day - in the
days Of Joseph when that year was
ended, they came unto him the second year,
snd said unto him. No will not hids ii from
my lord, how that our money is spent; my
lord hath also our herds 81 cattle; there is
=.
not aught loft in the sight Of my lord, but
our bodies and our lands. Wherefore shall
ws die before thine eyes both We and our
landsf Buy us and our land for bread, mad
We ard our land will Be ssrva9te unto Pha-
raoh; and giys us seed that we may live and
not die. Ii one respect the serf Of the
Pharaohs had an advantage over ) dried
out farmer In the new north west, shall tho
farmer say q Devils Lake, Dakots, 50 as
not 70 wound tie susceptibilities Of .rsspec.
able" bankers near homo. His owner was
careful to feed him over bad season OF two
On the probability that n good season tho
profit made out Of him would rspey the osst
81 keeping him alive. The modern money
lender u not bound By constitutional custom
or public opinion TO keep his bondman siive,.
And strips him naked and thrusts him out u
The tender nleroiss Of northern winter,
with the comforting assurance % his pocket &
md his shred Of : conscience, that more
nonsy can b mads ont Of some new eustom-
u, and the public viii Keep lii last one
lfom freezing % dsAth. Nor West Farmer.
Winnipeg