Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-08-02

children. In the exrberance of his ioy tina. he
was able to report no mortgage one man
writes "al settled, God bless your good soul. +"
TARIFF RxroRMzR.
western farmer groaning under O mortgage
OF 81 500 relieves his mind by writing that the
debt was contracted for 'the purpose Of en-
abling me to pay tariff on the things have to
ouy and to make up for the losses sustained by
to SELL"
In Callfornia q Chinaman was found who
had given felow-countryman a mortgage on
nus property of $500, agreeing to pay interest
at the rate Of GO per cent
ALL HE GOT WAS MORTGAGE.
An aspiring politician in the west risked 800
on his political success He confesses to the
Census Office and says that it was to pay ex-
penses OF election. At the close, however, he
writes tho word busted" which indicates that
he lost the election as we'll as the money!
In attempting to explain that his mortgage Of
nearly s5,OJ0 was renewal of an old one, a
western farmer does not refrain from adding:
1--WE cs freo coinage of silver, enlarge our
circulating medium and We can pay our debts. |"
One man confesses that he had paid the
mortgage and that he has the release in his
safe, where he intends to retain il. so that the
curiosity Of his neighbor will not DO gratified
by knowing that he paid it.
SATISFIED WITH HIS INVESTMENT.
Another man justities his going into debt by
explaining that the money raised by the mort
gage, amounting to s11O, was "to make home
pleasant by purchasing an organ to keep my
boy at home, which proved a success, for which
l am proud"
pathetic case Of extreme poverty 10 indi-
Gated by mortgage recorded in a southwest
ern state amounting to Sl3. The indebtedness
has been on record about five years, and dur
ing that period the debtor mad managed to
nnlV nhnnt Thn rriy he
mortgage was widow, and she states that she
used the money to pay the funeral expenses Of
her husband. An ante-bellumld debt is accounted
for by a man who. states that the money was
used to pay for negroes purchased by his father
before the war.
SOME FRANK STATEMENTS.
Perhaps the most remarkable explanation
Was given by man who stated that he was
obliged to borrow the money to pay the dam
ages in suit brought against him for alienat-
ing the affections of another mans wife. He
could not refrain from adding the triumphant
words, Il have her."
Domestic infelicity is given as the cause of
another mans misfortune. He states that he
raised the money to pay the expenses in di-
vorce suit by which he got rid Of an unfaithful
wife.
One OF tho correspondents tersely explains
that his mortgage of $40 was incurred in the
attempt to pay for two sets of false teeth.
THE FARM AND HOME INVESTIGATION.
This inquiry is Independent of the special in
quiry which Mr. Holmes will make and which
Is known as the farm and home investigation.
This will be based upon the census schedules,
but will only include farms and homes occu-
pied by the owners which are mortgaged. 1t
is supposed that there are from three to five
million persons i'll this country who will be in
cluded in this inquiry. An effort will be made
In accordance with the act Of Congress to as
certain how much of the mortgage was unpaid
June /, the value of the farm or house the rate
of interest and the object for which the Indebt-
edness was incurred. The results of this in
vestigation will be looked forward to with
great interest by labor organizations, single tax
advocates, the farmers and by every one inter-
ested in social problems.