The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-05-18
CONCERNING KANSAS MORTGAGES.

The tariff debate now on in congress
affords occasion for bringing out and
! exposing many unjust and unwarranted
ISLANDERS upon the committees and states
Some of these exposures are sent out in
the press dispatches. but the Congress
ional Record contains the verbation report
of the debates and from that the sub
joined coloquial discussion is taken:
Mr. Peters. of Kansas-But | want to
say in answer to a great many state
ments which have been made in regard
to the farmers of Kansas and the mort
gage-Iidden people Of Kansas, that the
statements which have been made as to
the condition of the farm mortgages
there are largely misleading, are unwar-
ranted by the facts, and are utterly unre-
liable and exaggerated.
Nh McMillin-Were the statements
you made before the committee on
ways and means exaggerated. Laugh
ter.
Mr. Peters-No, sir. At that time
corn was selling as low as ten cents a
bushel That statement was a fat; and
vet without reference, Mr.. Chairman, to
the tariff, without reference to any legis-
lation which may be pending in the
house, the price Of corn has gone up to
tWentv-three cents a bushel and all of
the dependency of men who hOwled
against the tariff have gone to the winds.
Applause on Republican side.
The greatest enemy of the Democratic
party, the greatest enemy of all those
who oppose the Republican party, is
prosperity to the farmer; and the in
crease of the price Of corn and wheat
and other commodities in Kansas has
brought about the discontinue of the
maligners of the fair name and fame Of
the farmers Of that state.
But | want to call the attention of the
committee to another fact. A statement
has been made by number Of gentle
men on the floor that there are upon
record mortgages amounting to $780,
coo, 600 on the farms of Kansas. l want
to make as emphatic as | can denial of
the statement. There is not One-third of
that sum
Mr. Dockery-Does the gentleman
mean to admit that there are $780, 00,
600 on the farms of Kansas in the shape
Of mortgages?
NJ. Peters-No, sir. deny it most
emphatically.
1Ir. Dockery-I so understood the gen
tleman.
Mr. Peters-Yes, and you are under
standing a good many other things that
are equally as unreliable. But the
records will show the facts. A careful
examination of the records of Kansas
shows that the mortgages upon farms of
that state do not exceed $50, 000, 900.
And vet when the Democratic campaign
was going on the Democratic crowd
went all over Kansas proclaiming that
there was over $500. 600. 900. and the
statement has gone abroad throughout
the whole length of the land. Now,
what does that include: Why, it in
cludes mortgages upon all the railroad
The AtchisOn, Topeka & Santa
Fe railroad has mortgage upon itsroad-
bed and rolling stock recorded in every
county through which it runs. The
same is true of the Missouri Pacific, San
Francisco and the Rock Island
Mr. Anderson, of Kansas-And the
Union Pacific.
Mr.. Peters-Yes, and the Union Pa
cific. OF course. if the amount of mort
cages on all of the railroads in the state
Is taken into consideration. and they
have to be recorded ins every county
which the lines run, you can
fix the amount of the mortgage indebted
ness Of the state at almost any figure
YOU please and create an impression that
Kansas is mortgaged to death. But l
state on high authority that an examina- |
ton of the records will show that the |
farm mortgages of Kansas today does !
not exceed $4,000 GOO, and it is more
Mr.. Peel-Wiu the gentleman yield |
for a question?
Mr.. Peters-NeS.
Mr.. Peel would like to ask the gen !
tlemen whether. if they have an indebt- !
adness even of Sj0, zoe. 900, there is mar
ket enough for corn. Kansas corn raised /
in the state. to pay it off:
Mr.. Peters. Yes. sir, and let me tell /
the gentleman that the increase in price /
in the last thirty days from 13c to pc /
bushel on corn has made Kansas ,000,- /
poo alone. Applause on the Republican
,ideI. because we have that quantity of /
corn on hand ready 10 sell, and the in
,rease in value of l0c and 12c bushel
viii bring to that state 100000, 900 of
surplus money. Applause.