Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1891-08-26
T. A. McNEAL WRITES.

ED. INDEX: have read your artI-
ticle entitled Facts for the Alliance
with q mingled feeling OF astOnish-
ment and pain; astonishment at your
assertions and pain that you should
make assertions without information
as to their correctness, and should do
this for political purposes.
You say that of the $25, 04O reduction
in mortgage indebtness for the month
of July, as shown by the recorders
books, SIT 800 was paid by the sale Of
thirty farms Iand thirty farmers lost
their homes, and that nearly everyone
of them has an unsatisfied mortgage
hanging over him. Now what are the
facts. Through the kindness Of our
district clerk and his deputy, / have
been permitted to examine his record
of mortgages satisfied by sale Of the
property. If my count is correct, you
are right in one part OF your statement.
There are thirty confirmed sales and in
these cases the clerk has had the
records III the register Of deeds Office
show satisfaction Of the mortgages in
twenty cases; however, of those thirty.
service was obtained by publication that
is before foreclosure proceedings were
commenced, the mOrtgagors had not
only abandoned the lands. but had left
the state. OF the remaining ten, three
of the mortRaged premises to my Ger
tain knowledge were never occupied ~
homes, and doubt whether q single
one of the mOrtgagOrS has been de-
priVed of his home by tho mortgage
sale. In every case the mortgage has
been satisfied. So that in no case is
there an unSatished mortgage hanging
over anybody. have had something
to do with few of these foreclosures.
In every case l have been connected
with the mortgages were not made BY
farmers at all, but by spectators who
borrowed all that it was possible to
borrow on the lands by means OF ex-
horbitant valuation. Some of these
parties have gone, the Lord knows
where. They never gave, and never
intended to give security equal in value
to the money they borrowed. This was
probably not true of good many Of
these cases, but venture the asser-
ton that out of the thirty cases OF fore
closure you cannot name three where
farmers have been deprived Of their
homes by the mortgage sale.
You may say that the statement that
the mortgage inbtedness Of Barber
county was reduced to the extent of
S25, 04O was misleading, think 80 my
self, and to the extent that 1t was mis-
leading it should not have been made;
but it was not nearly so misleading or
harmful as your statement that thirty
farmers had been deprived Of their
homes by these mortgage sales. 1t may
be good politics, Mr.. Editor, to parade
our sores continually, to publish to the
world that every scratch is gaping
wound, and that every pimple is seri'
Gus abcess, but it isn't business.
The man who succeeds in business
will always put his best foot foremost
He will never magnify his misfOrtunes
You are interested in the welfare Of
this community; you want people tt
come here and settle with uS and inves
their money, and yet for the sake o.
helping your party you pour out you
tale of woe, more mOurnful than th'
coyotes howl. You try to make tn
outside world believe that thirty hon
est, Woodworking farmers IN the mont
Of July, were closed out OF house an
home, and thrown upon the cold CHAIR
ty of the world. Why, If that were tru
you had better not publish it, but t
publish it when 1t is not true, is abOm
Unable.
The theory has been advanced tina
men will be punished after death in &C
cOrdance with their deeds here OF
earth. II that is true, friend Mus
grove, fear that you and other ALI
ance leaders will be afflicted with con
, slant belly ache through all the ages G
, eternity. Yours Truly,
T. A, MCNBAL..