The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-08-11
HOLD YOUR KANSAS BONDS.

come somewhat nervous over the exag
gerated reports of the condition of tn
farmers of Kansas, sent out by the ca
lamitv shriekers, and in order to ascer
tain definite information touching mat
tiers in which they were Immediately
interested in a pecuniary way, they EN-
ployed Hon. Henry II. Cleveland, o
Brooklyn. Conn, to visit the state anC
make thorough personal investigation
Following is the main points IN his re
Register of August 5, which will be reaC
with no less satisfaction in this state thar
by the eastern parties in interest:
81 have just finished an investigation
of Kansas farming and financial inter
ests, and we have agreed that few Of
the facts | have gathered may interes
the persons in this state who have loan:
in Kansas, and also those who are look.
ing for good real estate loans or invest
ments. We are not attempting to boom
Kansas; we are not attempting to boom
any corporation in Kansas. We have
endeavored to get the absolute, undeni
able facts in relation to the lands and
their possibilities and to the ability OF
the permanent settlers, to make money
farming, and to pay their mortgage in
debtedness. l travelled nearly the whole
length of the state, from the Mis-
souri, border on the east, to the
Colorado line on the west. Ispent some
| time in nineteen counties in different
| parts OF the state, spending the most OF
| time In the western counties which have
! been so misunderstood and maigned by
newspaper writers and political trick
sters, like PETER and ''Sockless Simp-
SON" L obtained many facts which APP
pear in this letter from personal friends
and farmers of long and large experience
and observation in several counties.
Ny Imagination has furnished
no material for this letter. In
this investigation, l exercised the
same care and thoroughness that l
| did in 1877 when l investigated the real
estate assets in the west, of the life in
surance companies of Connecticut I'M
der an appointment from the state.
My employers desired only plain, cold
facts. These / have given them; Kan
sas is devided into 106 counties, contain
ing population of about 1900, 900, at
least two-thirdS of which are Americans,
one-half of the other third are Germans
and the remainder is composed of all
other nationalities. 1t is conceded by
everybody that the central and eastern
parts OF the state possess almost I'M
limited land resources and that the soil
and seasons are favorable for the produc-
ton of grain, stock, etc. The assaults
that have been made upon Kansas have
been aimed mainly at the western third
of the state 1t has been said and written
over and over that the land is poor, that
they had no rainfall there, that nearly
all the farms started there had been
abandoned and that all the money loaned
Oh farms there would be lost. Now is it
true that farms have been given up,
some voluntarily and some by fore
closure, and the explanation is clear; all
the men who have abandoned their
farms in the way have named were in
two classes. One class would go there,
take quarter section of government
land, break few acres, build a sod
house, do nothing until the
time came to prove up and get
title and then borrow all the money
they could on the farm, which means
sale to the lender The other class were
men who went from the corn states and
tried to raise corn, which cannot be done
successfully in that part of the state, for
the reason that the altitude is too high,
the nights are too cool and that August
and September are the dry months which
damage the crops. Some of these men
got discouraged and went off, others be-
gan to raise wheat and did well. Win
ter wheat is the safe great crop of wes-
tern Kansas. 1t is planted in the fall,
the winter rains and SHOWS keep the
ground in fine condition, and the crop
comes off before the dry weather sets in.
With rare exceptions, the men who went
into western Kansas during the last ten
years, intending to stay, are there if liv-
lngI and are in independent circum-
most of them, and some of them
are moderately rich. They suffer there
from a prolonged drouth,
as we do In this state and as they do IN
all other states.
have some knowledge of all the grain
states. | have Travelled twice over the
famous Red River valley wheat lands in
North Dakota, and | do not hesitate to
say that | have never seen a richer. |
handsomer belt of wheat, and all small |
grain lands, than those | have travelled |
over in western Kansas. A company of |
gentlemen own large body of land in |
Kansas, and | had a long |
with their mana ger, and he |
said he should put in 5000 acres of |
wheat this fall, and next year quadruple |
It. He said to me: Il believe the next |
great wheat belt of the country will be
II western Kansas, eastern Colorado and |
he pan handle of Texas" The crops all |
over Kansas are unusually large, al
hOugh corn in some parts of the state is
little backward, and the excessive
aims have done some damage.
But | must hasten on to a conclusion
" answering two or three questions
am sure will arise in the minds of all
Who read my letter. First, can the
armers pay the interest on their mortg-
IGes, and in due time pay the principal
Not all of them. The foreclosure of |
arm mortgages has been going on in
very western state ever since mOrtg-
gees have been made. / do however be-
leve that If Kansas can add TO its bOunii-
III crop OF this year fair crop next
ear, the loans on farms will be as safe
5 the average employment of capital, in
NY other way. Kansas Is now reduc-
ng its farm mortgage debt as the fol-
owing shows:
Statement Of mortgages recorded and
eleased during June in thirty-eight
Kansas counties, as complied from re-
orts of registers of deeds Nineteen
0uuties in eastern Kansas show
Il excess of $1S4.G95, or So per cent. of
mortgages released over mortgages
ecorded. Five counties in central Kan
as report an excess of over 500, 600, or
3 per cent in favor of mortgages can
e!led, and twelve counties IN western