Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1891-04-09


his readers He went Ia person 10 the
census bureau, mado his business known
20 Mr.. superintendent Porter, whom
he found TO be a very courteous gentle.
man indeed, and there discovered that
the work OF the census bureau Is one OF
great magnitude; and 10 far as this
mortgage question is concerned, that
the figures and amount OF work Is ap-
pauling. II appears, as was published
Ia these columns few weeks ago, that
the total number OF mortgages IN the
country, taking all the farms and the
city lots and the 0utlands together,
amount 10 10000 ia round numbers.
Abstracts OF these are now on file in
the census bureau. IL appears, further
that several OF tho states have already
been attended 10. In the south, Ala
batna, and In the northwest, Iowa, have
been taken as sample states. The next
two states will be, in the south, Tenn
essee, aud In the west, Kansas They
are now under way, but on account OF
the immense mass OF business before
the bureau, and the shortness OF help,
II has been found necessary to abandon
this part Of the work for the present,
and take 1t up again rs soon as some
other pressing work Is disposed Of. The
work Is classified 50 as to show a great
many very interesting facts concerning
the mortgage Indebtedness Of the peO-
pie The first classification Is between
farms and homes, those farms which
are not occupied by their owners; those
which are occupied by renters are not
considered IN this classification az all.
II appears, on a general average, that
there are about one-half as many city
lots under mortgage rs there are Of
farms. 1t appears, further, that SO far
as Kansas is concerned, the average in
debtedness on farm lands--that is 20
say, on different tracts-is about $500,
and that Il is little less than $500 70
the average city lot. Then there are
other classiiications so rs TO show what
was the object OF the Indebtedness, what
was the object OF contracting the debt,
whether ii was for purchase money. or
improvements. or TO pay attorneys fees,
or In the settlement Of estates. or for
the purpose OF purchasing stock, or
or whatever 1t may
be. We wish TO say TO our
readers that this work Is a very im
portant one. We have had a number OF
letters IN this Office, and Senator PETER
has received large number OF inquiries
from friends In the state, asking wheth
or ii Is proper and right that they
should answer the questions which have
been submitted to them by the superin-
tendent of the census concerning the
Of their farms and homes.
We answer emphatically that IL is prop
er TO answer these questions. Cur read
perhaps will remember that when the
subject was being discussed IN the last
more than a year ago, the
Kansas Farmer among other papers
the agricultural interests
Of the people, took strong grounds Ia
favor OF collecting this very inf0rma-
tion, and the Investigations which are
now being made show the Importance OF
It. The people are not aware OF the ex-
tent OF the indebtedness upon their
homes. It Is understood in a general
way that there Is great deal OF indebt-
edness In the country. and individual
owners OF farms and homes know Just |
what the amount OF their individual in
debtedness is; but when we come TO look |
upon the subject as one OF general i'm |
portance, one in which the people MS II |
mass are interested, and for the general |
we discover that individual |
men and women know very little about |
It. So IL was that when the first appr0 |
priation was made for collecting census |
reports there was but very limited and /
Indefinite provision in the law provid- /
ing for the collection OF these mortgage |
and the people, largely /
the influence Of the labor and |
the agricultural press, insisted upon an I
or supplementary act, Civ |
Ing instructions toithe superintendent Of /
the census to collect statistics all over the /
so as b make II not only Of gem /
eral interest but satisfactory in its coll /
lection of matter and in its conclusions. |
Now we are getting H. and II Is sur
Drising TO see what the result Is. We /
hope that our friends in Kansas aud all |
over the country will regard this mat
ter as one OF personal interest 70 Them
selves, and one Of general interest TO
the public, answering all the questions
Just as they are asked touching their
And further we wish TO
state as the people will see from tho
circular letter as which they are re-
,eiving, that every officer Of the census
bureau is sworn TO secrecy In this mat
ter. so that il is a violation OF the law,
with fine and imprisonment
10 disclose any OF the information which
he receives from the people in their
private capacity through answers to
heir questions, and then, when the
arc received, the figures which
hey give are massed along with other
igures, so that when the report is pub
ished to the world nothing whatever
will be known Of the individuals who
rave the information. II will be mass
ID in one general lump, giving the
otals for counties, the totals for states,
he totals for the entire country, leay-
ng the names Of individual persons
out We wish 20 say IN
conclusion that the census officers, all
,f them, from the first to the least,
we're perfectly afiable, pleasant and ac-
20 the editor in giving him
uch information as he desired.-kan-
as Farmer.