The Iola register., 1891-07-17

All over the country there
is nothing doing in realestate.
Only here and there you hear of a farm
being sold. Men who are clear of debt
hold their property at high figures,
and yet the state ement is true that, tax
ing the farms of the state generally,
they would not sell for more than the
mortgage debt. Indeed, that state
ment can be proven by the Capital
itself. On the 3lst day of last August
that paper contained reports from
forty-three counties in the state. The
reports, which were said to be official,
show that farms-not wild land, but
farms-were being sold in Kansas under
foreclosure sales at the rate of over
5000 a year. The Capital record
covered six months of the year, showing
less than one half OF the counties in the
state; utthe Capital, not the Kansas
Farmer. made comparison for the
whole state based upon the figures
given by the fortythree counties, show
ing that if the same proportion held
good for the entire state, the total
number OF sales Of farms under mort
gage foreclosure proceedings was equal
to 2, $50 for six months. We take the
liberty of extending the same proper
tion over the whole year; that gives US
for one year, in Kansas, $500 farms
sold to satisfy mortgage debts, and
these are the Capitals own figures
PETER in Yesterdays Kansas Farmer.
| A veritable arsenal of ammunition
for the calamity walters is that report
published just a year ago by the Capt.
tai. showing that in sixty of the t06
counties of the state, the other forty
six not reporting, that the number of
farm mortgage foreclosure sales for six
months had been 1,490, an average of
twenty-five to each county, or little
less than one per county per week.
Had the other forty-six counties re-
portee the same average, it would have
been reasonable estimate that 1900
farms were sold by means of fore
closure during the year in the whole
state.
To this day these figures are walled
from the stump and reiterated in their
newspaper columns by the agitators,
the statement being that $500 families
were evicted during the year by the
bloodthirsty and unprincipled money
power.
Just what basis the Capitals report
gave for this maudlin clamor may best
be shown by quoting from the letters of
the county clerks in the report. The
statements are for six months ending
June 30, 1890.
In Brown county there had been no
farm mortgage foreclosures in the en-
tire six months, and only thirteen in
three years.
In Atchison there was none.
In Wyandotte there had been none
for two years.
In Shawnee there were two.
In Grant there was but one.
In jefferson there were four and the
clerk OF the court wrote: "On inquir-
ing of the register of deeds, 1 find that
the mortgage indebtedness of the coun-
ty is steadily decreasing"
In Linn there were five.
In Jackson there had been thirty in
three years, including real estate of all
kinds.
In Dickinson there were twenty-three
and the clerk wrote: These sales are
the result of speculative loans and can
not be attributed to failures of farmers
at all. The sales where farmers have
actually failed while living on their
farms are very few"
There were 10 in Woodson. and the
clerk wrote: 'In addition to the above
l might add that the most of these
farms were not occupied by the par
ties who contracted the mortgages, and |
some OF them had been vacated alto |
gether."
Morris had % sales, and the clerk
wrote: ~ personally know that 20 of |
these sales were caused by the parties
owning the land, with the assistance of |
agents, getting as much and sometimes
more than the land was worth and then
never doing anything more with it"
Are new parties TO be formed to take
care of this kind of "farmers?n
Rocks had 4S, and the clerk wrote:
"Nine-tenths of these foreclosures are
where the parties have left the county,
and they have to get service by publi-
cation"
There were 1S in Wilson, and the
clerk wrote: Our sheriff says that
when the mortgages were made the
arms were well sold in every case"
1t looks as if the money power" were
bitten in these cases. The farmers"
got out in excellent shape.
There were only s in Miama and the
,lerk explains: Some of these farms
NCIC oO "Cll IuOTISd0cu JndL lncy were I
deserted long before the sale" That
iidn't leave very many to be ''evicted."
In Neosho - werc sold, The clerk
wrote: There is no doubt in my mind
hat foreclosures in our county are
greatly on the decrease, and our regis
er's Office shows at this time that
mortgages made or renewed on land In
his county are on the decrease con-
tantly. l will state in addition that in J
learly every instance (of foreclosure ..
ales) the defendants were non-residents
II the state: that is, they had mortga-
red the land for all they could get and
hen left the country. Perhaps two or
hree exceptions to this"
Twelve farms were sold in Sheridan j
ounty and the clerk added: ''To nv I
but in one these cases the s
wner was residing on the land sold. A 6
'reat many mortgage. for all they can I
'et with the intention of leaving. There I
re several cases on the docket for the
ext term but in all cases the land is S
acated. In some cases interest has G
ot been paid since October. 1888. I
his compels the companies to fore @
lose to protect themselves" Another /
Instance where the money power ''held 7
he bag" /
There were about forty-three ia Har- t
er and the clerk wrote: ''In the ma a
-