Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1891-04-18
Eartta 1Hertsets,
The Failing Farmers of the w
New Orleans Picayune.

@'N" DN'NN--S -NN'1 $500
The most radical opinions that have
come to the surface as q result of the
agitation by the Farmers Alliance
movement appear to have had their
origin in Kansas. There the agricul-
tural classes have suffered most and
naturally they are the loudest in'their
demands for relief.
A large portion of Kansas is subject
to drouth to such an extent that a
failure of crops is the rule. An occa-
sional fair yield is the exception.
The farmers of that section are the
ones who are swallowed up in an
avalanche of mortgages. In special
telegram from Topeka, Kan, to the
Chicago Tribune, we find much in
formation, from which we make eX-
tracts. 1t states that:
The bill passed by the legislature
appropriating 100000 to purchase
seed wheat for impoverished farmers
in the western part of this State, was
voted for by many of the legislators
under protest. The eastern part Of
the State is growing tired of support
ing the west. In that portion of Kan
sas west of the sixth principal merid-
ian agriculture has never paid. 1t
comprises about $1,000 square miles
more than one>third of the State
and is now virtually owned by mort
gage and investment companies.
Unless some successful system of ir-
rigation can be discovered, the coun-
try must finally be abandoned. The
settlers have no means, and the loan
companies will not furnish any more
money for improvements. The long,
est period of drouth the State mas ever
known occurred last summer, and as
a result some 10000 families which
had struggled along for years in the
hope of a good crop year were COM
pletely bankrupted. Those who had
friends in the East who would furnish
them with the money to satisfy the
chattle mortgages on their teams
packed their prairie schooners and left
their 1Arms to the loan companies
In this way thousands of acres of land
passed into the possession of the loar
companies, mortgaged for twice theil
actual value.
To Offset the parching drOuth o.
summer, the winter climate is very
severe. There are no forests to fur,
nish firewoOd, and, although there il
coal, it has to be transported for Ions
distances. From the dispatch men
toned above we learn:
Many of the smaller farmers were
compelled to burn their furniture anC
outhouses, and an emergency bill Wa
passed ilstructing the warden of TIT
State Penitentiary to furnish coal FIRE,
of charge, upon the order Of the Rail
road Commissioners, from the Stat
coal mines of Lansing. Following
the appeal for fuel came another 70
seed wheat, and the eastern part O
the State, while willing to give assist
ance to relieve immediate suffering
objected. They argued that tru
charity would prompt them to max
an appropriation to get the impOver
ished western farmers out of the State
1t was contended that it was doin
the people an injustice to prOvid
seed wheat for farmers to experiment
with, when there had been a practi
cal demonstration of the fact thu
agriculture could not be successful
carried on. Mr.. Duncan, the repre-
sentative from Labette County, III
clared in a speech that the distrit
which applied for aid "was only il
tended by God as a habitation fC
owls, prairie dogs, and coyotes an
a number of Senators made similf
declarations.
In consequence of such a state
things it results, as the telegram d
clares, that
The section of the State which ha
been the greatest sufferers by drOut
have been the most revolutionary
their ideas concerning the fnanci
and land legislation. The fear TIL
loan and investment compani
would foreclose on the farms upC
which mortgages were held and ope
ate them in common, is accountab
in a large measure for the alien lar
ownership bill. Western Kansas HI
been populated to a great extent
land corporations operating throug
foreign agents. There is little none
in circulation. Many of the me
who were instrumental in populatiu