Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1891-04-02
Barton County All Right.
VerbecK. Kan. March 25th, i

Verbecs, Kan., March 25th, 1891
EDITOR DEMoCRAT:
With your permission / wish to make
brief reply to the communication in a
recent DEMOCRAT of the honorable
gentleman who represents about two
fifths of the voters of this county in the
legislature. He first assumes that his
esty there is in the state, and that both
of the old parties, and especially the
republican party, are composed of
nothing but corruption and dishonesty.
1 will say that the republicans and
democrats are just as honest as men,
bers of his party, and the officers elect
ed by them are just as honest as the
officers elected by the alliance.
The item of tax appears to worry this
guard of the state treasury; and he
claims further that the farmer paws
about all the tax. But what are the
facts? On any average 30 foot lot in
Great Bend that has house on it that
cost $500, the owner will pay more tax
than is paid on the average 160 acre
farm. But it appears from his article
that :he money lenders and merchants
are the bad tax dodgers" Granted
that they do dodge some; but how about
wheat being assessed at ten cents a
bushel when it is worth so cents, to
say nothing about the 'shrinkage- of
- olo@ l4 &c
March?
But why all this gush about not
knowing what the exposition would
cost us, when the exact amount is given
in the appropriation bill? In 1876, at
the centennial, Kansas paralyzed the
rest of the country with her display
and as result got half a million set
tiers. and it is pure hide-bound mean
ness that 100000 was not voted this
time to put KaLSas in the band wagon.
But when he comes to the railroads
and loan companies they appear to be
the worst of the whole lot. / do not
know that they are saints, or that they
pretend to be, yet the construction of
the Mo. 2. r. r. added more to the
saleable value of the farms tributary
thereto than the cost of the railroad;
and the construction of the K. 2. and
A. L. & S. F. railroads made it possible
for this country to be settled; and as
far as the loan companies are concerned
L will say there is not man in the
| county who came here before 1885, who
has made loan on his land, but got,
or could have gotten, double the amount
| in loan that his land ever cost him;
and will say further, that there is not
a local money lender in this county but
who could have made more money to
| have invested in good unimprOved land
| than to have loaned mis- money at per
cent. a month. Now for the facts: In
| 1873 all the good land that be-
longed to the K. p. II. II. i'm Fairview,
Wheatland. Union, Beaver and Cleve-
land townships was worth S3 per acre,
on eleven years credit, % per cent. of
for cash. Since January 1st. 1891,
there have been sixteen quarter sections
of land sold in Beaver township at SIG
or over per acre, in cash, for the unim.
proved land. Thas it will be seen that
an investment in these lands has paid
oyer per cent. a month for the past
thirteen years. and had the wheat crop:
of 1889 and 1890 been applied to the
payment of farm mortgages there
would not be a dollar remaining un
paid.
All this howl about the poverty
stricken condition of Kansas is no'
founded on facts, for the farmers o.
this county are in as good principa
condition as the same number of per
sons in any county in the United States
without reference to their occupation
After the two past immense crops o
wheat, and the immense increase in tn
price of our land for the past thirteeI
years. this county is surely unfortunat
in having persons who persistently pro
claim that we are all on the verge o
!, poverty and starvation.
". w. SowARDs
No man or woman or the humbles
\ Il