Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1892-01-21
Deceiying the Farmers.


John Davis, Of Junction City, has
introduced bill In congress which
provides that when man fails to pay
his mortgage debt or interest, the gov
eminent is to step in, pay of the entire
mortgage and take lien upon the
debtors farm for its future payment
The debtor is to have 20 years In which
to pay back the money, by paying |
per cent per annum for the use Of 1t
during that long period.
Notwithstanding the absurdity OF
this bill and the extreme imprObabilitJ
that IL will ever be taken out Of the
pigeon hole where 1t was placed by tue
committee TO Which II was referred, II
is calculated to do much harm to the
farmers Of Kansas who are being mis-
led by the false hopes created by thus
INSCRIPTIONS political demagogue. 1t
In humiliating but true that there are
hundreds OF farmers in this state Of
free schools aud free speech who have
by this ranting hypocrlte been led to
believe that congress is going to be 50
extremely foolish as to authorize tue
government 10 loan 500, 100000 To
Kansas farmers at per cent per
annum. Tue more intelligent class Of
farmers are not deceived by Mt. DAVIS
aud they are wisely making every
effort to honestly pay of their mort
cages and are actually doing 80 at All
increased rate every month. The tact
that hundreds OF farmers who voted
the peoples party ticket are renewing
their loans at 0, 7 and 8 per cent per
annuin shows concluslvrly that they
are not relying to any great extent upon
the foolish promises Of Davis aud
PETER to get them money ut or . per
cent. But there are others who are
totally deceived by Mr.. Davis, They
firmly believe in class legislation them-
selves, and they have implicit conf
drnce to believe that these alliance
congressman are going to furnish them
money ut per cent to pay oil their
mortgages. The result Is they are
making no effort to accumulate suili'
Clrnt means by the honest aud honor
able methods Uf their more prudent
nrighbors to pay off their mortgages,
nor even To keep down tho accrniug
interest. Their policy seems 10 be to
permit the aggregate amount TO be.
come as large rs possible doubtless
upon the theory that they will get 80
much more money at a very low rate of
interest.
Such hills as Mr.. Davis introduced
last week will teud to increase this
debt paying ind ference upon the part
Of his blind followers. 1t will renew
their hopes Of getting the parental
hand OF the government tn reach forth
and pay their debts. Many Of them
will thus permit their mortgage indebt-
edness to accumulate beyond their
power To redeem and the result will he
a foreclosure and sale. One farmer NJ
this county only last week when i'm
pOrtuned to pay bis mortgage, In Al!
apparent sincerity stated that TO do 30
he would have to renew his mortgage
and pay 3 per cent straight for the
money. aud he proposed to wait until
the alliance got control Of congress aud
than he would get more at one per cent,
The chances are that this poor deluded
mortal will "sin away" hiS day Of
grace, depending upon these visionary
schemes put In his head by John Davis
and men OF like ilk until the mortgage
and accrued interest will take his
farm. The introduction Of such i'm
practicable schemes aud their advo-
cacy by the leaders of the peoples
party is encouraging just such improve
dent steps as Is being taken by this
Dickinson county farmer. The hold.
ing out of false hopes is always
wrong, but 1t is doubly wrong
when its inevitable result is not only
the loss of the thing hoped for, but by
creating a spirit Of rest and indlffrr-
ence II deprives the weak OF even that
which they already possess.