The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1892-02-26
NEW LIFE IN KANSAS.
After a Distasteful Dose Come
Good Results.
No More Calamity Whines-Farmers TAX
ing Care of Their Mortgages-A Record
That Any State Might BE Proud Of
Stories Told by Farmers.

There seems to be a new life in Kan
sas-a rejuvenation. AS sick child is
sometimes forced to take pikery, the
most distasteful of medicines, Kansas
was forced to take a liberal dose of
the peoples party medicines. In both
cases, while the taking was extremely
disagreeable, the results proved good.
Taking up the weekly papers notices
like the following are found in nearly
all OF them, indicating the new life:5
sc. w. Zimmerman is rejoicing this
week in having lifted the mortgage
from his farm of 12O acres, which he
now owns The mortgage was put on
ten years ago for 500. The interest. has
amounted to near Y as much more"
That was in Chautauqua county. In
Montgomery county was another case,
more etfectually proving the possibili-
ties:
THE farm left by John T. Reed,
who died from the effect of an acci-
dental gun-shot wound about year
ago, has been freed from the mortgage
which encumbered it at the time of his
death. The young widow, having an
encountered farm and an orphaned
child, managed the place, was success
full, and in the one short year has Sc
cured her home of eighty acres free of
debt"
Another report comes from away out
in Haskell county, in the wild" re-
gion. A settler placed 5000 on his
homestead. He found merchant will
/ 70 oAx
which he promised to pay two bushels
for one. He borrowed SO in money
and then went to work sowing large
acreage of wheat This winter he paid
back his seed wheat, sold his crop, paid
off his mortgage indie btedness, pur-
chased a new team, and has S4O) to h is
credit in bank"
These instances might be multiplied
by the thousand, and the statements
then would cover but half that might
be told. These, however, explain how
the total Indebtedness of the state was
reduced SIG, ,s55, $40 during the year
1890, and probably $50, 900, 900 more in
1891. In the midst of their calamity
campaign the farmers of Kansas found
they were rapidly paying off their debt
in addition to increasing their home
luxuries. This light caused them to
pause and wonder what a real effort.
aided by good season, would do for
them. The greater number at once
abandoned the calamity leaders and
determinedly set about redeeming the
credit of the state. They no longer
talked per capita" circulation. While
their aggregate indie btedness was large,
they discovered that the average mort
gage Indebtedness of assessed acreage
was but S4.O5, the lowest of any west
ern or southern state. They found,
also that the average debt on the mort
gagged lots was but S25S, again lower
than any other western state. They
found further that the average life of a
mortgage in Kansas was but three and
one-half years, as against four years in
Illinois and five years in Iowa, the next
lower states.
The song of woe changed: the notes
were quicker and more cheerful, and
they found in the new tune so much
music that they liked it, and resolved
that the more modern melody was far
better fer them than the doleful sounds
that had been coming from the rasp-
ing throats of Lease, Simpson, Clover
Diggs, McLallan, Scott and others of
the same ilk. The Kansas farmer
found himself wondering who these
self-appointed leaders were, and how
they were educated. AS the scales fell
from the eyes of the long deluded
farmers, they began to see that their
old leaders had been using figures as
does the child when he first begins to
count, IA, 8, Il, 6, p ., :, thinking
the sequence perfect, and feeling proud
of his effort. Then comes realiza-
ton that some one had been paying
these people literally for all this
counting, and the cry for more was
still going up.
In 1SSS the number of mortgages,
both farm and lot, was 317, 419; in 1889
this numb ber was raised to 3S3, 939, and
in 1890 the number fell to 29S, $50, while
since that time there has been a de-
crease of almost 100, 000 The farm
mortgages alone decreased from 22S, $40
in 1889 to 203, S12 in 1890. These figures
prove a most gratifying state OF affairs,
still preaching the doctrine of despair.
a few days ago your correspondent
met an alliance lecturer who resides in
the north part of the state. He was be-
wailing the condition of his people, and
declared that only an unlimited issue
of fiat money, to be loaned to the farm
ers at one per cent, would dispel the
present gloom. After he had gone
farther and denounced the "Shylocks
of the east, who are bleeding the poor
farmers of the west of interest money"
the question was asked him:
do you personally know of farmers
who have become involved in order to
secure bread and clothing?"
"Yes, hundreds of poor families who
have sacrificed all in order to keep
from wearing rags"
"Will you kindly name a few-in
confidence, you know.?'
"Well, l can't just name them, but 1
do know of such instances"
Are you mortgaged?" asked the cor
respondent.
"Yes sir, am, and l am now in the
grasp of the merciless, dishonest aristo-
Gratis of the east
Were you forced to mortgage your
home TO provide for your family?'
MY home is free from all debt,
thank God They can't take that away
from mer'
Then, what have you under mort
gage?"
He paused a moment, looked around
L. 4l.N
were no listeners, and then said: