The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-07-24
PERKINS ANSWERS PETER.
The Senator Defends the People of Kan
sas and Says the State is Getting
Out of Debt.

in the course of his address took occasion
to deny the statement of Senator PETER
that the people of Kansas and other
western states were ID a bankrupt con-
dition. Senator Perkins attempted to
show something OF the progress and
growth of Kansas and in the course OF
his remarks said: My friend will re-
member that in our early days in Kan
sas. when the lands were opened TO set
Element in southeastern Kansas, where
at the time we both resided the TAR
mers were compelled to pay from 10 to
81 per cent. a year interest to secure the
money with which to deed their houses.
This was an exhorbitant rate, but our
section was new, and it was the best our
people could do. Many of them lost
their homes, finding themselves unable
to pay the money borrowed and the un-
reasonable rate of interest charged.
But our country was settled,
our lands improved, our homes
beautified, our towns built. our railroads
constructed, our obligations met, our
credit advanced, until 1890, when the
farmers of Kansas were able to borrow
money at as low q rate of interest as the
farmers of Indiana and Illinois. Money
was sent to US By thousands and millions
for investment; our credit as state and
our reputation as people had become so
good that all the east sought our bonds
and mortgages as an investment, ana
the farmers were able to borrow money
at per cent. interest per annum and
small commission.
''If these conditions have changed,
have the political conditions wrought
them? Is it because cont ence has been
destroyed? Is it becausea who loan
money have been denounced as robbers
and wrongdoers? Is it because 1t has
been publicly proclaimed that farmers
cannot pay their debts? Is it because
open Reputation has been advocated
in some sections of the country, and
violence and resistance of the laws
in others, to prevent the collection OF
debts honestly contracted? Is it because
we hear of new political organization
that not only desires the free and I'M
limited coinage of silver upon the old
basis of 1e to /, but that advocates the
land loan scheme, tie sub-treasury plan,
fiat, irredeemable currency!
Mr.. President, l speak for the bright
and beautiful prairies of Kansas. L
speak for the people that may be mis-
guided and deceived at times, but
people that desire to be honest. and
that are intensely patriotic; people
that at this time are getting out OF debt
and paying more than million of dol
lars a month on their mortgaged OBJ
legations, and that intend to redeem IN
full measure their promises and plIghted
faith; people that intend that the
credit of Kansas shall again stand
among the best in the entire sisterhood
of states; people that have faith in the
government of the United States and
the virgin soil of our prairie state;
people that believe within the boun-
diaries of our own commonwealth hon
esty, industry, frugaiity, intelligence
and patriotism will rear the state
that will be pride to our country and
an honor to our republic; people that
do not believe in a fiat, irredeemable
currency or the paper currency of Rhode
Island issued at the close of the revolu-
tionarv war, or the wildcat banking
scheme of Michigan under the act Of
1897, or the banking scheme of Alabama
under the act of 1928, or the crop-movng
currency of Mississippi under the act OF
1888 or schemes of like character any
where; a people that believe III a sound
currency and safe financial legislation;
a people that believe IN bi-metailism and
hence hail with delight the disposition
manifested by the governments OF
Europe to respond favorably to the IN
vitation of President Harrison to meet
in international conference and to agree
upon safe and staple basis for the free
and unlimited coinage of both gold and
silver in all the commercial nations OF
the world.
my distinguished colleague has called
attention to the depressed condition or
agriculture. He has given you figures
tending to show that during the last
decade the agricultural sections of the
west and south did not prosper and in
crease in wealth with the manufacture
ing sections of the east. | do not doubt,
Mr.. President, the sincerity of my col
league, and knowing HIM as do, be-
lieve he desires to be fair and manly In
the discussion of all public questions,
but unfortunately for him l am afraid
that he has, innocently of course, con-
rracted the habit of overlooking and ig-
noring all facts and figures that DO not
sustain him in the conclusions that he
desires to reach. My colleague pre-
sented and had published as part of
his speech the census bulletin of August
%: 1891, from which he collected his fg-
ures. and while the bulletin shows him
to have been fairly correct IN his arith-
metic. it convicts him at the same time
of having been woefully wrong in his
conclusions.
1.-The bulletin shows. as stated by my
colleague, that the six New England
states, with New York, Pennsylvania
and New Jersey, added SS3, 054. 1852, 722 TO
their taxable wealth during the last de-
cade, and that the states of Virginia,
North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia,
Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana.
Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, West
Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Mis-
souri,. Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas mine
teen in all, and not twenty-one as staaed
by my colleague added but 1885,
195. 657 to their taxable wealth
during the same period OF time, but my
colleague failed to observe that the taxa
bic wealth of the nine states first men
toned by him greatly exceeded at the
commencement of the last decade the
taxable wealth Of the other nineteen
states named. and that while the in
crease during the decade was as stated
by him, yet the average per cent OF IN
crease was in favor of the nineteen states
that he puts into the unfortunate
column.
In other words. the very bulletin
used by mv friend shows that the aver
age per cent of increase IN the taxable
wealth of the SIX New England states
with New York, Pennsylvania and New
Jersey, during the last decade was but
80. Sc uer cent. while for tie ether nine