Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1892-10-01

/ KANSAS, HEALTHY CONDITION.
Why Not s.Stand Up for kansas''
When Il 10 Shown By the United
States Census to be the Most
Prosperous State In the Onion2
There are men who delight in warp
ing and twisting figures in order to
show that their state is deep in the miro
of distress. Prosperity is bitter pill
to them, which is taken with wry faces.
The fact is that Kansas was never in
healthier condition, and no other state
in the Union equals it's prosperity.
There is heavy bonded Indebtedness,
but the collateral is SO good that it
might be increased four times and yet
we would be able to pay every cent and
have money left upon which to do bus
mess. The existing debt OF the state
January LIST, 1880, secured by real es-
tate mortgage, aggregated 1886, 485, los
census bulletin No. 14). OF this total
amount, $167, 145, 039, or 20 per cent,
was on acres-almost exclusively farms
and $6S, 34O,069, or 80 per cent, on
city lots.
The true value OF all property in
Kansas, taxed and untaxed, is estimated
by the census Office at S1,646, 600, 0O0.
The mortgage Indebtedness Of the state
-S235, 485, 10S-wouid therefore be but
IA. 81 per cent Of the true valuation OF
all property in the state.
The assessed value of taxable acres in
Kansas in 1889, the time when the
enumeration of mortgage Indebtedness
closed, was $173, S01, 01O; the mortgage
indebtedness against acres was $751;
145, O39, q difference in favor Of the acres
Of $6,655,971; this on assessments OF
land conceded to be at one-fourth OF the
cash value. The assessed value Of town
lots was SIG, 330,671. the mortgages
against these being S68. 340,069. This
gives q margin of $780, 02, at valu-
alton of one-fourth the cash value. The
account would stand like this on the
assessed valuation:
Full mortgage debt per taxable acre.......-$387
Assessed value of taxable aero page 1876 Au-
ditJr report 1890 ......-................. 4S
Or, making the statement read as the
creditor would look at it, We have:
Average cash value of land per taxable acre $1e12
Average amount of debt Fer acre sS7
Margin per
Nearly % per cent Of the total mort
gage indebtedness was found in the
seven counties of Cowley, Dickinson,
Reno, Shawnee, Sumner and Wyandotte.
The census superintendent says; ''Of
the total debt in force against acres "a
per cent is on real estate in the western
halt of the state, where values are low
and where settlement was made but q
few years ago upon public land. This
has great effect upon state averages
based on value" As every Kansas cit
izen knows, very large proportion Of
this latter class of Indebtedness was
contracted by men who were leaving
the country, and who looked upon the
loan as a sale 80 far as they were con-
cerned.
It is claimed by many that the mort
gage debt of Kansas does not represent
money borrowed, but was a part of
purchase money. In careful analyza-
ton of the purposes for which the
money borrowed on 1858 mortgages
in five counties was used, the superin-
tendent of the census says: ut is safe
to say that three-fourths of the debt of
Kansas was incurredi.for purchase money
and improvements (see census bulletin
No. 14). Having debt hanging over
us, how can we pay it?
It is self-evident proposition that
the value of farm products will be moro
IN the next five years than they were in
the past five. The value of the farm
products in Kansas for the five years
ending with and including 1890, was
$612, OOO, 900 in round numbers, an av-
erage for each year Of 1922, 900, 900.
Should the value Of the farm products
Be Is great during the next five years,
it will require only ~ per cent Of the
annual production to pay of in full the
farm mortgage given BY the the census
bulletin. The estimated living expenses
of the Kansas farmers amount to $780,
O00, 900 annually. Deductmg this from
the value Of farm products, and at the
end Of five years, after sustaining them
selves and paying their mortgages, the
farmers would have left $58, 1000, 900 in
cash or products. This is not taking
into account the increase IN the next five
years that can naturally be expected
over the past five years.
These statements are borne out by
the facts reported. there being released
prior to June, 1892, in 81 counties, $780,
49,, 1863 Of mortgage Indebtedness,
clear gain of S4,437, 159. Or % per cent
over the mortgage indebtedness in
Cured.
It has been said that 'our indebted
ness represents our prosperity" The
value of Kansas farms in 1880 was
$685.. zoe, 900: in 1890 the value of Kan
sas farms was. according to close esti-
mates, $500. 900, 900, gain of nearly
$685., 100000. In 1880 the number of
taxable acres in Kansas was, in round
numbers, 1880, 900; in 1890 the mum
ber of taxable acres was over 43.000,-
0(10 or almost 0ouhla HAVING mora