Mexico weekly ledger., 1893-01-05
total of it's wealth will be S27 ,O00,-

total of it's wealth will be S27 ,O00,-
600.
LIVE STOCK.
There were, according to the AS
| SCISSORS report in Audrain county,
on the first of last June 80 obs hogs,
29, 4S8 head of cattle, 21,649 sheep,
Is $50 horses, 3,S71 mules and pa
asses worth at market prices $4,-
600, COO.
EXPORTS.
We learn from the State Labor
Commissioners report that. there
was shipped from Audrain county
in 1891 5000 hogs, 1920
head of cattle, 12,OS0 sheep,
$50 horses and mules, 1,075,36O
bushels of oats, 22S, 500 bushels of
corn, 176 ,64S bushels of wheat, 49,
500 barrels of -four, ALSO pounds
of wool, 765,019 pounds of poultry,
6S 1928 pounds of butter, 255,O7O
pounds of hides, 4S1 cars of hay,
1 ,064 cars of fire brick and miseel-
laneous productions estimated by
the commissioner at two and a half
million dollars. 1t is TO be regretted
there is no readily accessible means
of arriving at what the shipments of
the past year amount to. We think,
however, that Audrain county still
leads in the shipment of oats, sheep
and wool.
INDEBTEDNESS.
Audraln has no county debt but
its citizens owe considerable money,
the greater portion of which is Sc
cured by real estate mortgages. In
view of the great resources of the
county this debt is not large and as
these mortgages are mainly held by
Its monied men and institutions
they do not lessen its aggregate
wealth. Under all circumstances
debt is an evil and a continual
source of uneasiness. But there are
circumstances constantly arising
that justify going into it. In set
tied countries it is the only way in
which the industrious poor can
obtain homes. If it is meritor-
ious and advantageous to the poor
of cities to obtain homes by
mourning debt and ~praisewor-
thy in Building Associations to
assist them in doing it, we cannot
see why industrious farmers of linn
tied means should not follow their
example. In cities homes are ex-
pensive to both the rich and poor.
They diminish the revenues of the
wealthy and whether rented or held
under mortgage, they are the source
of constant outlay to the poor. 1t
is different in the country. Farms,
however held, are not only homes
but sources of employment, support
and profit. Of course when a farm
is mortgaged on account of the
sickness or incompetency or ~laziness
of its owner, it is a representative
of misfortune. But the main body
of mortgaged farms in Audrain
county are not of that character.
They rather illustrate the pluck and
enterprise of such of its farmers as
have resorted to that means of Sc
curing homes for themselves and
families. They have done this in
the hope of providing for those de-
pendent on them and reaping from
the cultivation of the farms thus ac-
quired the wherewithal to pay for
them, and every revolving year
proves that their hopes are not
delusive. We have no means of
ascertaining how much of these
mortgages has been liquldated dur
ing the past year. We are certain,
however, that it is the succession of
land and tenement sales that keeps
up the amount Of the mortgages.
From a public point of view these
mortgages demand little considera-
ton. If its lands r properly Gull
tivated it is of nc public Importance
to a county who owns them. The
farms themselves cannot be remoy-
ed and If a mortgage Indebtedness
exists there is always something be-
hind it to meet it.
SOURCES OF PROGRESS.
While Audrain county has been
regularly advancing in population
and wealth there has not been of
late unusual agricultural prosperity
to which the progress noted might
be attributed. For the cause much
of it therefore we must look to other
sources. A great deal Of it came
from the enterprise and hberality
Of it, business men and institutions,