The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1893-03-03
MORTGAGES.
Let The Barden ON Homo and Farm Do
Kept Before the People.

the following appeal in the Topeka
Advocate and Tribune: Three years
ago the Western Economic associa-
ton, of st. Louis, appealed to the
| voters of the United States to petit
ton congress to have the eleventh
census show the mortgage indebted
ness and tenure of farms and homes
the argument being that such an in
| quiry would tend to give the ratio of
| the distribution of wealth. The in
vestigation is nearly finished. and it
will have the percentage of owned
and rented homes and farms in every
city and county in the United States.
Enough data have already been pub
lished to predict most startling
showing. Briefly stated, three-fourths
of the city populations live in rented
houses, and in some cities and states
it runs as high as ninety per cent. OF
the remaining fourth, one-half own
| their homes, but under mortgage to
their full credit value; that is, they
are virtually tenants. This means
that under the Industrial feudalism
now developing, seven-eights of our
city population are liable to Returned
out of work at the end of the week,
and with their families into the
streets at the end of the month.
The condition of the agriculturists
is but little better. One-third of the
farmers of the entire country are ten
ants; one third own their farms, but
under mortgage to their full credit
value, thus rendering them virtually
tenants; and only one-third own their
acres free from debt. By comparison
with the census of 1880, there has
been an alarming increase in tenant
farmers. In Illinois, for example,
the growth was from twentyfour per
cent in 1880 to thirty six per cent in
| 1890; and in Montana it was ten-fold.
In every state in the union the per-
centage has increased in the last dec
ade; and more startling still, in
nearly every state the absolute as
we'll as the relative number of farms
has decreased, though the acreage
has increased, showing the concen-
tratiOn of farms into fewer hands,
and the remorseless reduction of the
real tillers to the condition of serfs.
The investigation demonstrates the
truth of the assertions that ''the rich
are growing richer and the poor
poorer" and that the American work
ingman is becoming the American
slave, and the American farmer the
American peasant.
Passing by the causes of this revo-
lutionary tendency, it is of the ut
most Importance that this inquiry
should be repeated every ten years,
SO that by comparison we may dis
cover in which direction we are NOV
ing. The interrupted duration of the
census bureau has hitherto made per-
manent legislation on this subject
impossible. as the bureau has only
existed about six years of each dec
ade, every census requiring new
legislation and a reorganization with
new men. But there is now before
congress a proposition to make the
bureau permanent by continuing six
or seven heads of departments and
the necessary staff of clerks in place
during the four intervening years and
employing them on collateral Stats
tical work, forming an experienced
nucleus around which to reorganize
the bureau at the beginning of each
decade. 1t is not the creation of q
new bureau, but the permanent con-
tinuance of an old and constitutional
one. There is no doubt that it will
result in better statistical work at less
cost than by the present wasteful and
/ unskilled method. But the general law
effecting this reform contains no pro-
vision for repetition of the .shome
and farm inquiry" By Incorporating
such a provision now, the inquiry
will be permanently established with
out any further legislation, and if a
| sufficient public demand were made,
such a clause would be inserted in the
bill.
With view to evoke such de-
mand, the Western Economic associa-
tion of St. Louis, issues this second
appeal to the people of the United
States. The practical step is for any
organized body to adopt resolutions
of the following tenor:
Whereas, There is now proposition to
place the census bureau on permanent basis;
and
| Whereas, We believe it to be properly the
business of such a bureau to show the distribu-
ton as well the production of wealth:
| therefore be it by insert here the name of the
organization adopting the resolutions and the
locality.
Resolved That we favor the permanent es
Establishment of the census bureau and we re-
quest that it shall be made part of it's perma-
nent duties to collect data at each decennial
period to show what percentage of the people
! OF the United States occupy their own homes
and their own farms, and what percentage are
4 tenants; and of those occupying their own
/ homes and farms, what percentage have their
, property free from debt, and what is the value
thereof; and of the homes and farms under
/ mortgage, what is the value thereof, and VIVA,
percentage of the value is SO mortgaged
| Resolved, That the secretary of this meet.
| ing be requested to transmit copy of these
resolutions to the congressman from this dis
trict, and the two senators from this state
The, appeal is not political, but
purely economic, and is made to you
personally, the reader. The next
time you are in a meeting of the
Knights of Labor, Trades and Labor
union, Farmers Alliance, the Grange,
political meeting. religious body, OF
what not, introduce resolutions of the
| foregoing character, and have them
adopted. Also write your congress-
man personal letter on the subject.
+ As the bill will shortly come before