Omaha daily bee., 1894-01-14
PREACHER SANDBAGS OMAHA
former Pastor Of Southwest Presbyterian
Church Gets Into Print.
aGNs AN ARTICLE FULL OF FALSEHooD
Itatoments rs to Bad Moral and Material
Condition of the city Refuted by
Facts Given by Bust
ness Men.

The author OF an attack on Omaha realty
and religious interests, which was published
In a recent issue Of the Outlook, a New York
weekly periodical. In an article entitled
"Gambling in Real Estate he sandbags the
town in q manner that causes amazement
Ind Indignation among those who are famil-
lar with facts which differ widely with the
sentiments expressed by the writer.
: Among other things, he says:
Houses are even, now falling to pieces with
put tenants. Ministers left pulpits to go Into
the real estate business and are now stranded
and discredlted, hawking books or picking up
a precarious existence that reflects no credit
on their calling. Others found themselves so
loaded with debt that all further religious in
fuence there was impossible. , > Business
stopped. The town now lies like a poor,
trembling dobauchee, paralyzed and suffering
after the mad excitement of tho boom. 1t Is
the hardest field for religious work known TO
religious teachers,
Statistics of "Moral Decrepitude."
With relation to MIR. Halls alarm at the
alleged moral decrepitude of Omaha, sta
4. tistics show that there are ninety-two
churches and ten missions IN this city at
present. The former are accredited TO the
following denominations: Baptist 10,
Catholic II. Christian 4, Congregational 9,
ReStitutionist |, Episcopal IL, Evangelical u,
Evangelical Lutheran 10, Jewish 3, Latter
Day Saints 1, Free Methodist |, Methodist
Episcopal 10, Presbyterian II, Unitarian 9,
Uniyersalist 1, Salvation Army l, and
won DhN 1htf -
a local canvass among the clergy develops
the fact that Mr.. Halls theory has no ad-
yocatcs in this city. The only church in
serious financial straits is the Southwest
Presbyterian, of which Mr.. Hall was the
former pastor.
The veracity of figures, especially those
of official record, has long been pro-
verbal. The assertions of Mr.. Hall are re-
futed by the records of city finances and
clearings. An examination Of the figures IN
the city treasurer's office yesterday revealed
the fact that The regular tax collections for
1887 were 1870, S55. So, while the collections for
1893 reached the gratifying aggregate Of
S1I5, T44.8 81. TIT total assessed valuation of
property in Omaha for 1887 was $40, SD, IA,
while the assessed valuation for 1873 was
S20,472, DIG, an increase of $3,S91 ,272 during
the period when Mr.. Hall said that gloom
and apathy reigned supreme. The assessed
valuation is about one-tWentieth OF the &C
tual value of property. The balance on hand
in the city treasurer's office on December 81,
1898, was 1857 ,3GS.69.
Bank clearings have long been regarded
as a basis for the business activity of a COM
munity. Mr.. W. Fl. S. Hughes, manager of
the Omaha Clearing House association, yes
terday stated that the clearings of Omaha
in 1887 were Sl37 900, 534, while in 1893 they
reached S3l6,4l6,S72. Mr.. Hughes expressed
surprise at the stupendous ignorance of
facts manifested by Mr.. Hall In his article,
especially that portion which conveyed the
impression that the city was in a helpless
condition.
Business Men Talk.
The following interviews were obtained
yesterday by a BEE reporter, and they come
from men who know whereof they speak.
w. II. Robertson, Manager of r.. G. Dun &
Co.'s. Mercantile Agency-Mr. Hall has
evidently dashed off a few ideas without
proper consideration either of their truth or
their effect. He is traducing n city which
Ahas suffered less than any other OF its size
from the effects of tho depression. Omaha
has lost some of its popularity, but so has
every other western city. There have been
comparatively few shrinkages in real estate,
and those instances have been in unim-
proved realty located outside. Conditions
have been hard, but foreclosures have not
reached half the number recorded for Kan
sas City and other cities. Omaha compares
favorably in real estate activity with Min
ueapolis and other progressive localities of
tine west. Mr.. Hall should know If he made
the investigations, that Omaha's excitement
ceased about one year before the limit was
reached in either of the other cities, and
the reaction was correspondingly less severe.
Omaha has never had a bank failure except
the little Omaha State bank, and this
occurred more than three years ago, and be-
fore the beginning OF the present suffering
after the mad EXCITEMENT as Mr.. Hail puts
1t. The American Savings bank is in the
hands OF q receiver, but it will liquidate its
liabilities to depositors and probably pay
'stocKholders. Omaha's jobbing growth has
= been more rapid since, than before the boom,
and all her finest business blocks as we'll as
her splendid street transit system have been
pho INV u oO-Cdlltd real tSuitU6
collapse, The Omaha and Council Bluffs
bridge, East Omaha railway enterprises and
Omaha's great packing industries, which
have made her the third stock and packing
center in the union, have all grown up since
the epoch of which Mr.. Hall complains. The
boom had its drawbacks, but IT brought into
Omaha millions of dollars and 100, 1000 people
with all their thrift and commercial activity.
Since the boom all but Sour of the
greatest and best church buildings IN the
city have been constructed. Our local
ministerial brethren say that every church
in the city, with two exceptions, has in
creased in membership. In fact, Omaha
has improved morally ana spiritually if
higher priced talent, larger edilices, more
pipe organs and increased membership are
any criterion upon which TO base such a con-
cluslon. Instead of being paralyzed, as MIR.
Hall seems to think, Omaha is, in fact, doing
better financially, morally and industrially
than elsewhere. Now for some figures on
failures: In 1892 there were only iifty-hve
in this city, with stimated liabilities at
1851, iOl and assels at $500, S56. In 1893 the
number was tifty-seyen, an increase of only
two during the depression. The estimated
liabilities of the failures for 1893 were $685.
B64 and the assets S5l3, 800. The bank state
ments published on December 10 show an
," 'Herease In deposits. Omaha is all right,
and MIR. Hall evidently does not know what
he Is talking about when he writes TO the
Century.
reality Regarding Reality.
George w, ~Ames-Records of real estate
transfers IN this city utterly refute the non
seusical and vicious statements of Preacher
Hall. The growth of cities regulates realty
values and the city of Omaha has crown
b.. largely since MIR Hall left it. | regard his
attack on Omaha as either the work of a
fanatic or a vicious stab ut u community that
once gave him a living. 1t is really beneath
the dignity OF notice, but to people who are
not familiar with the true condition of af-
fairs his attack might do som harm If
allowed to go unCorrected. In the first place
there never was any mao excitement in real
estate deals, 10 was an active and profitable
speculation, but every man kept his head,
with tho exception of a few, pos
sibly like MIR. Hail, who lost
ooth their heads and their money
IN some deal, and now seek revenge by sand
bagging the town. The values of real estate
n Omaha for good property are on the
ascondancy instead of declining. For in-
stance, Just Il few weeks ago a j. Hanscom
bought three lots at rwenty-hfth avenue and
Farnam street for $50, 900, which Fred DAVIS
originally purchased IN 1884 for -. 400. Does
thatlook as il Omaha was lying helpless2
The assessed valuation of Omaha in 1898
was so, 4f2,Ol6-about ono-twentieth of its