The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-04-13
NEW YORK VERSUS THE WEST.

Journal we find labored effort to prove
that there is nothing in the claim of
western farmers that they are paying
tribute to the older east, citing as proof
that some 55 per cent Of the mortgages
of the country are held by the people of
the state where they are given. There
is quite an array of figures from late
census returns to prove that the writer
is telling the truth, but he diss,mulates
in shocking manner in his effort to es-
tablish fact, general in its character,
by citing proof of only a part Of it. In
plain terms, his attempt is TO show that
the western farmer is not paying tribute
to the east, because half the mortgages
in the United States are held in the
states where they are recorded. Had
the writer attempted only to show that
these mortgages are so held, his array of
figures would have supported his claim,
but his effort TO prove that the annual
flow of cash is not toward Wall street
because the mortgages are not all
stacked in the iron vaults of that thor
oughfare, is like explaining the motion
of the whole planetary system by citing
the location Of single star. 1t is false
assumption that interest on mortgages Is
the only source of revenue to the east,
and the only item of tax TO the west. 1t
is almost superfuous to say that the sin
gle item or overcharges on western
freight amounts TO more than the en-
tire interest account referred TO.
Would this writer claim that
western railroads are owned in
the west; can he locate the
ownership of the Vanderbilt. the Gould,
the Rockefeller or the Huntington sys-
tens anywhere west Of the Atlantic
coast VIII he say that these colossal
fortunes have been gathered in dribs
from the ordinary channels of local trade
in and about New York. Does he not
know that the bulk of eastern business is
handled on close margins, often a, loss,
and that it is the western divisions which
put up the great aggregate of profit? 1t
Is fair to assume that he does, else he
would be driving truck wagon instead
of editing newspaper. 1t is downright
Journalistic dishonesty thus to garble
facts by partial proofs, and falsehood
under any name or pretense, is the same
detestable thing. II might be cited that
out of the earnings of these great proper
ties come the $780, and $4,000 sal
aries of presidents, managers, and attor-
neys and other luckily born haDgers-on.
The private coaches, steam yachts, sum-
mer residences and champagne suppers
come in as incidentals, and somebody
pays all the bills. Is it that portion of
the road which carries freight over the
mountains and through the tunnels of
eastern divisions at one cent per ton per
mile, or the long, level stretches of wes-
tern lines at two cents per mile. This
writer deprecates the capacity of the
farmer to grasp the facts" but surely the
most illiterate hayseed in Hoosierdom
could mentally calculate this simple
problem.
The chapter might be continued in
definitely; taking in the life and fire in
surance companies with their princely
salaries and costly buildings; the great
mercantile and manufacturing trusts;
the useless brokers, clippers and middle
men, who handle our surplus for the
sole purpose Of an individual rake-off
which, in every case, is deducted from
the market value to the producer, but
it's too much like collecting proof that
the waters of the Mississippi find their
way to the Gulf of Mexico.
1t may be that our farmers will de-
velop a capacity for ''grasping facts"
which will open the eyes of our patron
izing neighbor. Time only will tell.