The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1894-09-15
AMERICAN LAND OWNERS. .

EPfE MEEK 10. 1923
AMERICAN LAND OWNERS.
The bulletin jast issued by the CEN
sus office giving the principal results
of the investigation as to the farms |
and homes owned by the people in all
the states and territories is very inter- |
esting and significant. The bulletin
also contains additional information ss
to the status of mortgages It will be
remembered that preliminary report
containing partial analysis as to farm
mortgages was given out some months
ago. It is said in the Washington
dispatch that the investigation of land
ownership is the first of the kind ever
conducted in any country. The re-
mark will also apply, most likely, to
the statistics as to mortgages.
The number OF families in the
whole country is given as II. 269. l25
As the total population In June, 1890,
the date Of the census was 62, ,622 $50,
it is seen that there is an average of g
fraction over FIVE to family. This is
about the usual estimate of the aver
age of male adults in an American
community, and corresponds. curious
ly, to the number of voters in the
United States.
Nearly 4S per cent of the IL. 269,-
l25 families, say 5.ss0,00O, osn their
farms and homes, but the actual num-
Der of persons owning and residing on
land Is somewhat larger, being 6,O66,
All. To this must be added, says the
census bulletin, any land owners who
may be living in tenant families. II
: will thus be seen that in 1890 there
were something over 3O,000,000 OF
the people of the United States who
were actually attached to the land.
The segregated statistics Of land
ownership among the farmers is
especially interesting and significant.
The total number of farm families is
given at a, ,676. l74, which would rep
resent population of about 23,400,-
600, something over one-lhlrd of the
total population of the country. OF
these families &c per cent own farms.
say 3.0s6,274 families. This would
show that Learly l5.500.000 of the
population belong to families of agri-
culturists who own the land they cul-
tivate.
The statistics of mortgages do not
bear out the wild assertions of the
professional and political calamity
howlers who went about the country
two or three years ago proclaimlng the
poverty and distress of the oppressed
farmers. Every tariff reformer and
Populist, and what not, was in the
habit of declaring that farm lands,
owing to the oppression of tariff taxa
tion, or to this or tina: governmental
outrage, were mortgaged beyond all
possibility or hope of redemption. But
now that the facts are definitely
known, so far from the condition be-
ing as represented, it seems that ~
per cent of all the farms in the United
States are absolutely free from mort
gage incumb brances And, curiouslv
enough, the same percentage is OBJ
servable in relation to all the landed
property in the country. Only % per
cent of the farms and homes in cities
and towns are incumbred. This would
leave, as will be seen, 72 per cent of
the owners OF the farms and urban
homes who have their farms and
homes free of mortgage debt. But in
connection there is another interesting
group of facts. Of the % per cent of
the farms that are mortgaged it seems
that "a per cent of such membranes
we're incurred for buying real estate
and making permanent improvements.
And the same healthy condition is
noticeable in respect to the mortgages |
on UT ban homes. Over "a per cent of |
the membranes on the Is per cent of |
such homes were incurred to secure
purchase money and to make improve
ments.
These statistics are certainly very
satisfactory. They suggest the high
est guarantee of our institutions and
of the certainty that conservative
connsels will prevail In respect to
public and political affairs.