New-York tribune., 1896-11-27
FARM MORTGAGES.

Not the least interesting portion OF Secretary
Norton's rcport is that relating 10 farm mort
cages. So much was said by the Democrats
during the campaign about farmers Struggling
under mortgages that few wcll-meanng people
accepted the assertion as a fac'. ana proce'u'"
,o construct theories proving that mortgage
might not he such bad thing AFTER all. as III
deed. it is not. If the morigageor is solvent and
Industrious Still. it is not easy to convince 'he
average man of sense that humping big mort
gage on nearly every farm Is Il good thlh. ior
tho farmers or for the country. So the apollo
clsts for mortgages as blessings somewhat dis-
,uiscd nossiblv. found il hard To countcract the
lluid word pictures that Mr.. Br!ah are" III
homes, farmers rs the victims Of extending
..bloodsuckcrS To he suIr. in almost me Sihe
breath he Described these same "boodsuckrrS
as idle holders of idle money But little as
crepancy like that doesn't hurt the argument OF
n dcmagoguc. II rather helps MN, II ah!'hnI'
for il proves his versatility.
But now it turns out that there was no need
of explaining away the evil oi iarm mortgages
for Secretary Morons report brings out the ia't
That thc farms Of the country are not pla>;crcd
with mortgages In point OF iac'. - per cent
If rho farms in the United States occupied by
their owners are absolutely tree from mortgages
or other membranes. And doubtless OF the
- per ccnr of farmers whose farms are mort
gagged large proportion are entirely solvent ana
are getting much more benefit out OF the none!
they have borrowed than the rent they pay Tor
il in the shape of interest. 1t Is very m'i'h Ike
the old story of the man who asked some phii"So'
phcrS why the weight of jar of water Was
not increased 10y putting live fish in II. Inc
philosophers al SUMS for a long time To explain
the puzzle. until il occurred 10 ore oi them 10
try the experiment.. when or course, IL WAS loui"
that the fish increased the weight OF thc jar
Secretary Mor,on'S statistics really tel ho'nIhS
new The facts as to farm mortgages nave p'Th
accessible for mary years pas. Bn- the wihn!
assert ions of the Democratic orators made man!
people forget to look up the facts; ana 50 'h're
was n great hue and cry about the American
farmer sinking under nqutcus mortgages. I'M
Ill at last even some farmers whose farms were
fr,, of any mortgage began 10 shout win the
rest and faciiious gloom appeared TO settle
over the whole country
Well the clouds seem to have rolled away.
Seventy-iwo per cent Of the farms OF ihe United
States ar,. free from morie And oi the
farms that are mortgagcd. quite as large pro-
portion relative 10 the population are I" he fo'iIih
IN the Eastern states. As a matter OF fac'.
farmers are NOT worse of than other CLASSES "f
people: in manv respects they are much better
off and receive much larger return on the
amount Of money they have invested. Nor DO
farmers as a class ask to hc treated differently
from other people. A. Secretary Morton wei
SAYS: "Thc Intelligent. practical ana Suc'"S>inI
farmer needs no aid from The Government tn"
ignorant. impractical and pdol"ni farmer de-
serves none" And in referring Ia the stress
Of competition which undoubtedly does bear
hard to-day on the American farmer. he reminds
farmers that cause of the ~hrinkIgr of farm
values has b,-n the grncg1>ity Of ih" Govern
mcnt in Offering free virgin land tp settlers. In"
result being 10 dcprrciatc the old lands Vet. II
the Government had not adopted that policy.
farmers in this country would have had q much
harder