Middletown transcript., 1896-12-05
OF Interest
To Farmers

FARM MORTGAGES.
z Not The least interesting portion of
Secretary Mortcn's report is that re-
hating to.1farm1 mortgages up much
was said By, the Democrats during the
Icampaign about 2 fafmsre struggling
under mortgages that few well-mean-
ina il / people accepted the assertion as a
TACT, and proceeded to construct theo-
ries proving that q mortgage might not
be- esdch atbad thing, sfterall. as, in
=deed,I is not, if the mortgageor is sol
vent and, industrious, Still, it is not
easy, to convince the average man OF
sense that a humping big mortgage
on oi nearly every farm is q good thing
fof the farmers, Or for the country. So
The apologists for Mortgages as bless
IihgsI somewhat ' disguised, npossibly.
found ithard toeounteFact 3the lurid
eword pictures that, Mr. Bryan drew OF
honest farmers as the victims OF
nioney-iending "bloodsuekers.n To be
sure sure. in almost tha same breath he de-
/ 7scr ibed these same s'bEoodsuekers" as
Idle RoidefsIof idle Emoney.U But
little Discrepancy liksfthat doesn't hurt
thel argument Of a sdemagogue. Il
rather helps hin. i if anything, for il
proves his versatility.
IxHBnt now itItprrss out that there was
hho deed oEexpIinihg. hwayltbe evil Of
farm mortgages, for Secretary Morton'E
report brings out the fact that the
ifafsas ofltAei country are not plastered
with, mortgages. In points of fact. n
per cent of the farms in the United
States occupied by their owners are
absolutely free from mortgages OF
other membranes. And doubtless Of
the 28 per cent of farmers whose farms
are mortgaged large proportion are
entirely solvent, and are getting much
more benefit out of the money they
have borrowed than the rent they pay
for it in the shape of interest. 1t j.
very much like the old story of tht
man who asked some philosophers why
the weight of jar Of water was moi
increased by putting live fish in it
The philosophers did sums for long
time to explain the puzzle, until it oc-
CURED to one of them to try the ex
pertinent, when, of course, it wa:
found that the fish increased tht
weight of the jar. Secretary Morton''
statistics really tell nothing new. The
facts as to farm mortgages have beer
accessible for many years past. Bul
the windy assertions Of fhe Dem
oetatie edfatass mads Iniansy psopia Afor-
get to lookup theifacts;o and so there
was great hue and cry about the
Amsriesn fainsrs sinking hinder 5dq-
uitoausT mortgages, until At last ever
some farmers whose farms were free
ofaG Gsfaos sass began G ashGat mitt
the rest, and aofactitious gloom ap'
peared to settle over the whole
III rigJGIHo3 y1f1osituB eiLt 10 sB5fig vi
EtsfVyrnnsf3.3 EEk 10 EGaaiAssst baA lttw 5sat
a y, be clouds seeIHao have. rolled
aaayaa Stventy+iIsso ipeTieenf ffstbt
sffarinss2 farms .bss are IL qifses
hf~oni raartgaga5q And 7ef rthei farms
tsa3'tt sifgal almp lmpor$ ass5,sa Az Al large 1
proportion rslHlivee toe the population
AlG 70 sift4inh fl tTs IEAs6eai 8 atasl
va u rbbsAteer dft4et f.rihtters fs.rihttersl \ III Dnbt
verse eff than plsr ss sIstza' of people
in many 4respectstAieya aret much better
|alt and RECEIVE X l4rget stdfrI
iohthe an,osint efe nj0gsy they, have ia
xeAed.o NDr do 7 far rmrrs, ! as i dclass,
ssk, 10 b. IL H IL from Other
people. As Secretary Marton nwell lissys:
|ds!EsEhe fltsHigeRG praetiGal,a and success
afnf i'farmef iHNeedS DO Iaff from THE
GovefAment 70 The ..iguerant, unprac-
EheaI and indoienfs farmer deserves
none. none And id rsferrihg tp The 4 sslass
of opfS compe etition,, which apdoaptsssdd sddly
does bear hard to-day on the American
farmer > he edremindss farmers 'thateione
cause 81 The 1shrihkaagiss itof tof farm values
has been ths gsnslos of the The a Govern ssIl
inent Ia offering free virgin aaHd TO
settlers the result being W idePFeeiste
the old lands. Z ct, oif the Government
had not adopted that policy, tanners
|qiitf this country would hays had sM1eh
harder time. IN. Y. Tribune.l niainoe
.bnGI fo-es-rt9A Eoi
a.KEEPINg FoWLs M CONFINEMENT.