The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-08-20
AN EASY ARGUMENT
6HAs, WILLARD SAYS BRIEDEN'
THAL'S TALK Is THIN.

Prouounces the Work of . Liar and an
Aw-BIilIard Says He is Ready to Prove
All His Claims When it Becomes Neces-
sary But Admits That Ia One Place His
Article is Over.Drawn.
''The man who wrote that article is
both a liar and an ass"
That's what John W. Breidenthal SAID
yesterday when he read a calamity wall
entitled IAN Open Letter to Eastern Cap
Italists.' published in the August num-
Der OF the Arena, by one Charles c. Mil
lard OF Wichita.
That kind OF piece Injuries Kansas
abroad and the Populist party a. home,
Mr.. Breidenthal continued. Eastern
people-mlany Of them, at any rate-wll
believe the fool statements made by MIL
lard. and Kansas will get some more
abuse. The Republicans. knowing Mil
lards' statements TO be false, will shout
Calamity al us and Popu,isn will suffer
thereby. don't know Willard. He may
not be Populist. but the Republicans
will say he is Populist, and the effect
will be the same
This appeared in yesterday mornings
Topeka Capital A reporter for the
Eagle called on Mr.. Willard at 126 North
Mosley avenue las: evening and asked
him if ne is a Populst.
Eyes, sir, I am he said. land have
been for years"
"Weu. John >Breidenthal read your
open letter TO eastern capitalists in the
August Arena, and says you are liar
Mr. Willard roared@with laughter and
said: That's an easy way 20 argue it,
but ii proves nothing al all. There is
one place in the article which / have
probably oyerdrawn. l perhaps should
have said that mortgages in the Arkan-
sas valley in Sedgwick county, are good.
But as for the rest of it 1 am prepared 20
prove ALI 1 claim from reliable sources.
and will reply to anybody's answer il it
anybody of Importance, in a paper OF
Importance
Mr. Willard has lived in Wichita for
the last fifteen years but seems 10 be
quiet and is not generally known
through the city. He says he followed
hard labor for several years after he
came here, till his health broke down,
since which time he has been a school
teacher He Is an old soldier from Co. D,
ThiTty-ninth Iowa. For the last year he
has been librarian OF the Sedgwick Coun
ty Library association, but resigned that
place a short time ago He has contrib
uted for the Freethinker and Religio-
Philosophical Journal of Chicago. He is
a genial old gentleman OF 55, weighs
probably $50, and is Of medium height,
with gray chin beard.
Il am as radical in religion as I am
in politics. ne said. land you can say
that for me If you wish. am ready to
prove my position anywhere"
when did you write the Arena arti-
cle?"
Just before the election last fall. Just
before I voted for Bryan. And, by the
way, 1 expect TO vote for Bryan again
Your Arena letter attracted some at
tention.'' suggested the newspaper man.
ICS udNC lcCClNtu lrNltiS anu pa
pers from all over the country
How many words in the paper?"
Probably 5000 l got ten dollars and
a years subscription to the Arena as
compensation, though asked nothing az
all"
Here is synopsis OF the Arena arti-
Gle:
I'm 1856 the chief clerk and trusted
agent Of great loan company, who has
since been in the employ OF Jarvis Conk-
lin & Co., said to me: There is plenty OF
money TO loan, but the securities are prac
Tically exhausted
Everything in sight was covered
with a mortgage. The few who had es-
capped the mania of speculation did not
want any mortgage on farm or city prop
erty. Loans since then have been most
ly renewals and for time one company
loaned money to be paid 10 another; but
with few exceptions the eastern money
borrowed since 1850 has not been paid.
and any one familiar with the facts does
not need the gift of prophecy TO foreten
that, under the present conditions, il
never can or VIII De paid.
The mortgages, bonds and most of
the coupons you still hold, and, in many
cases, You also have a deed to the prop.
cry; bui neither the one nor the other
is of any present practical value. The
mortgagor is deed. moved away. bank
rupt. or working at daily labor-when
he can get work-for his daily bread.
Therefore the debt is worthless. and the
property is little better The very best
Of i--coStly business blocks in the hearts
of cities-is unremuneratiye. No intelli-
gent poor man would or could. take a
brick block as a gift and keep The taxes
and interest paid
And perhaps the larger share Of the
city property is unoccupied or paving
no renal. He who rides upon a wes,ers
railroad can see the proof Of this from
the car windows. In every city. town.
village. and on not a few farms. can be
seen the broken or bLarded UP windows.
which are the footprints. not OF :ime.
but or the eastern mortgage. This prop
cry belongs 20 you. No western man
pays taxes or interest. and no one ex-
poets 70 pay the principal. No one wants
the property; no one has any use for l.:
and no want ever existed which il was
calculated 70 iii, except in the brain 81
the monomaniac who built il. Whether