Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1898-10-12
NO. p.

| dcU providing Tor the recording OF
assignments OF real-estate mortgages,
and for the release of such mortgages
by the assignees thereof, and provid-
Ing penalties for failure to comply
with the low. This law gives to the
debtor notice as to who his legal
creditor may be, and the assurance
that when he pays the interest or
principal to the legally recorded
: creditor, the money so paid. to the
extent OF the amount paid, eXtin-
guishes the debt. Many instances
could be pointed out where the debt
or had paid his Indebtedness to the
supposed authorized agents only to
| find out, when too late, that he had
/ paid the money to unauthorized and
irresponsible parties, which has led
I in many cases to the loss of home
and money. This law while giving
ample protection to the debtor, in
no way interferes with the rights Of
the creditor but simply protects the
| debt ridden mOrtgagOr against the
raScality OF persons who claim to
act Tor the mortgage holder. 1t
might be q wonder to some why the
Republicans had never thought to
pass such benificent law for the debt
or class. and it is true that nearly all
the Republican members in the House
OF 1897 did vote for the bill when be-
ing considered. But upon the publ
cation OF the law in the official state
paper and after the act became effec-
tive. they saw what good law they
had helped to pass in the interest of
the poor man whose property was
mOrtgaged, many of them Joined in
protest against the law and said 1t
was not the kind OF a law they in
tended to help pass. See House
Journal Legislature 1897 page 1881.
How will the mort gagged farmer
vote in November, for the party that
tries to protect him or for the party
that protests against protecting
him?
After considering the foregoing
law, turn to page 34S and you will
find one that is to prevent dishonesty
OF persons who mortgage property
and provides penalty for the destruc-
ton or injury of such property. This
is Il law to protect the security of a
creditor from the wrong acts OF a
debtor. At the same time the debt
or is protected by the following Pro-
viSO, That in any case where usury
is charged or collected. this act shall
be imperative and void"
Who ever heard OF Republican
| legislature inserting such a prOvisO
in one OF their laws? Their laws al
ways protect the money lender from
loss but never the poor debtor from
robbery by usury. In this law both
creditor and debtor are protected in
their rights.
In the legislature of 1889, which
was nearly unanimously Republican,
when a bill in relation to Chattle-
nrt
Buffalo" Jones, representative from
Finney County, attempted to amend
the bill to prevent the collection of
the debt secured by the mortgage
where more than twenty four per
cent annum was charged. Only
about COrpOrals Guard voted for
thisj just and righteous amendment
and the great friends(?) OF the poor
debtors of Kansas, of the man who.
had probably given a chattle mort
gage on every horse, cow, pig and
chicken on his place to secure a little
money to tide him over some hard
| luck, voted down the amendment
with a whOop that drowned Jones
| under an exultant cheer of noes.
This was one of the proceedings of
last legally assembled Republican
Legislature of Kansas, the legislature
of 1889 Of which Hon. Webb Wilder
then Insurance Commissioner, said
in his report for that year, when
the Legislature adjourned last March
every body in the state-house felt as
II they had been through a cyclone.
There was profound thankfulness
when the wind-bags left.''
TAXATION.
Property holders in many instan-
ces evade or attempt to evade the
payment of their Just share of the
taxes. Three important laws were
passed along this line and had for
their purpose the taxing of property
and credits that had heretofore es-
capped taxation, thus lessening the
taxes OF those who have been paying
Chapter 243, page 453, provides for
the taxation personal judgments.
| Notwithstanding the fact that the
agents making loans always certified
that the land was worth three times
the loan and in most instances was
worth that amount at the time the
loan was made, yet under Republican
mis-rule and legislation in the inter
est of the bOnd-hOldeP and against
the plOw-hOlder and pick-holder val
ueS Shrunk to such an extent that
| when payday or the foreclosure
came, the property would not pay
the debt, leaving a deficiency judg-
ment hanging over the poor man
after his property, perhaps his home,
had been taken from him, with the
fact staring him in the face that If he
ever got dollar ahead, the creditor
could take it away from him. This
species of credits had never been tax
ed becaused the mortgage companies
were among the pets of the Republi-
can party, and it remained for the
Peoples Party to pass a law taxing
these judgments. If they are worth
less then let the creditor release them
and let the poor debtor go hence a
free man. If they are of value then
the holder should have in the past
been compelled to pay taxes on them
and in the future will have to pay
their just proportion of the taxes.
The next chapter pa. page 456, re-
lateS to taxing mineral reserves. 1t
has frequently occurred when rich
corporations or individuals holding
large tracts of land, when valuable
minerals underlaid the land they re-
served the mineral as we'll as the