Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1898-02-09


business is to prey upon the people O
the east.''
The crash of the boom came, will
its awful wreckage in Kansas anc
other states. The crops were fair il
Kansas up to that time, and even un
usual as late as the year 1892 Their
the hard tunes set in. Crops were
light, the farmers had little money tc
spare for debts and eastern investor.
were called upon, under the double
liability act, to put up more money in
the state. Some of the m did so, in the
hope of saving part of what they had
invested. Most of them let their in.
vestments go at once, and took what
satisfaction they could by denouncing
| the people of the state indiscriminate-
ly as swindlers.
Men in the east raised their hands
and cried: "Can any good thing come
out of Kansas?'
Men in Kansas lifted their voices in
reply aud shouted: "Have tie men of
the east any god but money?''
So the Misunderstanding continu-
ed until the great crops of 1897 came
along and spread a blanket of prosper
1ty all over the state. The effect has
been like refreshing sleep to strong
but physically exhausted man. The
ST ate has awa Lenad -, . oood I...
1t has ceased to rail at the east. 1t is
eager to pay its debts. It even has
money of its own to loan 1t wants
the east to change is views to some
extent also. 1t wants a hearing to
show that it is not community of
cranks and repudiators, and it has
some figures, such as have never been
printed before, to prove it.
In my investigations as to the in
crease of business in Kansas, had oc-
casion to visit Bank Commissioner
Breidentha1. 1 asked him if there
was any public data regarding eastern
investments and the amount of money
that had been lost and paid 'on them.
He said that there was no official COM
pllation of such matters, and that the
matter of mortgage indebtedness could
only be secnred by a 1aborious corres-
pondence with county officials. The
United States census for 1890 had Civ
eu the total amount of mortgage in
debtedness, but exact figures since that
time could not be secured. Mr.. Breid-
enthal's entire business and official
life has been taken up with such mat
ters, and he volunteered some data
from his own information and expert
ence, which he said could not be dis
puted by any well informed person.
NEITHER HooFs NOR HORNS.
Before giving this data it would be
we'll to recall that Mr.. Breidentha1 is
the man who, although the head OF the
Populist party in Kansas at the time,
proclaimed early last summer, that
prosperity had come to the state. 1t
was the first authentic news regarding
enthal was broad minded, and fair
enough not only to tell the whole
truth about the matter, regardless of
politics and political effect, but to
spread the matter broadcast through
out the laud. He simply wanted the
truth about Kansas known. 1t is also
only fair to say that before going to
see Mr.. Breidentnal 1 had the opinion
of him that had been prevalent some
what in the east, that he was a smart
political manipulation and intriguer.
After less than half an hours conver-
sation with him 1 began to change my
mind, and to believe that in many
things he had been misrepresented. J..
Before leaving him became convinc-
ed that he had neither hoofs nor horns
and that although we disagreed po it
ically, he was honest, capable and
raightforward in thought and action.
To make sure that nv impression OF
him was correct, 1 went to the political
leaders opposed to him, to the best
known members of the bar in Tope ka,
to editors in various cities aud towns,
to merchants, bankers and farmers,
and it is pleasure to give the iuvari-
able answer to my inquiries as to Mr..
BreidenthaPs character and trust
worthiuess. Summed up it was:
"There is no more honorable man,
no fairer political antagonist, no more
patriotic citizen in Kansas than John
w. Briedentha1. You may depend on
any figures he gives you absolutely y
Here is the summary which Mr..
| Breidenthal makes of his figures:
Total foreclosures in 20 years, so mil
lion dollars; estimated absolute loss in
20 years, Is million dollars; total inter.
est paid in 20 years, us million dollars
net interest paid, deducting the total
loss of IS million dollars, $50 million
dollars. The net sum paid despit.
losses, therefore, is per cent of tn,
entire investment.
In other words, although no less thar
IS million dollars have been lost out
right to eastern investors in Kansa
NOR cages, the aggregate of such in
debtedness has been reduced from II
millions to so millions, and throug b
out all the hard times the state ha