The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1909-09-03
NEBRASKA NOT so WEALTHY.

unfortunate State of Affairs Dis.
closed When Assessor Appears.
There has been lingering suspi-
cion In the minds of many that Ne
braska Is one Of the wealthy States of
the Union and that there are many
wealthy men and women within the
boundaries Of the commonwealth.
Such, however, is not the case, for
the returns of the assessors show that
not only are most the inhabitants poor
but that large number of them are
IN position where it is hard for
them to get together enough to keep
the wolf from the door, an Omaha dis
patch to the New York Evening Tele-
gram says.
Men have been accredited with own
Ing stocks and bonds in banks and
paying corporations, but according to
the assessment rolls this has all been
matter Of the most gauzy fiction.
Both men and women have been going
about for years deceiving the public
into thinking that they are the own
ers and Wearers of diamonds, but now
1t is made plain that seeing these
gems has been optical delusion and
they existed only in the mind. This
must be true, for all of the parties
have sworn to the lists submitted by
the assessors, and no Nebraskan would
think Of swearing falsely.
Tho Ill -
the State board, and an examination
OF them brings out some peculiar con-
d1tions relative to personal property.
In the matter Of bonds there are
men In the State who have been sup
posed to have large blocks stored
away in safety vaults, but their affi-
davits give the lie to all such beliefs,
for, according to the returns, the ag-
gregate of bonds held by all Nebras-
kans amount to only $153,631.
In Douglas county, of which Omaha
is the chief city, there are few per-
sons who own bonds, but their entire
holdings amount to only $4,000, yet
here are several men who for many
years have been accused of having
millions.
The people of Otoe county seem to
be about the best fixed" of any in
the State, when it comes to the mat
ter of bonds, for they admit that they
have $4,000 of this paper secreted
about their persons and premises.
Cass is one of the oldest and best
counties in the State, and it has been
supposed that many wealthy men re-
sided there, but now it has been dis
covered that the wealthy ones do not
invest in bonds, for in the entire coun-
ty not dollars worth of this kind of
property is returned.
Out in the county of SCOTS Bluff,
settled less than ten years ago, it is
evident that the people have pros
pered, for though Inhabitants do not
exceed more than 5000 they are able
to dig up $4,000 worth of bonds for
assessment purposes. Down in Fur
mas county, where all of the inhabi-
tants have been supposed to have
been wealthy, the assessor found one
man, and only one, who had bonds.
This man listed a bunch at So, while
over in Nemaha, where land has been
selling at 5000 per acre, only 81 worth
of bonds could be located.
Some interesting data are furnished
relative to bicycles. A few years ago
almost every man, woman and child
in the State owned at least one. Now
they seem to have gone glimmering,
for in the entire State, with Its popu-
lation of more than 100000 there are
only $3.50 of these machines, and the
highest priced one is assessed at $22.
Down in Richardson they are valued
at 81 each, and over in Merrick coun'
ty they average A cents.