Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1910-09-02
w. L. LaFollette Amasses Fortune by
Honesty, Hard Work and Fair Dealing

extensive farmers in those days,
bought his supplies at the stores,
paying for them in the fall, after the
crop was harvested and sold. He
found himself heavily in debt All
of his land, except the home place,
was mortgaged. Farmers were filing
homesteads" on their homes in or
der to exempt them from execution
Mr. LaFollette was advised to do this
with his home place and try to save
it from the wreck"
Showed Mcttle of the Man
This test showed the mettle of the
man. He replied to the advisers, who
thought they were giving him good
advice, mo. These merchants and
blacksmiths who have sold me goods
and did my work and trusted me
shall not lose their money if l can
intend to pay them if it takes the last
cent | have He went to ColfaX and
applied for a loan of $4,000 on his
homestead, the only piece of land he
owned which was free from incum-
brance. This was the last loan made
by the loan companies in Whitman
county that year. All the companies
refused to loan money in the Palouse
country from that time until 1897.
Taking the $4,000, Mr.. LaFollette
went to the merchants of Pullman
and others of his creditors and said:
Il have borrowed $4,000 on the only
unimCumbered land | have. | want to
pay you so cents on the dollar of
what | owe you. | have l 900 bush
els of wet wheat which | cannot sell
want to use a part of this money
to buy some hogs to eat this wheat
When | sell them | will pay what l
can on my indebtedness. " The mer-
chants were surprised at this offer,
for such propositions came seldom in
those days. 1t was accepted and Mr..
LaFollette paid about half of what
he owed to his local creditors.
The interest on his mortgages re-
NAMED unpaid. The mortgage com
panies feared to foreclose, for at that
time land would not bring the mort
gage. 1t was four years before the
turning point" as 1897 was called,
and during those four years Mr.. La
Toilette paid no interest on his
mortgages, but he reduced his local
Indebtedness and kept his credit
good.
Then came the big crop and good
prices of 1897" of which the old set
tiers never tire of talking. Mr.. La
Toilette, like scores of other farm ers
who did not lose faith during the
dark days of the four years, paid off
his interest and his mortgages and
found himself a rich man, with the
honor and respect of all his neigh
bors and with all whom he dealt
He was elected to the legislature
and went down the line" fighting
corruption in every form. He made
bitter enemies among the lobbyists at
Olympia, but added to the honor and
respect with which he was held in
his home country. He bought the bi
fruit orchard at Wawawai from his
father-in-law and became known as
THE fruit king of Washington.
Last year Mr.. LaFollette sold his
orchard for $4,000 and retired from
actual farming. He still owns 250O
acres Of the finest of wheat land, a
portion of which is rented to his sons
and the remainder to other farmers.
He has just completed the finest
home in Whitman county, built on
the hill near the state college, where
he expects to live until his family,
consisting of four sons and three
are all educated.