Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1912-05-24
MONEY IF CROPS FAIL.
State Should Have Fund to Lend
Farmers, Miller Says.

Kansas should have state fund Of
one million dollars to lend farmers on
a low rate OF interest when crops fail
Such a fund would enable farmers to
borrow money without mortgaging
their farms to loan sharks" 1t
would prevent the hand times that are
bound to follow successive crop fail
ures, especially In western Kansas.
This Is the belief Of ]. H. Miller, d.
rector OF college extension at the
Kansas Agricultural college, who pro.
poses the establishment OF a fund Of
this sort. He believes farmers de-
serve it.
This money could be lent" Mr..
Miller said, "on farms and farm pro
duce at, say, three per cent interest,
the principal to be paid in five annu-
al payments or less, depending ON the
crops of the following years. Loans
should be made for the purchase OF
seed for feed for maintenance Of
stock, work horses, milk cows, etc.
and for food and neceSSaries for the
family.
"The state, or even the county,
should be able, also, to make three
per cent loans ON grain in crib or ele
vator when prices are too low for pre-
fit. The farmer is just as much EN-
titled to profit on his wheat, corn OF
hogs as is the dealer. In July and
August this year, thousands of farm.
ers will be compelled to sell their
wheat, no matter if the price should
be beaten down to fifty cents a bu-
shell And right here | want to say
that crop killers don't hurt the
farmers of Kansas one-half so much
as do the crop BOOSTERS
Twenty years ago a political party
advocated a good many new doctrines
declared to be crazy by another pOlit.
ical party and foolish by another
Nevertheless, most of the platform
principles of the Popuhst party have
been adopted by both the otheI
parties. Of all the platform planks
of that deceased party the one Of
the government lending money on
farms and farm products seemed tC
me then and now as about the most
sensible and the sanest doctrine any
political party advocated. | hat
never thought of it before, but l have
ever since held it to be sound, and
have continually advocated it, a
though it seems to be the one plank
not taken up by the other parties anG
not seriously advocated by the press
nor by any party leaders.
The farmers Of western Kansas
have passed Through the most tryine
winter for thirty years. In somt
counties there were two successive
wheat failures, and in almost thirty
counties there was almost total fai
ure Of corn and other forage crops
Such a season sent thousands O
farmers to the banks and to friends
for cash loans and to merchants fo1
credit, and they in turn will be force
to call ON the banks for loans or thu
wholesale houses for credit.
interest rates seem high, and it /!
not unbelievable that many wen,
forced to pay, to 'curbstone' bankers
Indirectly, usurious rates of interest
The average man does not object K
paying interest half so much as n,
fears the day his note falls due. I'm
questionabg, thousands Of families
denied themselves many Of the com
mon comforts and necessities of life
10 avoid borrowing more money.
small mortgage ON big farm is onk
thing, but a big mortgage on one.
small farm, his homestead, hangs ib
milestone, and like an evil spectre
haunts mans waking as well as hi.
sleeping hours.
Why should not Kansas inamgu
rate a system Of loans through some
revolving fund, handled by the coun
ty commissioners or the county treas
urer, to meet such an emergency az
this? Capitalists, bankers, real es
tate men and politicians objected
stNenuonoly to all suggestions about
a special session of the legislature
but did they relieve the distressed
condition of the small farmer witt
credit or loans with low interest? Il
our constitution needs changing be
fore this Is done, let's change it. But
1t doesn't need changing half 81
much as do the hearts Of some men.
Don't think that piles can't be cur
ed. Thousands Of obstinate cases
have been cured by Doan's Ointment