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About The Alliance-independent. (Lincoln, Nebraska) 1892-1894 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 6, 1892)
2 THE ALLIANCE - INDEPENDENT. nltude when considered by themselves. Only by comparison can the full signi ficance of these results be appreciated. The vast sum of interest accruing on Nebraska mortgages this year must either be paid out of the surplus pro ducts of the state, or It must be added to the principal and thus increase the existing debt. I believe the latter is being done in a vast number of cases, and that this is one of the chief reasons why mortgage debts continue to increase so rapidly. Now let us pee how this annual inter est drain compares in size with the annual products of the stato from which it must be met. This is an agricultural state. It exports nothing of any con sequence save grain, cither in its original state or transformed into pork or beef. According to the reports of our national department of agriculture, over which Uncle Jerry Rusk presides with so much dignity, the average annual product of grain in Nebraska for the past seven years has been: Wheat, . 16 million bushels. Corn, 121 " " " Oats, 28 " " " Now from these official estimates,the crop reports for the current year and the market reports, we may fairly esti mate the crop3 for the present year and their value as follows: BUSHELS. PRICE PER BU. VALUE. Wheat, 18 Mil. Corn, 130 " Oats, 24 Total, 50 cts. 20 25 " (i $9,000,000 26,000,000 6,000,000 $41,000,000 Now by comparison we may see the startling magnitude of the interest bill the people of Nebraska have to pay this year. Every bushel of wheat produced in the state this year sold at current prices would only pay three-fifths of our annual interest lill. Every bushel of wheat and oats would be rt quired to pay the year's interest. But the comparison shou'd be made with the surplus and not with the en tire crop. It is from the surplus that the producers actually send to market that the interest must by paid. Let us suppose that the surplus for this year consists of one-half the wheat crop, three-fourths of the corm crop, and one-fourth of the oats crop. This includes the corn fed into hogs and cattle. Certainly the estimate is large enough. This liberal estimate gives the state a surplus of corn, wheat and oats for the year 1892 worth $25,500,000. Now let us suppose that the entire crop of barley, rye and flax is worth 4 million dollars, and three-fourths of that is marketed. Let us also suppose that there is a surplus of other miscellane ous products amounting to a million and a half. We will thus have a grand total surplus of $30,000,000, and this is certainly a very high estimate. It should be remembered that the surplus in cludes all the grain produced over and above that which is actually consumed for food and feed in the state, it al?o includes the hogs and cattle exported. Now by another comparison we are brought face to face with the appalling fact that one-hatf of this total surplus must go to pay the year's interest bill. Out of the other one-half the people of the state must pay for all the commodi ties imported into the stdte; the cloth ing, boots and shoes, the groceries, the lumber, the coal and the hundreds of other things that contribute to the life and comfort of Nebraska people. The state of Xebraska is today as a whole in very much the same situation as a tenant who has to give half his crop to his landlord. Is it possible that the state of Ne braska can devote half its surplus to the payment of interest? Do33 it as a matter of Jfact? No. A large part of the interest is being added to the principal from year to year. j If this conclusion be true, (and let him who denies it, disprove it) what is the prospect for the payment of the debtor. I am taking a broader view. The people of the state are all bound together into a great commonwealth. Their interests are all bound up to gether. No individual producer can escape the blighting effects of these conditions simply because he may have no mortgage .on his property. PRODUCTION AND CONCENTRATION OF WEALTH. Apologists for the present state of TABLE NO. 2 SHOWING TOTAL MORTGAGES IN FORCE IN NEBRASKA DECEMBER 31, 1892, ETC., ETC. I J 3 3 a S- H 2 a 3s t m 8 o gS So g n 2 COUNTIES. fcS s?S g 3 si r3g 3 , SO fc. H u as tt ? 7 Adams - - -I 3.608,463 265,586 ZM2S7T 287,459 I 124 IToO Antelope - 1,677,306 265,328 1,942.634 167,130 162 14 00 Arthur .- 1,299 104 1.299 13 1 00 Banner - - - 116,078 11,316 127,394 11,442 42 4 00 Blaine - - - 62,542 10,325 62,867 6,016 50 5 00 Boone - - 1,223,140 266,019 1.488.159 128.228 148 13 00 Box Butte - - 355,958 32,237 388,195 37.290 64 6 00 Boyd - - - 70,341 70.341 13.253 35 " 7 00 Brown - - 449,100 439 449,539 36.833 90 7 00 Buffalo - 3,218.690 774,912 3.993.602 392.344 166 16 0 J Burt - - 1.235.157 394,903 1,630,060 163.066 125 12 00 Butler - - - 1,829,592 361,469 2 199.061 188.085 122 10 00 Cass - - 1,869.960 209,253 2,079,213 186,900 77 7 00 Cedar - - - 842.003 865,773 1,707,776 164,453 190 18 00 Chase - 455,032 17,345 437,657 35.809 73 6 00 Cherry - - 286,598 156,743 343,347 55,777 49 8 00 Cheyenne - - 745,905 349,875 1,095,780 93,742 156 13 00 Clay - - - 2,065 165 -88,218 1.976,947 158,941 109 9 00 Colfax- - 1.166.752 462,057 1.628,809 133,694 136 11 00 Cuming - - - 1.386,759 896,671 2,283,430 209,067 163 15 00 Custer - 2,190,611 911,677 3,102,288 306,553 129 13 00 Dakota - - 664,803 301,495 966,298 83,829 161 14 00 Dawes - - 506,925 184.280 091,205 61,254 77 7 00 Dawson - 1,650.601 619,588 2,278,189 225,103 206 20 00 Deuel - - 469,333 170,503 639,836 63,83 1 213 21 00 Dixon - - - 934,024 381,271 1.315,295 - 118,858 146 13 00 Dodge - - 1,862,028 812.498 2.674.526 239,106 121 11 00 Douglas - - 27,064,041 8,688,765 35,752,806 3,040.303 217 18 00 Dundy - 278.411 53.613 332.024 30,790 66 6 00 Fillmore - - 2,217.339 262 951 2,480.290 . 212,098 138 12 00 Franklin - - 1,147,025 42.396 1.104,629 95,389 123 10 00 Frontier - - 472.869 316,569 788,438 82,716 88 9 00 Furnas - 1.326,045 94,840 1,420,885 128 207 129 H 00 Gage - - 3,047,985 1,080,176 4,128,152 451,233 103 11 00 Garneld - 144,102 17.220 161,322 11,748 81 6 00 Gosper - - 613,922 108.616 722,538 67,491 I44 13 00 Grant- - - 5.078 37,047 42,125 7.280 84 U 00 Greeley - - - 903,005 80.694 983.699 80.982 168 - 13 00 Hall - - - 2.190,272 1,450.335 3,640,597 306.797 202 17 00 Hamilton - - 2,053,871 177.508 2.131,379 206,329 133 13 00 Harlan - - 1,264,499 206,575 1,471,074 128,147 163 14 00 Hayes - - - 554,703 169.291 723,994 72.587 180 18 00 Hitchcock - 601,723 152.492 754.215 69.726 126 12 00 Holt - - - 3,1)98,208 58.311 3.156,519 284,870 210 19 00 Hooker - - 7.212 4,180 11,392 1.342 23 3 00 Howard - - 1.340,174 327.437 1.667,611 148,732 W& 13 00 Jefferson - - 1,714.735 215.516 1,960.251 160.080 122 10 00 Johnson- - - 818,023 224.987 1 072.110 96,8:3 89 8 00 Kearney - - 1,540,605 287,342 1.827.947 170,740 182 17 00 Keith - - - 572.769 43,187 615,956 51,647 205 17 00 KeyaPaha - 431.SV5 2.705 434.060 38,407 87 8 00 Kimball - - 265.743 18.069 283.812 23.764 283 23 00 Knox - - 1,131,147 857.500 1.988.647 186.853 199 18 00 Lancaster - - 9,172,2(56 1,258.860 10.431.126 880,463 123 10 00 Lincoln - 1,759.059 623,419 2,387,478 194.S27 199 16 00 Logan - - - 167,477 103 167,580 13,936 84 7 00 Loup - - - 110.835 3,809 114.635 9,803 57 5 00 Madison - - 1,756,681 781,885 2,538,566 227,878 269 15 00 McPherson 19.433 21,743 41,186 5,46fl 82 10 00 Merrick - - - 1,378,525 511 339 1.889,864 171.022 189 17 00 Nance - - 875,806 573,535 1.349,311 132.732 225 22 00 Nemaha - - 764,109 318,418 1.08i.527 96,166 77 7 00 Nuckolls - 1,165,332 250,699 1.416.031 137.558 109 10 00 Otoe - - 2,008,309 767,583 2,775,892 236,375 96 8 00 Pawnee - - 786,273 141.45S 927.731 81,033 77 7 00 Perkins - - - 517,010 246.155 763.165 69,685 127 12 00 Phelps - 1,635,461 463.899 2,099.360 189.394 191 17 00 Pierce - - - 613,381 537,784 1,151,165 97.138 192 16 00 Piatte - - - 1,901,731 556.737 2.458,468 209.308 145 12 00 Polk - - - 1.438,252 132,219 1,570,471 138,226 143 13 00 Red Willow - 1,394,724 22,302 1.372,422 116,029 137 12 00 Richardson - 1,259,387 161,107 1.420,494 120,941 79 7 00 Rock - - - 807.549 45,439 352.988 35.125 88 9 00 Saline - - 2,171,361 774,560 2,945.924 266,349 128 " U 00 Sarpy - - - n 980,123 824.698 1.804,821 150,143 258 21 00 Saunders - - 2,180,512 412,774 2,593,286 216,239 108 9 00 Scotts Bluff - 68.628 92,986 161,616 14,991 80 7 00 Seward - - 1,742,826 73,016 2,815,842 157,495 157 9 00 Sheridan - - 340,635 230.499 571,134 60.151 57 6 00 Sherman - - 1,035,201 254.244 1,289.445 118,741 184 17 00 Sioux - - - 95,462 9.129 86.333 8,399 29 3 00 Stanton - - - 654,572 264,706 919.278 83 398 153 14 00 Thayer - 1,308,782 964.740 2,273,522 203 534 163 15 00 Thomas - - - 14.672 2,740 11,932 1,200 24 2 00 Thurston - - 50.996 26.921 267,916 36,413 67 9 00 Valley - - - 953,560 11,201 964,761 81.170 120 10 00 Washington - 1,201,437 . 65.051 1.266,488 109.843 98 8 00 Wayne - - - 1,107.263 1,283.825 2.391.0S8 244.456 341 35 00 Webster - - 1.542.521 76.627 1.618.148 150.594 135 13 00 Wheeler - - - 300,481 2,786 303,267 27.650 153 13 00 York - - - 2.423,031 233.044 2,659,075 224.779 146 13 00 Totals - - . 132,902,322 .8 36,213,236 $169,115,558 inVo45X36 . 143 I 12 71 NOTE: The minu3 sign.( ) in the last column indicates a decrease. principal? If the people cannot spare enough of their surplus to pay the in terest, when and how will they become ab'e to pay the principal? There is but one logical answer: Unless relief is secured through legislative reforms, the mortgage debts of Xebrasia can and will be paid only by a transfer of the homes and property of the people to the debt-holders. I am not discussing this matter from the narrow standpoint of the individual afiairs are continually pointing to the great and rapid increase of wealth in the nation. To this the discontented re ply: "Yes, there is a wonderful increase in the aggregate wealth of the nation. But the thing of which we complain is that wealth is being concentrated in hands of a few, it is being centralized. The producers are not enjoying the prosperity which should result from this great increase in wealth." . Which are right? Let us lcok for a moment at one of the startling results shown by the census of 1890. There is in the northeastern corner of tie United States a little state called Massachusetts. It is a little more than one-tenth as large as Nebraska Its soil is mostly sterile a2d sandy. No mineral wealth is buried in its hills and mountains. Now let us compare this little state with nine great agricultural states, Ne braska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Louis- lana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and North Carolina. These states have the richest s il in the world. They produce, the great staple agri cultural products of ihe word. Corn, wheat, cotton, and sugar, are here pro duced in the greatest profusion. 1 hese states have rich mines of coal iron and lead. . Massachusetts has an area of 8,315 square miles; the ninea states have 486,040 more than 58 to 1. Massachusetts had in 1880, a popula tion of 1,783,085; the nine states had 13,409,167 more than 7 to 1. In 1880 Massachusetts had an assessed valuation of $1,584,756,802; the nine states had $2,792,919,155 nearly 2 to 1. Yet during the ten years beginning with 1880, this little state of Massachu setts increased her wealth $569,377,824, and the nine states altogether only in creased their wealth $559,441,974 less by ten million dollars. Again during the same period Penn sylvania increased her wealth more than these nine states with Kansas, Ken tucky and Florida added. During the same period New York increased her wealth more than these twelve states with Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia added. And finally the nine small states in the northeast corner of the United States increased their wealth nearly twice as much during those ten years as the twenty-one great states consti tuting the whole central and south eastern part of our country from Ne braska to Florida, and from Maryland to Louisiana. Yet these twenty-one states had six times the area, twice the population and about the same capital to begin with in 1880. Has there been any centralization of wealth? Why have those northeastern states accumulated the wealth so fast? Because they are the home of the capitalist, the protected manufacturer, of the railroad king, of the stock and grain gambler, of the great trusts; be cause the plutocrats of that section are able in countless ways to levy tribute on the producers of other states. And why have the people of those other states fallen so far behind in the ra.ee? To answer this question for Nebraska is to answer it for all. Therefore let ua turn our attention to THE CAUSES of this unnatural condition of things. These can be touched on very briefly here: 1. The people of Nebraska and other great agricultural states of the west and south are a debtor class, and the people of the nine northeastern states are their creditors. Whatever may be said as to the origin of these debts, I believe the majority of fair-minded people will agree that, if conditions had been a3 favorable to agricultura during the past twenty years as they were during the twenty years p evious, most of these debts would never have been contracted, and such as were con tracted, would have been easily and (Contaujdon page 9.) A