CHAPTER IX.A FEW REASONS BY BETSY.
THE Republicans swept the platter. They elected every officer from township clerk down, and the sheriff has sent Jobe a notice to appear before the Common Pleas Court and show cause why he should not be foreclosed.
Jobe feels good over the election, but bad over the notice.
Now I think there are a good many reasons why we shouldent be foreclosed, and more reasons why we hadent ort to be. Its not our fault that we have to be.
First. We shouldent be because Jobe has voted the strait Republican ticket, rain or shine, for nigh onto thirty-five years. In this he has done his dooty—as he seen it.
Second. We have paid our taxes every year without ceasin, not even complainin when the law-makers drawed two years’ pay for one year’s work, nor when new officers were added and old ones given more wages. In this we done more than our dooty.
Third. We have given all we raised to Congressman Richer for interest, not even keepin enough out to take a trip to Urope or to buy me a new spring bonnet. In this we done all our health and opportunity enabled us to do.
Fourth. We have indorsed everything the polerticians and office-seekers done or said durin our united lives, even havin to change our minds as often as twice a year to do so. In this we have been foolish.
Fifth. When John Sherman was a burnin up that $623,428,000 of greenback money and givin the rich men of New York and Urope mortgages on our property to git the money to burn, I agreed it was fine sport, jist to please Jobe, and when Jobe said the national debt John was makin was a national blessin, I nodded my head to it, though I was a Dimicrat. I nodded to keep peace in the family.
I am now payin for them nods, payin for them in fifty-cent wheat and high interest.
Sixth. We have taken good care of the farm, and have jist as many acres as when we bought it from Mr. Richer and give him a mortgage for the balance due. We have paid him $1,700 of the purchase price and all we raised besides, and I think he ort to wait till land increases in price before foreclosin us.
We sent him down to Congress to make laws for us, and it was his dooty to make sich laws as would make it easier for Jobe and his likes to git a home and git it paid for. He dident do it. In this he dident do hisdooty.dooty.
Now, suppose Mr. Richer, as our Congressman, had introduced a bill, and got it made into a law somethin like my dream was. He would have been sent back to Congress and a been a drawin $5,000 a year salary and disposin of post-offices and sich at payin prices, and wouldent need the money still due on the mortgage, or if he did need it to help him out on his real estate deals, under that new bill Jobe could borrow the money of the county at two per cent. and pay it, and besides could pay the interest easier and have more each year to pay on the mortgage.
You remember that my dream was that Congress had passed a law that hereafter, when more money was needed to do bizness with in any county, instead of the UnitedStates lendin it to the national banks at one per cent., and lettin the banks loan it to the people at eight or ten per cent., I dreamed that the law was that the same officers of the government should lend it to the county at one per cent., on county bonds as security, and that the county treasurer should lend it to the people of his county at two per cent., on sich security as the banks now take, and I drempt that Jobe and me and Bill Bowers went to the county treasurer to see about gittin the money to pay Congressman Richer the $2,100, and we found that sich a law was passed, and the county still lived. And I dreamed that the bankers was a peckin, and a beckenin, and a coaxin of people to borrow their money at the same rate of interest as the county treasurer loaned it. Now, had we ort to be foreclosed because no sich law was made? Had Congressman Richer ort a want to foreclose us when he dident try to git sich a law made? Had we ort to be foreclosed when Jobe has been a votin men into office to make laws that would make it easier for him to live and pay for his home, and they dident do it? Had we ort to be foreclosed because them men have made laws agin Jobe instead of fur him? Made laws to reduce the value of his farm and the price of his crops; made it harder for him to pay debt?
Had Mr. Richer even made a law permittin county treasurers to receive deposits of people who would ruther put their money in the county treasury than in banks, and allowed the county treasurer to loan it out in the name of the county at three or four per cent., givin all he received as interest, less what it cost to attend to it, to the fellers what deposited it, it would a helped us some. But he dident do it nor try to do it.
If we are foreclosed and our farm is sold by the sheriff, and Mr. Richer bids it in for $2,100 and gits the farm back,where is Jobe’s $1,700 cash paid on the principal and $2,212 interest money he has paid?
Who gits it? What has Jobe got for it? For who has Jobe and me been a workin for the last sixteen years? For who is this foreclosin law, with high interest, made? I hope we will be able to git our case at court put off till arter the fall election and corn huskin! Livin in this hope I must retire to bed. Jobe is asleep in his cheer. Every little bit there is a troubled look comes into his face, as though his dreams haint all pleasant.