The Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1849-1855, 1850-02-13
COMMUNICATED.
For the Minnesota Pioneer.
Bank Of st. Croix,

1 OF .ie minnesota llOneer.
Bank Of st. Croix.
BY the Chronicle and Register of tho
26th ult. it would seem that the ed
itors of that paper are averse to a res
direction of this subject. When the
truth was more than guessed, they at
tempted so strongly 10 show that the
projected bank, and its spurious issues,
were no offspring Of theirs, as to leave
the impression deeply upon the public
mind, that they had raised the cry of
stop thief, to convey attention elsewhere.
When and where was this Bank pro-
jected, and by whom? The advance Of
Taylorism on the 4th of March last, ex-
cited many strange hopes, and some
mysterious projects, even in Ohio; and
Minnesota has the misfortune to have
been selected, as enc Of the fields of OPP
eraticn. The bills of this bank were
brought here from Ohio, about the time
of the arrival of the senior editor Of the
Chronicle. 1t required time, cfcourse,
to prepare them; and it required time
too, to prepare the field in which tho
operations were to be carried on. The
junior editor of the paper. came here
long time before his partner, and near
the same time, large iron safe weigh
ing nearly two tons, owned by these
same partners, was landed here, con-
signed to myself, then in the forwarding
business. What was this huge safe fors
The writer of this, advanced the money,
charges for freight and commission en-
this safe. as well as on the printing
press of the editors.
Sometime after, called ON the junior
editor, to refund the money; who told
me it was impossible; it could not be
done, until the SEN editor should come.
or this amount, all remains unpaid to
this day. but ten dollars. Was the safe
then to safely keep the legitimate funds
of the firm? Owens said they had no
funds, not enough even to pan the
freight on it! After the arrival Of the
sen. editor, and his hopeful son-in-Law,
Isaac Young, a small book store was
opened by him, and certain Mr..
Sawyer, one ofthe three, and frcm Ohio
leo. Sawyer was tie presiding genius
over few punches of quilts, steel pens,
brown wrapping paper, and small va
flety Of antedeluvian books. 1t is barely
possible, that the proceeds of the sales
OF this well selected stationery were Sc
cured In that tremendous safe: for it
will be recolccted that it was kept, in
the same building with the stationery,
the same where Sawyer signed the bank
bills for the hopeful Isaac. But what
was that safe brought here for! How
happened it to belong to Owens &
Mclean? And how happened the latter.
and Sawyer and Isaac Young, with the
priceless bundle of St. Croix bank notes,
all ready to ell up, to come here in
company? How Gene Mclean immc-
diateiy to start that ertensirc book store.
with Sawyer as salesman? That safe
would be mighty convenient in a small
banking house: and it would be mighty
easy Tor some people though reared in
Ohio, to conceive, that in a new Terri
ritory, where they suppose people to be
slmpie, and under the benign influence
of Taylorism as reflected by its local
agents: that tank for Ohio people, be.
ing Wigs. would be chartered of course.
And so confident did they feel in the sue
cess oftheir darling project, as to buy an
immense iron safe, and ,send along Gro
OF their associates, whose shce p-ste aling
visage, well indicates his fitness for the
task, in adr0nce, to prepare the minds of
the simple hearted people, to elect to
the legislature, simple hearted members,
who would readily charter bank--the
ST. CRoIx BANK, while the other part
ners should tarry behind, to get engray-
en- and struck off, an ample supply Of
pictured rags, with which to food our in
nocent and simple minded community;
when, after bringing up the rear with all
the firms, it should be found that the
people were not so rerdant, as to rererc
their immaculate persons, all the way
from Ohio, ard the members of the
legislature were not so guiHble as to
grant them bank charter, where their
only capital was uhat they o,red, it would
be perfectly natural for the more raru
and older headed of the gang, to say
that they had no connexion with the pre-
cious Isaac's transactions; that then
were not the ones, "Mey did not kno,c that
any of the paper was put in circulation.
or was intended to be unless Mr.. Jack
son and others of the Goodhue party.
succeeded in getting their bank bill
through the Legislature !p'
In view of all the facts, is it at all sur-
prising, that Mclean s. Owens, on this
subject, are ''no resurrcctionistsi" and
that Gao far a~ ill.,, ,ro co~..I =,