St. Landry democrat., 1883-05-05

The Lake Charles Echo and the AL
exandria Town Talk both have the
bank fever, badly; and considering
there is no bank in either place, it is
wonderful how we'll they are informed
in regard to banks. The Town Talk
says:
Take Observation-Disclosures where,
If YOU want to make big money on your
investment, establish a bank in Alex
andria, the prettiest, healthlest and
best town in the State.
Of course the editor of the Town Talk
has seen every town in the State; from
the way this bank article reads person
arould think So" But out OF whom is
this .big money" to be made :? Out OF
the town which "a bank is one OF the
most important factors in building Y
Did bank build up alexandria, the
prettiest, healthiest and best town ID
the State ~ or was it built up by the
planters of the good old parish OF
Rapides ]? A bank produces nothing ;
it does not increase the value of any
thing. 1t takes toll out Of everything
that goes through it, and adds nothing
to its value. 1t is capital, and some
times fictitious capital, sucking the life
blood out of labor. The Town Talk
boasts that bank stationed there
"would realize a fortune in a few
wears - and then the owner of the for
tune could close his bank and go home,
leaving the parish poorer to the amount
Of that fortune. Saw logs, as collateral,
may keep a bank going at Lake
Charles, but can the merchants and
saw log men alone support bank at
Alexandria 2 A real bank is an ex-
pensive luxury. The Town Talk says :
IF a person has good security, and
wants money he goes to a bank" In
the absence of saw logs as collateral,
a mortgage with vendors privilege on
property worth several times the debt,
would be good security. In the course
Of time, it may take all the property to
pay the principal, interest and costs.
1t is not good for an agricultural com
munity to have its farms and planta-
tons plastered with bank mortgages. In
most every community the banking
business is carried on by some Shylock
of money lender, which has carried
poverty and grnf into many a house
hold. IL Alexandria is what the Town
Talk says it is, it is paradise and
why invite Satan there in the shape OF
a bank, to disturb its happiness. A
bank may make money, but that does
not make the people happy, out OF
whom the money is made. -
The Town Talk says we talk IKE a
little prattling child" and do not show
our subscribers to be an educated class
Of people-anything but educated" and
that we s.imagine that Opeiousas is q
great city, Listen how the Town Talk
prattles. and shows Alexandria is dull
stupid, has no ''sound Judgment and
business tact,D and is much behind "a
little Western town of one-half the
population and business =
Eyes, we need bank, and that badly
ssDoes any person living here, or any,
where else, know OF town that does as
large a volume of business, as this
without banking facilities We ven
ture to saw, not one. For instance take
a little Western town of one-half the
population and business, that Alexan-
dria and Pineville have, and you will
always find a bank, and sometimes two
of them.
ssIf parties can make money in a place
which does not handle one half the
money that we do, surely an enterprise
OF this kind stationed here would real
ize a fortune in few years. This is
not idle talk, but fact, and any person
with sound Judgment and business tact.
can see it in the twinkle OF an eye.'
Now look at this picture
"Come up to Alexandria, Mr.. Editor
il YOU want to see what wide awake
lively place, really is"
Town Talk doubts from the way We
write that we ever have been outside
of Opelousas in our life we know thai
the editor Of Town Talk mast have
been outside Of Alexandria nearly all Of
his life, for he has seen every town in
Louisiana, for he says Alexandria is the
aprettiest, healthiest and best town il
the State.'' Our contemporary is heav,
on sides. He can find more sides to th,
same question than any person we eve
saw. He ought to be lawyer as vel
as an editor.
We are opposed to banks in The
country parishes, where agriculture il
the main pursuit for while they ma,
enrich few, we believe they will i'm
poverish many, and do much more evi
than good.