The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1892-09-03
Hits From the Shoulder.

To the Editor Of the Bottneau Pioneer:
The Ward County Reporter Of Minot, N.
D., published last month what might very
properly be called a "fake." A paper was
issued of day different from it's regular
issue for circulation among the eastern VIC
tins of E. Ashley Meats, designed to coun-
teract the effect of the articles in the Bot.
tineau PIONEER during the past year, re.
fecting on the methods Of the financial
system adopted by Meal and exposing the
practices by which he has enriched himself
at the. expense of his a.leluded victims every
where. .. g 10 "
An article entitled "Our Banks written
presumably by the editor, but which bore
the evidences of the han;tiwork of E. Ashley
Mears, and which, 1t would seem, was no.
intended for readers Of North Dakota papers.
attempts to cast doubtsu upon the statements
made by the PIONEER, besides attacking the
status Of their author in the community,
and the motives anlmating the editor in
their publication. OF these insiauations no
notice is taken at this time, but of the state
ments SO charged to be exaggerated and
false, the writer stands ready at any time
to establish their truthfulness, now reiter-
ating and reassertiug anything ever said
by him concerning E. Ashley Mears and
challenging him to the proof thereof. con-
tenting himself in the meantime with the
fact that the person chosen by the eastern
stockholders at their meeting in Hart ford,
Conn. in NJ ay last to investigate E. Ashley,
has reported in a published circular the
result of his Investigations. which were
very thorough, and which in very many
respects fully corroborated and confirm ed
the statements referred to as published by
the Bottineau PIoNEER.
In the article published in the flake"
edition Of the Ward County Reporter, it is
to be observed that one of the gentlemen
from the east, named as having made An
examination, which showed "our banks" as
being Gin excellent shape and their secuci-
ties Of the best,'' is the very one who in his
rccsnt report to eastern stockholders, says
that these banks do not command the con-
fidence of the communities in which they
are located" and instances practices and
methods Of banking and money dealing
which, in some parts of the country, would
merit and their perpetrators would receive
only "a short shift, q stout rope and a
grave without coffin. or q winding sheet. "
Considerable solicitude is manifested by
the writer Of '.Our Banks article" concern
ing the injury done tho banking interests
Of North Dakota, and this, too, in face Of
the fact that thousands Of settlers have
been driven from the state by the heartless
acts Of the prince Of shylocks; whom, too,
as every reputable banker in the state, as
we'll as in Minnesota aud the east knows
| Of his having been denounced, both pub
licly and privately, on account Of his dis
honorable methods and because Of which
he was excluded from membership in the
National Bankers Association.
S - - 'luSA AVi y tAisss nth - - Osies
about Mears and his crooked financial
methods, but il is perhaps now sufficient to
lcall attention 70 the means BY which 3.
Ashley Msars has sought TO escape assess
msnt. eyhds taxation and avoid the pay
ment Of his share of the burdens imposed
upon tho people Of North Dakota.
Ia seeking to evade assessment snd avoid
the pa yment Of about $ls. 900 taxes rhich
should he levied on the stock of his national
banks, this man Meals issued 4 circular
l.etter 70 the eastern stock kholders, calling
attention 70 ! certain statnts allowing do
Iductions from the amount of ASSESSING ent on
their shares of steek. Therein he said:
By ayailing ourselves Of this new statute,