Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1892-07-08

JUST WnaC aSOn-unle IL be political
the Fargo Argus has for misrepresent-
ing the state treasurer, is not quite clear,
but that it has, either from it's own
motive or through the design of others,
misrepresented Mr.. Booker, seems, in
the face of the following inspired editor
ial in the Pembina Express, quite clear.
The Argus went off half-cocked and with
a "double-leaded' enquiry twill MIR.
Booker please rise and explain" receives
the following "small plea" reply:
The Fargo Argus of Tuesday publishes
an alleged conversation of a number of
bankers in which a large number of gross
errors OF statement are made in reference
to the business of State Treasurer Booker,
The general charge was made by "a we'll
known local banker that Mr.. Booker re-
fused to deposit state funds in North Da-
B. had placed nearly 100000 in the Ger
man American bank of st. Paul." and had
other state money deposited in Chicago
and Minneapolis; and then added an in
situation that Mr.. Booker did this in order
to receive interest on the state deposit for
his own benefit. A Hillsboro banker also
"broke in" and said Mr.. E. had drawn
$4,000 from two Hillsboro banks to add to
the German American bank deposit,
because the outside banks could use it to
better advantage for Mr.. Booker"
OF course the animus of the above alleged
conversation is easily understood to be
| political, and the alleged "bankers'' lave
either wilfully or ignorantly, but not the
less maliciously stated as facts, that which
has no foundation in fact.
The actual truth of the case is that not
only is there not 100000 on deposit in the
German American bank of ST. Paul,
besides large sums in other foreign banks,
sum total in the hands of the state treas
urer: The whole amount of money in the
hands of the treasurer (using round num-
bers) is about $4,000. About $4,000 of
the school funds has already been invested
in school district bonds INC the state
school board are buying such bonds at
every opportunity. AS to the assertion
that the cash is not deposited in North Da-
kota banks, it is a fact that the bulk of
state money is now on deposit in twenty
three different North Dakota banks. There
Is in the banks OF Cass, Grand Forks,
Walsh and Trail counties, S250,0O0 of state
money. as we'll as large sums in other state
banks in other localities. Trail county
alone has $4,000 in her banks. $4,000 of
| which is in HillsbOrO. There is a deposit
in the German American bank of st. Paul
and also in New York, both Of which are
for the purpose of exchange, as the interest
on the state bonds fall due in New York,
and many OF the ordinary expenses of the
state requiring, or are convenient, to be
paid in st. a exchange.
The actual state moneys on deposit in
Fargo banks to the credit of the state
treasurer, is SS9, 1854, which is more;,than one
fourth of all state moneys on hand, of which
over $4,000 is in the bank of which Messrs
Lyons and Erskine, who are quoted by
name as authority, are officers. Besides
this, by a law passed by the first legisla-
ture, In the interest of Fargo banks, S75,-
600 belonging to the agricultural college
fund was Withdrawn from the custody of
the state treasurer and placed in the hands
OF the local treasurer Of the agricultural
college board, of which money the state or
state treasurer has no cOgnizance or con-
troll and is presumably deposited in Fargo
banks. 1t will seem from this to the un-
p%rejudiced judge that Fargo and Fargo
banks had been pretty we'll treated by Mr..
Booker, and had fully their share Of the
moneys.
None Of these banks give Mr.. Booker any
security for the deposit of state money,
while he is under a half-milliOn dollars
bonds to make good any failure of theirs.
He naturally thinks that while he has dis
tributed the money pretty we'll among the
using his W judgment as to how he does
it.
The Argus on Wednesday editorially en-
dorses the wild ard erroneous statements
made by these jealous individuals for poll
tical purposes, and practically says, 1--WE
state treasurer is dishonest" and after
stating this asks Mr.. Booker to explain.
We would suggest that a better and more
manly way, would have been to
have given Mr.. Booker an op-
portunity of explanation. before try
ing to defame him in the public press on a
subject that in the nature of things, the
editor of the Argus must personally be
absolutely Ignorant, and of which we have
shown his informants to be as ignorant as
himself.