The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-12-04
WHO WAS THE FOOL?


LETTER FROM A BANKER
We have received the following letter
from well-known banker of Hast
ings, Minn.-not a National Banker:
German American Bank, Hastings,
Mimi, Nov. %, 1895.
lGNATIUS DONNELLY, ESQ.:-DEAR
SIR-EnclOsed please find my cheQue
Tor one dollar, which may be sur
prise to you, as we have sometimes
differed in political matters. This is
to assure you that appreciate a great
many things that you say. Having
read the paper very often, l think it is
no more than right that | should be a
subsc riber. l would like the issue of
the 10Th inst. Yours Very Truly,
GEO. BARBARAs.
We are glad to get this letter Mr..
Barbaras is an intelligent gentleman,
who rose from the ranks by his own sa-
gacity, economy and industry. We are
pleased to see that such men begin to
realize that although we may deal
hard blows we are not malcontent or
fire brand. We are glad that they
begin to perceive that what is good
policy for the whole people Of the
West is good policy for the bankers of
the West. The present conditions are
not only destroying the prosperity Of
the masses, but will eventually turn
the property Of the wealthy into dead
leaves and ashes Any sen sible man
would rather hold the promissory note
of prosperous debtor for 800, than a
note for $4,000 given by one who is on
his way to the poor-house. In good
times there is chance for everyone;
in bad I'll mes even the rich are not
secure.
The banking class of the West has
been too much controlled by the bank
ers of the East; and the Sc in turn by
the bankers of London and Berlin.
This conflict, we are sorry to say, is
really a war of sections. It is the re-
gion Of dead invested capital against
the region of progress and enterprise.
1t is the East, possessing the mort
cages, against the West paying inter-
est on the mortgages.
We do not preach sectionalism, but
we believe each region should defend
its own rights against aggressions. A
man has to keep sharp eye even on
his business partner: and sometimes
the wife of his bosom will encroach
upon his rights il he don't watch her.
The best way to hold this great nation
together is to insist on fair play all
around the board. Whenever one part
Of the Union is plundering, and the
other part scOwling and cursing, the
life of the nation is in danger
We are we'll aware there has been
great pref udice worked up against us
in this state, and all over the country,
during the last thirty years, by Great
ures of the Wheelock stripe; we were
represented by them as a omposite
fool, madma and knave. But 1.-The
end tries the man." Where is
Wheelock today? He led the multi
tude into the pit of universal bank
ruptcy, and Jumped in after them; and
he is now scrabbling about at the bot
tom, to find
I'm the lowest deep lower deep,
Still tn rea tening to devour him."
He is going down and down and will
probably come out at China. For our
selves, we have been guilty of no mis-
takes, no folly. no fanaticism. All
the waves of excitement and delirium
swept over US without unsettling our
balance; and to-day, while the great
adventures, who regarded us as fool.
are smashing and breaking in every
direction, we, without inherited
wealth, without Office, without steal
ings. without financial backing, are in
safe harborage, laughing at the follies
Of the shallow-pa ted great ones, who
ruled the world We have lived nearly
forty years in Minnesota, and in that
time there have been hundreds of
swindles practiced On the confiding
people, and with not one Of these we're
we even suspected Of being connected;
and there is not single position
which we ever took, on public affairs,
that can be today successfully contro-
yerted.
Would it not be we'll for the bust
ness men of Minnesota to turn their
backs on the hireling fools, and the
hireling newspapers, who have misled
them to their ruin, and discharge
from their minds their senseless pref
dices against man who never
wronged them, and never robbed
them, and never misled them?
AS step in that direction, we hail
the letter Of Mr.. Barbaras with pleas
ure.