Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1896-08-11
CHAMPIONS OF "HONEST', FIN
ANCE.

ANVIL.
When the people ask for the restor-
alton of the American bimeta]lic STAN
dard, they are called anarchists and
regulators. Those who make these
violent charges call themselves cham
pions of ''honest' finance. When the
banks and their organs thus indict the
rank and file of the people as eds
honest' supporters of dishonest fin
ance, it is fair that the record of
those who make these charges be ex-
amined. The Penny Press will not
refer to the late bankers panic, in
which the people were robbed Of
hundreds Of millions of hard earnings
by dishonest financial institutions, be-
cause this dishonesty was not general,
but. individual. But let US take a.
more general and typical test. The
rolls of the state furnish such a test of
honesty and patriotism. The reports
OF the state tax and assessment officials
furnish a basis on which one may
judge what classes are true and loyal
in their protestations of honest and
patriotic dealings with the public.
The Penny Press furnishes below the
assessment OF Minnesota by counties
what purports to be the total amount
of moneys and credits it the banks of
Minnesota in 1894. Pages 96 and 81
OF the last biennial report Of the state
auditor to the last legislature give the
valuation of bank moneys and credits
by counties as follows: X
According to the above report of the
banks to the assessors and auditor of
Minnesota, there are just 81, APP, 4l9 of
bank moneys and 1881, 1853 of bank
credits in the state Of Minnesota.
Let us see. The dogs of Minnesota,
over six months old, are assessed at
1929, 497, the watches and clocks at
1915, 651, the sewing machines at S664,
242, the Pianos at 81, PIG, 810-and all
the notes and mortgages and other
credits of the banks at just 1881, 1853!
Let us look again. The yearling
calves of Minnesota are assessed at
1866, PAP and the two-year-olds at ST.
727, 572-and all the moneys of banks,
bankers, brokers or stock jobbers'
are assessed at 81, 422, 419!
How is this for honest finance? How
is this for honesty and patriotism in
dealing with the public? And this is
the sworn valuation of the bankers
and brokers of Minnesota. The
above is the sworn valuation made to
the state of Minnesota by those who
call the people "anarchists and Gre
pudiationists" because they favor the
restoration of the time-honored sys-
TEN of American bi-metallism.
The housewives and musicians and
seamstresses are assessed at $2,371,
TAT on sewing machines, pianos and
organs! while the bankers and brok-
ers are taxed on only ST, 953, ST for all
their moneys and credits. This proves
that the housewives, musicians and
seamstresses are in practice truer dis
ciples of honest finance in supporting
state and local government, than the
boosted preachers of honest finance in
the banking institutions. When those
who preach honest finance so Justify
begin to practice it in their dealings
with the public, the latter will have
more confidence in the preaching.
s~.Look over the above table in detail.
All the moneys in the banks of Mime
apolis are only $92,075, as against
1854, 1877 in pianos in this town, and
S94, 800 in Sewing machines.
In St. Paul banks the total amount
of assessed moneys in 1894 was just
39,0o5, as against S8l ,144 in sewing
machines; and all the bank credits
were Sl7,847, as against 1886, 1S5 in
pianos. Ramsey county is not much
OF an agricultural county, but it's COWS
are taxed for more than all it's bank
moneys and credits.
Hennepin county is not great Co.
on farming, but the farms are assessed
at 1922, 92S on COWS, as against $92,-
075 which the banks are assessed on
moneys.
According to the sworn statements
of Twin City bankers, there arc less
moneys and credits in the banks of
St. Paul and Minneapolis than in the
banks of such agricultural counties as
Meeker, Polk, Scott, Stearns and
Wright.
Meeker county is assessed at $780,
324 for bank moneys, as against $751;
600 for the great metropolises of Min
neapolis and St. Paul combined.
Polk county located up among the
wheat fields of the Red River valley,
has $131, 402 of bank moneys, just the
same as all the banks of the Twin
Cities, and six times as much as the
banks of st. Paul, the home of the
great exponent Of Republican "honest
money!" Hon w. R. Merriam, presi-
dent of the Merchants National.
Stearns has $153, 100 of bank moneys
seven times as much as St. Paul
and Wright has $4,000, which is
about 60 per cent Of the assessed bank
moneys of the Twin Cities.
In bank credits, including notes and
mortgages, Ramsey county, or St.
PAIL is assessed at less tn an the farm.