The state republican. (Jefferson City, Mo.) 1871-1896, 1896-04-16

McNair was the first governor of Mis-
souri,.
The nearest postofice to st. Louis
was Cahokia, where a one horse mail
arrived once Il month. All st. Louis
had to 20 to Cahukia for their letters.
The fur trade which had been the chief
business interest of st. Louis before
the change of government continued to
be 50 long after. The French voyagers,
trapprrs and traders went far up the
Missouri and %traverscd the region
west towards the Rocky mountains. In
early times the currency was pcltry
bonds, aud bills payable in peltries,
In tsOS THE Missouri Fur Company
was formed by Pierre Choutcau, VIM.
Clark, sylvester L%abaldie and others.
The statistics Of these early times show
that for fifteen successive years ending
in 1904. the annual value of the ttlrs
collected in st. Louis amounted to
S2O3, $50 The number Of deer skins was
15S. 600 of beaver, 1879 pounds 5, 900
otter 81. GOO bear and ~ buffalo.
In 1901 there were only two Ameri.
can families in st. Louis. In 1917
there arrived at ST. Louis the first
steamboat which ever made trial of
its powers against the current of the
Mississippi, by the name of THE
General Pike, - her commander be-
ing Capt, Jacob Reed. Two years af.
terward on the 18th of May, 1919, 1.-The
Independence. Capt. Nelson com
manier, steamed the tide of the Mis-
souri, river as far as "Old Franklin. "
On the "a day of June, 1919, the
steamer Harriet" reached st. Louis
after twenty.seven days voyage from
New Orleans, being the first steam
boat arrival from that city.
The Missouri Gazette, now the St.
Louis Republic, appeared in July,
1S0S, very nearly the date of the occu-
patton of the territory of Upper Louis
lana by the government of the United
Staes. At the date of the commence.
ment Of the publication, st. Louis was
in Louisiana that is to say the terri
tory now embraced within the limits
Of the state of Missouri constituted a
county in the territory of Louisiana.
The name of the paper was changed
in 1909 to Louisiana Gazette. In
ISIS the name was changed back to
Missouri Gazette" In 1S21 the
name of the paper was changed to
Missouri Republican, and under the
management of Col. c. II. Jones, now
of the st. Louis Post. Dispatch, it was
changed 10 the name of the EST.
Louis Republic.
The first bank in Missouri began
business in 1916. This was the Bank
Of st. Louis, with a capital of 800, 900.
In 1S11 was chartered the Bank of Mis-
souri,, and in 1921 sundry loan offices.
In 1888 st. Louis had a population
not much exceeding 6, 900 and taxable
property valued at 50, 900, 900. The
whole tax Of that year on personal and
real property was only 50, 745. 81. As
late "a 1872 history informs us that
the currency of St. Louis and the
northwest was confined almost ex-
clusiyely to whisky, peltries, trinkets,
home made sugar, bees wax and
blankets. By reference to the files of
the Missouri Gazette, it will be seen
from the advertisements that a pape
or coin currency was little thought of
in cifecting the various exchanges of
private property. y few years later
negroes became the standard of values
and in fact the principal part of the
city's trade.
On July IL, 1919, the Bank of st.
Louis failed Tho. II. Benton was a
stakeholder in this bank and seems to
have been a leader in the conservative
element which made war upon its man.
agement. Benton's leaning thereafter
was always toward hard money and
cthe powerful influence he exercised in
the state politics of Missouri for so
many years had much to do with the
NoAI-'l NbAlNlI VI Itl dlltI ItRlslillOU
in regard to state bank issues. The
Bank Of Missouri did not long survive
the failure of the Bank of st. Louis
but went into liquidation in the sum
mel Of 1S22.
The state was then without banking
facilities until 1928 when a branch of
the United States Bank at Philadelphia
was opened. The management of this
bank was more conservative than that
Of its predecessors and it fully enjoyed
the confidence of the people of st.
Louis until it discontinued business
about the year 1893, having succumbed
to the ADVERTISEMENTS growing out of
the determined hostility of President
J%9ckSon's opposition to the parent bank
at Philadelphia,
The Bank of the State of Missouri
branches held for many years a prac-
tical monopoly of the banking fran
chises of the state. Its first branches
were located at Fayette, Palmyra,
Cape Girardeau, Springfield and Lex
ington. This bank was the fiscal agent
of the state Of Missouri. 1t effected
the sale of the state bonds and paid
the interest upon the state indebted
ness, The bills issued by it were
always redeemed at par on presenta,
tion. The wildcat money which made
its period so famous in history was not
a Missouri issue.
In 1855 there was the State Bank
of Missouri in st. Louis with its
branches in Fayette, Cape Girardeau,
Palmyra, Lexington and Springfield,
having a circulation all told of So. 200.
900, specie 81, lao, 900 and with capital