The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1898-10-19
JOHN LIND. THE RANkER.

John Lind ade an attack upon State
Bank Examiner Kenyon, and charged
him with great neglect of duty in the
case of the Bank of Minnesota. whereup-
on Kenyon comes back at Lind in lively
fashion. Among other things he says:
Mr.. Lind made the further statement that
worse condition of mismanagement he
had never seen. Yet there existed at that
time, right in his own city of New Ulm
In the Brown County bank, of which he
was an active director. parallel case, so
far as acknowledgement is concerned.
The Brown County bank had dealings
with the New Tim Roller Mill company.
An examination of the bank made Dec
l. 1897, showed that the bank had loaned
the mill company $i5, 7Q5.14, and that $50, 900
was secured by mortgage from the mill
company to the bank dated Jan. Is. 1897,
the balance of the loan being largely ad-
vances on drafts of the mill company on
shipments of products.
A demand by this department was made
for reduction of the loan to the legal
limit, $500.
Considerable correspondence and Discus
sion ensued. and In this discussion, Charles
L. Roos. secretary of the mill company
stated that it would be impossible for the
mill company had reduced their indebted
days and further stated that it was
the first good milling year for seven years
and proposed to pay $1,000 in 80 days He
stated that if payment for the whole sum
were enforced the mill company would
have to assign. and thus ruin himself and
other people of New Ulm. This depart
ment declined to consider the effect the
mill company had reduced their indebted
definite arrangement for suspension of as
sessment but would consider the effect upon
the bank, maintaining the right to order
an assessment at any time.
Jan. 6. 1898, Col. Bobleter. the president
of the bank. wrote the department that the
mill company had reduced their indebted
ness Sc, 900.
Matters continued thus until Aug. %. 1893
when it was found that no further reduc
ton had been made and an assessment was
ordered.
In connection with this affair Mr.. Lind
was at the meetings of directors, taking an
active part and entirely conversant with
the whole proceedings. After the mill COM
pany gave the mortgage in January, 1897,
the department called for reports of the
condition Of the bank, and the blank used
in such calls requires. provided by law
that the report be attested by two direct
ors. The form has the statement that
the schedules back of the report fully
and correctly represent the true state of the
several matters therein to the best of my
knowledge and belief" One of the sched-
ules on the back calls-f for "lOanS and other
investments exceeding the limit prescrib-
ed by section 10 The bank made a re-
port of it's condition on May IA. 1897, and in
the schedule to limit of loans entered,
the roller mill company at s9,OOO-s1, 800
cured by wheat This report was signed
by John Lind as a director. attesting it's
correctness.
The bank also made a report of it's con-
dition on Oct s. 1897, in which the same
statement was made in the same schedule,
and this report, also, was atteSted as cor
rect by John Lind, director.
The bank also made a report of its con-
dition on Dec 10, 1897, in which the word
"none' was written i'm the schedule relat-
ing to loans over the limit, and this report
was attested by John Lind, director as be-
ing correct.
Mr. Lind was witness to the signature
of the parties to the mortgage of $4,000,
and had full knowledge of the whole trans
action, but attested reports to this depart
ment as correct that represented that there
were loans only a trifing sum over the
limit of $500. when, in fact, this one mort
gage exceeded that limit by $27500, without
including other large advances to the mill
company.
Here is a man. a skilled lawyer. a man
who has held high public positions, a can
didate for the highest Office in the state,