New-York tribune., 1901-03-31
NO MONEY MART NOW.
THE DECLINE OF FRANKFORT-O ON THE
MAIN AS THE FINANCIAL HEART
OF GERMANY.
OF GERMANY.

that the New-YOril newspapers should b. dis
playing great advertisements Of a loan ~ be
raised by that famous city For not less than
four centuries Frankfort was the greatest bank
ing centre in Europe north of the Alps. and the
cityS name is associated in the history of nine
teenth century finance with the rise of the Roth
schilds Here. in the old Judengasse, No AS.
stands the old house from which Meyer Anselm
Rothschild went forth to study the Talmud when
1T was hoped by his family that he would some
day become an excellent rabbi. and in that house
he lived when he laid the foundation of a great
fortune by his fidelity to the trust of the Land
grave Of Hesse
The people of FrankfJrt-iudging by what n
prominent member of that community. now a
resident OF New-YOrk has to say On the subject
See nothing sad about the altered conditions in
"hich American dollars have to be brought To
their city. as it were Goals to Newcastle In the
HrSt pace II Frankfort were content to let we'll
enough alone there would he no need Of these
American dollars. it is not i'll built or i'll laid
out city as it stands. but Frankfort is an arnbi-
ti'uS city and insists upon being continually
lmproVed-heEce the need of the loan Money is
tighter in Germany than it is in the United
States. which is not at all derogatory to Ger
manys financial character but only an indicl-
tion OF a recent and almost feverish awakening,
that can be pressed into service. AS fer the fact
that the city the Main is no longer the finan-
ciaI centre 1t once was, that is a result of devel-
opEents which have been going on for so long
that many a native of the city is hardly aware
that different state OF things ever existed
II may be unsatisfactory. but is none th. less
probable, that many young New-Yorker IL
;'Sktd what Frankfort is famous for. would un-
hesItatInSiy reply. "Frankfurters" meaning
thrss edible. not human. II is Just as probable
thdt any contemporary young Frankfurter-h
mani asked the same question. would never
'hi'A ot Meyer AnseIm Rothschild. unless the
young individual happened to be OF the Ju,,en
Easse II it comes 10 distinguished nativities.
Frankfort is at least ten times as proudly con-
ScIous OF the birth of Goethe as of any financier
t'ut the young native would be likely To be-
s'h "lthin any date 50 recent as 17i9: the re
Ply "'uId probably be recital which to the
New World of America would sound some
'H'hs ike history of the Holy Roman Empire
FIRST there is the legend of the nlirac,Ious
zoe Whlch came out Of the forest and SWAN the
Main 70 show Charlemagne's army the wav
across when the Franks were struggling there
with the Saxons. From this they say. came
the name Of the CITY and Cbar1a,,a,,r, hi.,,
was the first of a long line of emperors who
showered favors and privileges upon il II he.
came one "f the great Free Cities of the ernnira
exempt from the sovereignty OF any prince or
lord. subject only to its own magistrates In
ili-, soon after the Imperial Diet began tn /,
neid there. the two great parties of Guelph ant
'hlDe!ilne originated at one of these meetings
Ihe imperial Mint was established there in 1911
anu the JudenSasse began to develop in l24o
IN Lot the political glory OF the city culuinatad
n what looked at first like its humiliation: tn,
GUELPH Carl triumphed in the imperial election
over his rival Guenther whom Frankfort had
aFHred' but Frankfort made her peace with the
candidate and he on his side issued
he 'Bulla Aurea by which decree IN, W,bI
'tadt. or elective assembly. Of the empire was
established there. To this day the RathhauS.
otherwise called the ROemer. contains the WahI
thinner. where the electors used To assemble ?,
,lect new emperor. and the Kaisersaal where
he newly elected emperor was wont 10 feast
With the sovereign princes. The old church of
81. Bartholomew. destroyed by fire in 1867. was
he scene of the imperial coronation
Financially. all this political grandeur no doubt
contributed to the prosperity of Frankfort but
ne chief factor in that component Of its great
less was its geographical position 1t stood ..
commercial landways and waterways in an az.
when there were railways. 1t also stood j.
elf an imperial free city. in the centre of a lar-4
iuHoer or sovereign states. all subject To the
mperOr, ii is each axerciSiro