The Columbus journal., 1910-01-05
NEBRASKA PROPERTY.

Two OF l0e Oele&6IeS 10 t0e 00IlOnaI
convention Of the w. C. T. q. in
Omaha made addresses defending the
policy Of statewide prohibition. Gov
ernor Robert d. Glenn Of North Caro-
lima and Mrs. Nellie G. Berger Of Mis-
souri, went into the economic and so
Geological aspects Of the subject. They
both attempted to show q higher de-
gree of average prosperity among the
people Of Maine than existed In Ii.
cense states. Governor Glenn reiter.
ated the statement often made by pro-
hibitionists that the people Of that
state had more savings placed to
their credit in the banks than was
the case with the people Of license
states. He also made some general
remarks about Maine prosperity which
should not be permitted to 90 unchal.
lenged.
There Is no more reliable barometer
of the financial status Of q state than
that which is given by the comptroller
of the United States currency. The
latter's report for 1907 is quoted be-
cause the figures for that year mark
the high tide of nationwide prosper.
,ity up to that fated day in October
when the panic put stop to CONNER.
cial and financial activity. The comp
troller shows that the people of Maine
had on deposit in national banks that
year S32.412.000, while Nebraskans
had Oh deposit at the same time
$73,942.O0O. which. making allowance
for the difference of population. puts
Nebraska, q license state, far ahead
of Maine on that score. In this connec-
ton, it is interesting to note that tho
people of Kansas. a state having per.
haps a third more population than Ne
braska. had on deposit In national
banks in 1907 $64.97S.O0O. or some
ting like ten millions less than Ne
braska money-getters had. In proper
ton to population Kansas should have
had third more money on deposit
than had Nebraska.
The national banks Of Maine In 1907
reported total assets Of $56.569, 900,
while the assets Of Nebraska national
banks footed up $132, ,909. 900. or about |
60 per cent more wealth In the banks
Of Nebraska than there was In Maine
banks. The assets of national banks
in Kanaas aggregated $11O.476.0OO. or |
about $13.60O. 900 less than the assets
Of Nebraska national banks, with a |
population q third greater than that
Of Nebraska. The comptroller shows
that the average resources of Maine |
people per capita as shown by the |
wealth In national banks. was $77.2S
while the per capita resources Of Kan.
sans In national banks was $66.73.
Here are two prohibition states set up |
against Nebraska, a license state, the
per capita average resources in ma
tional banks Of Nebraskans being
I11S.13.
From the report Of the comptroller
another interesting comparison may
be made touching the capital stock in
state. national and private banks. and
loan and trust companies. The aggre.
gate amount Of wealth under this
heading In Maine was $12.344.30O,
while In Nebraska 1t was $22,278.14O.
While these figures are greatly In
tavor Of Nebraska, 1t must be borne in
mind that Nebraska and western states
ierive nothing in the way Of material
gains from Maine. whereas the tour
sts who raise the population Of Maine
very largely during the summer sea-
3on Snend milliona of dollars annually i
70 that Maine is drawing money from
many of the states of the west and
benefits through the prosperity Of the
middle west states.